The Kagyu lineage originates in the Buddha. Through an unbroken succession of enlightened masters, it has preserved perfectly intact the finest of the original Buddhism of India. Its teachings, taken from India to Tibet in the 11th century have been maintained on the snow-capped roof of the world until the latter half of this century. Now they are present in every continent. In these pages, we will explore the ancient Indian lineages which form the Kagyu tradition, their content, the Tibetan transmission over the past 900 years and the particular role played by the Gyalwa Karmapas, the first and foremost reincarnate lamas of Tibet, whose profound and widespread spiritual influence has marked Tibet, China, Mongolia and many Himalayan kingdoms over that period.