Who are your Top 5 Mahayana masters of all time?

[Pema Rigdzin]

I'm just gonna include masters primarily known for their Sutrayana teachings, since it would be too hard for me to decide if I also include Vajrayana masters!

Not necessarily in order:

1. Nagarjuna
2. Chandrakirti
3. Shantideva
4. Vasubhandu
5. Asanga

[Indrajala]

1. Fazang -- just an interesting Buddhist master in the Tang who also fooled around with Daoist magick.

2. Nagarjuna -- without him I doubt the Mahayana would have thrived as much as it has.

3. Vasubandhu -- Wrote Abhidharmakosa, which is a solid user manual for the Buddha-dharma.

4. Asanga -- Had a transmission from Maitreya, explained well the Bodhisattva vehicle in the early Mahayana.

5. Dharmakirti -- Put forth a strong case for the Buddhist project and refuted materialists.

[Buddhanataka]

Greetings,

I thought it might be worth starting up a topic focussing on who we personally consider to be the 5 greatest Mahayana masters of all time, and a few sentences on what makes them so significant.

1. Shakyamuni Buddha...our original teacher
2. Garab Dorje....the 1st Dzogchen Atiyoga teacher
3. Padmasambhava....the 2nd Buddha
4. Rongzom Dharmabhadra...the lion of philosophy and 1st great omniscient Vajradhara king of all Buddhas!
5. Longchen Rabjampa...the 2nd great omniscient Vajradhara overlord of all the Buddhas!
6. Jamgon Mipham....hero of Great Madhyamaka and the 3rd great omniscient Vajradhara king of all Buddhas!

[RSD]

Because the nature of beings is to be affected by different things, and fortunately, because the nature of Compassion is to be as infinite as we are,
I can list the 5 historical masters who I believe have had the most impact, on human beings at least, in disseminating true understanding of the Dharma...

(The list given by "Buddhanataka" almost directly correlates to mine. The order that they directly affect me in this current age is only slightly different):

1. Garab Dorje - First human Dzogchen master -because of his direct teaching, pointing out the point to us- without whom I would constantly forget the simplicity
2. Padmasambhava - without whom the Vajrayana wouldn't have reached Tibet and may have disappeared altogether- without whom all future generations wouldn't have been inspired to keep the lineage unbroken to this very day, through our current teachers to us, and without whom I wouldn't have any transmission
3. Shakyamuni Buddha - the great human example, the foundation of all Dharma, whether we had the capacity to hear or not -without whom I wouldn't have the inspiration for perseverance, courage and omniscience
4. Longchen Rabjampa - the great ellaborate explainer of details - who shows me the vastness and completeness of the Dharma
5. Rongzompa - the unequalled holder and expounder of the View of the essence of Dharma -without whose clarity and specificity I would have nothing to compare my own view with

The 5 Masters from the Golden Age that still have the most impact on today's practitioners are:

1. Milarepa - the ultimate hope for all those that think they are too corrupt to be Enlightened in one lifetime
2. Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo the Great - for the vastness of his knowledge and integrated wisdom
3. Jamgon Mipham - for his unobstructed clarity and passing down of skills
4. Jigme Lingpa - for embodying unconditional devotion
5. Patrul Rinpoche - for his transparency and unaffected frankness

And the 5 Masters that today have the most direct impact on my life and my path:

1. H.H.14th Dalai Lama - who, like for most people, was my earliest inspiration and reason to come to the Dharma
2. Sogyal Rinpoche - whose devotion for his teachers, warmth and teachings on integration affect my daily life
3. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche - whose vastness of knowledge and direct teaching of the essence is unexcelled
4. Dzongsar Khyenste Rinpoche - whose precision, creativity and non-conformity make me feel at home and free
5. Dzigar Kontrul Rinpoche - whose sharp, clear explanations and their integrity in his life are an example to all

May we emulate and finally embody all the above!
RSD

[Astus]

1. Nagarjuna - for Madhyamaka
2. Dushun - for Huayan
3. Mazu Daoyi - for Hongzhou Chan
4. Guifeng Zongmi - for Heze Chan and Huayan
5. Thrangu Rinpoche - especially for his teachings on Mahamudra

[Sonam Wangchug]

In no particular order.

Nagarjuna
Milarepa
16th karmapa
HH dilgo khyentse rinpoche
Guru rinpoche

[tktru]

Nagarjuna - I have to agree with everyone above, where would we be on the Bodhisattva path without him?

Kumarajiva - Grateful for his work on the translations of sutras prevalent in the Buddhist world.

Kukai/Kobo Daishi - A force for spiritual cultivation and practice for the sake of all beings who seek the light of the sun. Also a cultural hero.

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche - His crazy and sometimes controversial wisdom heralded the dawn of a new Buddhist age in America and the West.

Venerable Hsing Yun - A modern monk with the spirit of bringing the Buddhadharma and bringing about its usefulness in the mundane world.

[Bodhi]

I know each master have their own way of teaching and benefiting sentient beings, but these are the 5 masters from past and present that inspire me alot.

1. Bodhidharma


2. The 6th patriarch Hui Neng


3. Master Hsu Yun


4. Grand Master Wei Chueh


5. Ven. Master Hsuan Hua


These are the 5 masters that inspired me very much. B

Peace in Chan

[remm]

In no specific order,

1. Nagarjuna

2. 6th Patriarch Hui Neng

3. Ven. Master De Qing Han Shan

4. Ven. Master De Qing Hsu Yun

5. Ven. Master Tu Lun Hsuan Hua

[wukong]

using HH Dalai lama's criteria for great teachers, i would have to say...

Mao Zedong

Stalin

Hitler

Pol Pot

My Wife

[Dexing]

Pol Pot

Paul Potts, really?

My Wife

[catmoon]

I'm more interested in recent figures, so


1. HH the 14th Dalai Lama
2. Lama Zopa
3. the seventh Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche
4. Shunryu Suzuki
5. Thubten Chodron

Honorable mention: Bodhipaksa

[kirtu]

Honorable mention: Bodhipaksa

Hi Catmoon! Bodhipaksa is not a name one usually encounters in these lists. Who is s/he?

Kirt

[catmoon]

Bodhipaksa is a Buddhist writer and teacher, originally from Scotland I think (or was it Ireland?) but currently in the States. His site is http://www.wildmind.org/ and has been of great help to many. He is modern, eclectic, and exemplary in his kindness. I think he has a bit of the Dalai Lama in him.

[Josef]

Buddha
Nagarjuna
Shantideva
Aryadeva
Dharmakirti

[jikai]

1) Shakyamuni Buddha
2) Zhiyi/Chih-I/Tendai Daishi
3) Saicho/ Dengyo Daishi
4) Ennin/ Jikaku Daishi
5) Hui Neng

Gassho

[Virgo]

All of them are Top Five.

Kevin

[Nighthawk]

1. Shakyamuni Buddha
2. Honen
3. Nagarjuna
4. Shandao
5. Shinran

[Epistemes]

1. Buddha
2. My girlfriend
3. Saint Francis of Assisi
4. Trungpa Rinpoche
5. Everyone I've ever encountered

[Thug4lyfe]

Sakyamuni Buddha
Bodhidharma
Huieng
Xu Yun
Hsing Yun