In the Sakya lineage, the transmission of teachings rests on a living, relational bond between teacher and student, rather than on texts alone. Central to this is the triad of empowerment (wang), oral transmission (lung), and instruction (tri), which together ensure that both the words and the inner meaning of the teachings are passed on. Empowerment functions as a formal tantric initiation, authorizing the student to engage in specific deity practices and advanced methods, and linking that practice to an unbroken line of realization. Oral transmission, in which the teacher recites the text or liturgy aloud while the student listens, carries the sound and blessing of the lineage, granting the student the right to study and practice that material. Instruction then unpacks what has been received, offering detailed explanation, commentary, and practical guidance so that the teachings become workable in meditation and daily conduct.

This threefold pattern is especially evident in the transmission of major systems such as the Lamdré, “Path and Fruit,” which is given through a structured curriculum of explanation and graduated tantric instruction. Here, the teacher not only presents philosophical views and ritual details, but also offers step‑by‑step guidance so that the student can internalize the path experientially. Such instruction may include what is sometimes called experiential transmission, where meditation guidance and personal counsel help the student move from conceptual understanding to direct realization. Retreat settings and ongoing mentoring deepen this process, allowing the teacher to correct, refine, and adapt practices according to the student’s capacity. In this way, devotion to the teacher and trust in the lineage become the channels through which blessing, understanding, and realization flow.

The institutional and familial structures of Sakya further support this mode of transmission. Historically, key teachings, including the most important tantric cycles, have been preserved and renewed within the hereditary line of Sakya throne holders, particularly the Khön family, and then shared with qualified disciples. At the same time, recognized lineage holders and senior masters maintain the continuity of both sutra and tantra through public cycles of teaching and more restricted, intimate instructions. Rigorous scholastic training—textual study, commentary, and debate on topics such as Madhyamaka and other classical subjects—complements the tantric transmissions, ensuring that insight is grounded in careful reasoning. Through this combination of empowerment, oral and explanatory transmission, disciplined study, and personal guidance, the Sakya tradition seeks to hand down a path that is at once scholarly, experiential, and deeply rooted in an unbroken lineage.