Difference between revisions of "Atisha"
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[[File:Atisha.jpg|thumb|right|250px|This distinctive portrait of Atiśa originated from a Kadampa monastery in Tibet and was gifted to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 1933 by The Kronos Collections. In this graphic depiction Atiśa holds a long, thin palm-leaf manuscript with his left hand, which probably symbolizes one of the many important texts he wrote, and he makes the gesture of teaching with his right hand.]] | [[File:Atisha.jpg|thumb|right|250px|This distinctive portrait of Atiśa originated from a Kadampa monastery in Tibet and was gifted to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 1933 by The Kronos Collections. In this graphic depiction Atiśa holds a long, thin palm-leaf manuscript with his left hand, which probably symbolizes one of the many important texts he wrote, and he makes the gesture of teaching with his right hand.]] | ||
− | Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (Bengali: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên, IAST: Dīpaṃkara- śrījñāna Atiśa; Chinese: 燃燈吉祥智; pinyin: Rándēng Jíxiángzhì) (980–1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and [[Marpa Lotsawa|Marpa]], was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King [[Langdarma]] (Glang Darma). | + | {{DisplayImages|573|1177|989|4510|555|1053}} |
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+ | [[Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna]] ({{Wiki|Bengali}}: [[অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান]] [[Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên]], IAST: [[Atiśa Dīpaṃkara-śrījñāna]]; [[Dīpaṃkara-śrījñāna Atiśa]]; {{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[燃燈吉祥智]]; pinyin: [[Rándēng Jíxiángzhì]]) (980–1054 CE) was a [[Buddhist]] [[teacher]] from the {{Wiki|Pala Empire}} who, along with [[Konchog Gyalpo]] and [[Marpa Lotsawa|Marpa]], was one of the major figures in the establishment, of the [[Sarma lineages]] in [[Tibet]] after the repression of [[Buddhism]] by [[King]] [[Langdarma]] ([[Glang Darma]]), also, in the spread of 11th-century [[Mahayana Buddhism]] in {{Wiki|Asia}} and inspired [[Buddhist thought]] from [[Tibet]] to [[Sumatra]]. | ||
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+ | Revered as one of the great figures of classical [[Buddhism]], [[Atisa]] was a key figure in the establishment of the [[Sarma schools]] of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. | ||
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+ | ==Early [[Life]]== | ||
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+ | ===[[Birth]]=== | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa]] is most commonly said to have been born in the year 980 in [[Vajrayoginī]] village in Bikrampur, the northeastern region of {{Wiki|Bengal}} (located in {{Wiki|modern}} day {{Wiki|Bangladesh}}). His homestead in the village is still known to the local [[people]] as the "Ponditer bhita" (the homestead of the [[Pundit]] - a learned man). | ||
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+ | The exact years of his [[birth]] and [[Death]] are widely disputed. Some sources indicate that [[Atiśa]] was born in 982 and [[died]] in 1054, while more recent studies contend that his [[life]] began in 980 and ended in 1052.[citation needed] In any case, it is unanimously [[recognized]] that [[Atiśa]] lived to the age of seventy-two. | ||
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+ | It is noteworthy that, while no direct connections can be made to the [[birth]] of [[Atiśa]], the year 980 also saw a major [[Power]] shift in {{Wiki|Bengali}} {{Wiki|politics}} as the resurgent [[Pala dynasty]] seized control of the region, disposing of the incumbent [[Kamboja]] rulers. [[Atiśa]] was allegedly born into royalty, and it would be intriguing to know whether his {{Wiki|royal}} {{Wiki|status}} stemmed from one of these two contemporaneous contending [[powers]]. | ||
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+ | The prince's [[birth]] is often described in [[traditional]] accounts as an [[auspicious]] or [[promising]] episode. | ||
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+ | For example, it is said that as [[Atiśa]] was born "[[Flowers]] rained down upon the city of [[Vikramapura]], a [[rainbow]] {{Wiki|canopy}} appeared, and the [[gods]] [[sang]] hymns which brought gladness and [[joy]] to all the [[people]]". | ||
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+ | This particular description is loaded with several themes distinctly typical of [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|literature}}. | ||
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+ | The {{Wiki|image}} of [[Flowers]] falling from the sky appears in the episode of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]]'s [[attainment]] of {{Wiki|perfect}} [[Enlightenment]], and the [[emergence]] of a [[rainbow]] {{Wiki|canopy}} [[symbolizes]] the [[reincarnation]] of a [[Bodhisattva]]. | ||
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+ | Most importantly, however, is that the arrival of [[Atiśa]] brought certain [[happiness]] to [[Sentient beings]]. | ||
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+ | This effect of [[Atiśa's]] [[birth]] corresponds directly with the [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|concept}} of dedicating one's [[life]] to the uplifting and [[Enlightenment]] of all [[conscious]] [[beings]]. | ||
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− | + | ===Palace [[life]]=== | |
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− | + | The city of [[Vikramapura]], the most probable candidate for [[Atiśa's]] [[birthplace]], was the {{Wiki|capital}} of the {{Wiki|ancient}} {{Wiki|kingdoms}} of {{Wiki|Southeast}} {{Wiki|Bengal}}. | |
− | + | Though the city's exact location is not certain, it presently lies in the Munshiganj District of {{Wiki|Bangladesh}}, and continues to be celebrated as an early center of [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|cultural}}, {{Wiki|academic}}, and {{Wiki|political}} [[life]]. | |
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− | + | Similar to [[Gautama Buddha|Shakyamuni Buddha]], [[Atiśa]] was born into royalty; the palace in which he was raised, aptly named the Golden [[Banner]] Palace, "had a golden [[victory banner]] encircled by countless houses and there were great numbers of bathing-pools encircled by 720 magnificent [[gardens]], [[forests]] of Tal ([[Borassus flabellifer]]) [[trees]], seven concentric walls, 363 connecting [[Bridges]], {{Wiki|innumerable}} golden [[victory banners]], thirteen roofs to the {{Wiki|central}} palace and thousands of noblemen". | |
− | ===Renunciation=== | + | His father was the [[king]] of {{Wiki|Bengal}} known as [[Kalyana Shri]], and his mother was [[Shri Prabhavati]]. |
− | Atiśa's response to his | + | |
+ | One of three {{Wiki|royal}} brothers, [[Atiśa]] went by the [[name]] of [[Chandragarbha]] ({{Wiki|Chinese}}: [[月藏]]; pinyin: [[Yuèzàng]]) during the first part of his [[life]]. | ||
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+ | In fact, it was not until he traveled to [[Tibet]] and encountered the [[king]] [[Jangchub Ö]] ([[Byang Chub Od]]) that he was given the [[name]] of [[Atiśa]], a [[Tibetan]] reference to [[peace]]. | ||
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+ | For the first eighteen months of his [[life]], [[Atiśa]] was sheltered and attended to by eight nurses in the {{Wiki|royal}} palace of the {{Wiki|capital}} city, [[Vikramapura]]. | ||
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+ | At eighteen months old, it is said that his [[parents]] then brought him into public for the first [[time]], on a visit to a local [[temple]] in [[Kamalapuri]]. | ||
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+ | It was here that [[Atiśa's]] potential as an [[extraordinary]] [[religious]] and [[spiritual]] leader initially emerged. [[People]] from all over the region [[gathered]] to {{Wiki|witness}} his [[appearance]]. | ||
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+ | When [[Atiśa]] learned from his [[parents]] of the crowd's {{Wiki|status}} as his [[own]] [[subjects]], he prayed that they may "be possessed of [[merit]] like that of [his] [[parents]], {{Wiki|rule}} {{Wiki|kingdoms}} that reach the summit of {{Wiki|prosperity}}, be [[reborn]] as sons of {{Wiki|kings}} [and] be sustained by {{Wiki|holy}} and [[virtuous]] [[deeds]]." | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa]] then proceeded {{Wiki|independently}} to {{Wiki|worship}} the {{Wiki|holy}} [[objects]] both inside and surrounding the [[temple]], renouncing his ties to the [[world]] and his [[family]] and committing himself to [[religious]] pursuit. | ||
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+ | ===[[Spiritual]] yearning=== | ||
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+ | Such an [[interpretation]] of [[Atiśa's]] first public [[appearance]], found in [[Buddhist texts]] and historical accounts, strongly reinforces a couple of critical components of [[Buddhist Philosophy]]. The story clearly gives an [[impression]] of [[Atiśa]] as a [[spiritually]] advanced and relatively [[enlightened]] {{Wiki|individual}} at only eighteen months old. | ||
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+ | As such, the {{Wiki|prince}} is seen to have acquired enough [[merit]] through [[virtuous]] [[actions]] in previous [[lives]] such that it carried over to dictate both his [[favourable]] [[experience]] as a venerated {{Wiki|prince}} and [[enlightened]] [[personality]] as a [[compassionate]] {{Wiki|individual}}. | ||
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+ | Moreover, [[Atiśa's]] [[spiritual]] proficiency at this point is demonstrated through both [[kindness]] towards his [[subjects]] and [[non-attachment]] towards his familial, {{Wiki|social}}, and overall [[life]] situation. | ||
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+ | Mirroring the [[life]] of [[Shakyamuni Buddha]], the young {{Wiki|prince}} is depicted as having a natural capacity for swift {{Wiki|learning}} in multiple fields and the [[practice]] of [[Dharma]] at a young age. | ||
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+ | He had become "well-versed in [[Astrology]], [[writing]] and [[Sanskrit]]" by the age of three, "[[able]] to distinguish between the [[Buddhist]] and [[non-Buddhist]] [[doctrines]]" by the age of ten, and would eventually become a [[master]] of the teachings of [[Mahayana]], [[Hinayana]], and [[Vajrayana Buddhism]] under the guidance of over 100 different instructors. | ||
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+ | As [[time]] elapsed [[Atiśa's]] wish to enter the [[religious]] [[life]] strengthened, but his [[parents]] identified him as the brightest of their sons and natural successor to [[Power]]. | ||
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+ | Therefore, as he turned the customary age of eleven years old, surrounding him with the luxuries and extravagance of royalty, [[Atiśa's]] [[parents]] commenced the decorative courtship and matrimonial preparations so that the {{Wiki|prince}} might find a bride among the kingdom's [[beautiful]] young women of [[nobility]]. | ||
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+ | ===[[Renunciation]]=== | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa's]] response to his [[parents]]’ proposal as documented in [[Buddhist]] biographical texts evidences the level of commitment the young {{Wiki|prince}} had for [[religious]] pursuit and [[Enlightenment]]. | ||
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+ | On the eve of his [[wedding]], [[Atiśa]] [[experienced]] a momentous encounter with the [[Vajrayana]] [[goddess Tārā]], who would continue with him as a guiding [[spirit]] until the end of his [[life]]. [[Tārā]] explained to the {{Wiki|prince}} that in his {{Wiki|past}} [[lives]] he had been a devout [[Monk]]. | ||
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+ | Accordingly, he should not be overwhelmed by the lure of {{Wiki|ephemeral}} [[pleasures]] in the [[world]]. | ||
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+ | If he should acquiesce, [[Tārā]] continued, then "as an [[elephant]] sinks deeply into the swamp, [he], a [[hero]], [would] sink in the mire of [[lust]]." [[Essentially]], [[Tārā's]] [[manifestation]] is [[symbolic]] for the prince's meaningful [[realization]] of his [[own]] [[karmic]] potential. | ||
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+ | The [[deity's]] {{Wiki|metaphor}} is [[illuminating]]: as an elephant's enormous {{Wiki|weight}} prevents it from escaping the mud, so the prince's [[wealth]] and extravagance would prevent him from [[spiritual]] [[awakening]]. | ||
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+ | With this [[revelation]] at the forefront of his [[consciousness]], [[Atiśa]] renounced his {{Wiki|kingdom}}, [[family]], and {{Wiki|social}} {{Wiki|status}} in [[order]] to find a [[spiritual]] teacher—or as he told his parents—to go on a [[hunting]] trip. | ||
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+ | [[Buddhist]] sources assert that, while feigning a [[hunting]] trip, an adolescent [[Atiśa]] made the acquaintance of the [[brahmin]] [[Jetari]], a [[Buddhist]] [[recluse]] and renowned [[teacher]]. [[Jetari]] [[taught]] the young man three things: | ||
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+ | #taking [[Refuge]] in The [[Three Jewels]] of [[Buddha]], | ||
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#[[Dharma]] and [[Sangha]] and | #[[Dharma]] and [[Sangha]] and | ||
− | #[[ | + | #[[Bodhichitta]], described as the [[mind]]-oriented [[aspiration]] towards [[Enlightenment]] with the intent of benefiting all [[Sentient beings]]. |
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+ | Upon educating the young [[Atiśa]] in the basic {{Wiki|principles}} of [[Mahayana Buddhism]], [[Jetari]] advised that he go to [[Nalanda]], a [[Buddhist]] center for {{Wiki|learning}} in northeastern [[India]]. | ||
− | + | In [[Nalanda]], [[Atiśa]] received once again brief instruction regarding the [[Bodhisattva]] [[vows]] under the [[spiritual]] [[guide]] [[Bodhibhadra]], who in turn advised him to seek out a [[teacher]] renowned for his {{Wiki|perfect}} [[meditation]] of perceiving [[emptiness]], [[Vidyakokila]]. | |
===Training=== | ===Training=== | ||
− | Atiśa's acquisition of the | + | [[Atiśa's]] acquisition of the [[Wisdom]] to {{Wiki|perceive}} [[emptiness]] is particularly significant. |
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+ | It is during this stage of study that [[Atiśa]] became {{Wiki|aware}} of [[pure]] [[human nature]] and the fundamental freedom [[inherent]] to every [[sentient]] being's [[existence]]; a freedom exclusive of [[physical]] [[attachments]] and [[mental]] bondage. | ||
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+ | [[Buddhist]] [[Wikipedia:narrative|narratives]] recount one story in which [[Atiśa]] comes across a woman alternately crying and laughing. | ||
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+ | Confused with her {{Wiki|behaviour}}, he inquires about her [[condition]], and she responds: "[O]ne's [[own]] [[mind]] has been a [[Buddha]] from beginning less [[time]]. | ||
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+ | By not [[knowing]] this, great complications follow from such a small base of error for hundreds of thousands of [[Sentient beings]]…. | ||
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+ | Not {{Wiki|being}} [[able]] to bear the [[Suffering]] for so many [[beings]], I cry. | ||
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+ | And then, I [[laugh]] because when this small basis of error is known—when one [[knows]] one's [[own]] mind—one is freed." | ||
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+ | Coming from a background of [[nobility]] and {{Wiki|material}} [[wealth]], [[Atiśa's]] {{Wiki|realisation}} of value as a freely determined product of [[perception]] represents a [[relative]] challenge and an [[alteration]] of [[life]] {{Wiki|principles}} with substantial {{Wiki|ontological}} ramifications. | ||
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+ | Upon completing his {{Wiki|training}} for [[meditations]] on [[nothingness]] and [[emptiness]], [[Atiśa]] was advised to go study with [[Avadhutipa]], a [[Vajrayana]] [[master]]. Though [[Avadhutipa]] consented to instruct the still young [[Atiśa]], he required that the {{Wiki|prince}} first consult the [[Black Mountain Yogi]]. | ||
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− | + | The [[Black Mountain Yogi]] tested [[Atiśa]] in numerous ways. First, he cast a {{Wiki|lightning}} bolt in [[Atiśa's]] [[direction]] as he first approached. | |
− | + | He then granted the {{Wiki|prince}} thirteen days of instruction, [[teaching]] him the [[Hevajra lineage]] and bestowing him with the code [[name]] {{Wiki|Indestructible}} [[Wisdom]]. | |
− | + | Finally, the [[Black Mountain Yogi]] insisted that, before [[Atiśa]] continue in his studies, he gain permission from his [[parents]] to be formally acquitted of {{Wiki|royal}} {{Wiki|responsibility}}, summoning eight naked [[yogis]] and [[yoginis]] to escort the {{Wiki|prince}} back to [[Vikramapura]]. | |
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− | Even as a | + | |
+ | Returning to the {{Wiki|royal}} palace, [[Atiśa's]] [[parents]] and [[subjects]] believed he had gone mad during his jungle [[Refuge]]. | ||
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+ | He explained to his [[parents]], however, that his pursuit of [[Dharma]] was for the [[greater]] {{Wiki|benefit}} of all [[Sentient beings]] and that "if [he] had become a [[king]] [he] would be with [them] only for this [[life]]. | ||
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+ | In {{Wiki|future}} [[lives]] [they] would never meet, and this [[life]], for all its {{Wiki|luxury}} and [[wealth]] would have been for [[nothing]]" . | ||
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+ | [[Essentially]], [[Atiśa's]] [[motivation]] in renouncing the [[wealth]] and {{Wiki|luxury}} in his [[life]] was to repay his [[parents]] and fellow [[beings]]. | ||
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+ | In [[understanding]] his [[reasons]] and remembering the [[religious]] [[signs]] that accompanied the prince's [[birth]], [[Atiśa's]] mother willingly gave her consent and approved her son's [[decision]] to pursue the [[Dharma]]. | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa's]] father, on the other hand, was much harder to convince and, like the [[Shakyamuni Buddha's]] [[own]] father, only conceded after multiple requests. | ||
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+ | Driven forth by his parent's approval, [[Atiśa]] went back to [[Avadhutipa]] to continue his studies, {{Wiki|learning}} the [[Madhyamaka]] [[Middle Way]] and various [[tantra]] practices. At one point, he assumed a slight amount of {{Wiki|pride}} in his accomplishments. | ||
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+ | Such an assumption was immediately met with a reminder that he knew relatively little through the visit from a [[Dakini]] in a [[vision]]. | ||
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+ | Consequently, [[Atiśa's]] unnecessary {{Wiki|pride}} was reduced to humbleness overnight and he continued towards the [[path]] of [[Enlightenment]]. | ||
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+ | ===[[Monastic]] [[life]]=== | ||
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+ | One day, as [[Atiśa]] considered practicing his [[tantra]] with all the [[energy]] he could summon until he achieved his full potential he was confronted by a contending {{Wiki|voice}}. | ||
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+ | The [[Black Mountain Yogi]] appeared to him in a [[dream]], and advised him to take his [[time]] through steady [[practice]] in [[order]] to achieve the [[enlightenment]] he was seeking. | ||
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+ | Rather than extend all his [[powers]] at once, the [[Black Mountain Yogi]] warned, he should endeavor to become a "[[spiritual]] seeker who has renounced [[family]] [[life]]", a [[Monk]]. | ||
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+ | Therefore, in his twenty-ninth year, [[Atiśa]] was formally declared a [[Monk]] under an [[ordination]] of the great [[Śīlarakṣita]], and given the new [[name]] of [[Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna]], meaning "[[He Whose Deep Awareness Acts as a Lamp]]." | ||
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+ | Even as a [[Monk]], [[Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna]] yearned for the fastest and most direct means of [[attaining]] {{Wiki|perfect}} [[Enlightenment]]. | ||
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+ | He made a [[pilgrimage]] to [[Bodhgaya]] and, as he was circumambulating the great [[Stupa]] there, had a [[vision]] consisting of two materialisations of [[Tārā]]. | ||
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+ | One asked the other what the most important [[practice]] for [[attaining]] [[Enlightenment]] was, and the other duly replied that "the [[practice]] of [[Bodhichitta]], supported by [[loving kindness]] and great [[Compassion]] is most important." | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa]] thenceforth dedicated himself to refining his [[understanding]] and [[practice]] of [[Bodhichitta]]. | ||
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+ | [[Thus]], at the age of thirty-one, the [[Monk]] arranged for a perilous journey, traveling for thirteen months to [[Sumatra]] in [[order]] to study under the reputable [[Suvarṇadvipi Dharmakīrti]], sometimes called [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]] and known in [[Tibetan]] as [[Serlingpa]] ([[Wylie]]:[[Gser-gling-pa]]), a supposed [[master]] of [[Bodhichitta]]. | ||
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+ | Under the guidance of [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]], [[Atiśa]] remained on the [[island]] of [[Sumatra]] for twelve years studying [[Bodhichitta]] and exclusive [[mind training]] [[techniques]] of [[oral]] origination. | ||
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+ | Finally, after over a decade of intensive {{Wiki|training}}, [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]]advised [[Atiśa]] to "go to the {{Wiki|north}}. | ||
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+ | In the {{Wiki|north}} is the [[Land of Snows]]." [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]]was referring to [[Tibet]], a region with a [[Buddhist tradition]] forever changed after the arrival of [[Atiśa]] [[Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna]]. | ||
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+ | From his [[Master]], [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]], [[Atiśa]] learnt one [[meditation]] that became one of [[Tibetans]] fundamental [[meditation]] [[techniques]], i.e. [[Tongleng]] [[Meditation]]. | ||
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+ | A [[meditation]] that aims to recycle supposedly [[negative energy]] into [[loving]] and [[healing]] [[energy]]. | ||
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==Studies== | ==Studies== | ||
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− | ==Preaching in Sumatra and Tibet== | + | |
+ | According to [[Tibetan]] sources, [[Atiśa]] was [[ordained]] into the [[Mahasamghika]] [[lineage]] at the age of twenty-eight by the [[Abbot]] [[Śīlarakṣita]] and studied almost all [[Buddhist]] and [[non-Buddhist]] schools of his [[time]], [[including]] teachings from [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]], [[Tantric]] [[Hinduism]] and other [[beliefs]]. | ||
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+ | He also studied the sixty-four kinds of [[Art]], the [[Art]] of {{Wiki|music}} and the [[Art]] of [[logic]] and accomplished these studies until the age of twenty-two. | ||
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+ | Among the many [[Buddhist]] [[lineages]] he studied, practiced and transmitted the three main [[lineages]] were the [[Lineage]] of the Profound [[Action]] transmitted by [[Maitreya]]/[[Asaṅga]], [[Vasubandhu]], the [[Lineage]] of [[Profound View]] transmitted by [[Manjushri]]/[[Nagarjuna]], [[Chandrakirti]], and the [[Lineage]] of [[Profound Experience]] transmitted by [[Vajradhara]]/[[Tilopa]], [[Naropa]]. | ||
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+ | It is said that [[Atiśa]] had more than 150 [[teachers]], but one prominent [[teacher]] above all else was [[Dharmakīrti]] from [[Sumatra]], {{Wiki|Indonesia}}. | ||
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+ | ==Preaching in [[Sumatra]] and [[Tibet]]== | ||
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[[File:Mural of Atisha at Ralung Gompa, 1993.jpg|thumb|280px|Mural of Atiśa at [[Ralung Monastery]], 1993.]] | [[File:Mural of Atisha at Ralung Gompa, 1993.jpg|thumb|280px|Mural of Atiśa at [[Ralung Monastery]], 1993.]] | ||
− | Before journeying to Tibet, however, Atiśa first returned to | + | Before journeying to [[Tibet]], however, [[Atiśa]] first returned to [[India]]. |
− | + | Once back, the increasingly [[knowledgeable]] [[Monk]] received much [[attention]] for his teachings and skills in [[debate]] and [[philosophy]]. | |
− | + | On three separate occasions, the [[Monk]] [[Atiśa]] was acclaimed for defeating [[non-Buddhist]] extremists in [[debate]]. | |
− | + | When he came into [[contact]] with what he [[perceived]] to be a misled or deteriorating [[form]] of [[Buddhism]] he would quickly and effectively implement reforms. | |
− | + | Soon enough he was appointed to the position of steward, or [[abbot]], at the [[Venerable]] [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|college}} [[Vikramaśīla University|Vikramasila]], established by the [[King]] [[Dharmapala]] of {{Wiki|Bengal}}. | |
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− | + | [[Atiśa's]] return from [[Sumatra]] and rise to prominence in [[India]] coincided with a flourishing of [[Buddhist]] {{Wiki|culture}} and the [[practice]] of [[Dharma]] in the region, and in many ways [[Atiśa's]] [[influence]] contributed to these developments. | |
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− | + | As [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]] had predicted, however, [[Buddhism]] in [[Tibet]] was in desperate need of resuscitation. | |
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− | + | Some [[Tibetans]], for example, believed that "[[ethical]] [[self-discipline]] and [[tantra]] were mutually exclusive and that [[Enlightenment]] could be achieved through [[intoxication]] and various [[forms]] of {{Wiki|sexual}} {{Wiki|misconduct}}." | |
− | The | + | The {{Wiki|politically}} unstable {{Wiki|rule}} of [[King]] [[Langdarma]] had suppressed [[Tibetan Buddhism]]'s teachings and persecuted its followers for over seventy years. |
− | + | According to the [[Blue Annals]], new [[king]] of the {{Wiki|Western}} [[Tibetan]] {{Wiki|kingdom}} of [[Guge]] by the [[name]] of [[Lha Lama Yeshe Yod]], however, was a strict believer in [[Dharma]] and so sent his {{Wiki|academic}} followers to learn and translate some of the [[Sanskrit]] [[Buddhist texts]]. | |
− | + | Among these {{Wiki|academics}} was [[Nagtso]], who was eventually sent to [[Vikramasila]] {{Wiki|college}} to study [[Sanskrit]] and plead with [[Atiśa]] to come teach the [[Dharma]] in his homeland. | |
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− | + | At first, [[Atiśa]] declined the offer to come reintroduce The [[Buddha]]'s teachings in [[Tibet]]. | |
− | + | He believed that he was getting too old for travel and had much unfinished work at the [[monastic]] {{Wiki|college}}. On the evening following his declination, however, he received a [[vision]] in which his {{Wiki|tutelary}} [[guide]] [[Tārā]] informed him that his trip to [[Tibet]] would be very successful: not only would he greatly honour and assist the [[Tibetans]], but he would also find a dedicated [[disciple]] and further contribute to the spread of [[Dharma]]. In exchange for these benefits, however, he would only [[live]] to seventy-two years. | |
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− | + | In [[truth]], [[Atiśa's]] {{Wiki|undertaking}} in [[Tibet]] was never in [[Doubt]]. {{Wiki|Prophecies}} of the impending departure begin with [[Dharmarakṣita (9th century)|Dharmarakṣita]]in [[Sumatra]] and follow [[Atiśa's]] story up until his [[vision]] of [[Tārā]]. | |
− | + | During his travels across the perilous [[Himalayas]], the [[Tibetan]] [[scholar]] [[Nagtso]] "vaguely realised that […] miraculous [[manifestations]] assisted me in an uninterrupted flow." | |
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− | + | [[Nagtso]] was referring, whether he knew it or not, to the numerous assistances provided by [[Avalokitesvara]] throughout his trip to [[Vikramaśīla University|Vikramasila]]. | |
− | + | As such, it seems as though [[Atiśa's]] two-year journey to [[Tibet]] is interpreted within the [[Buddhist tradition]] as a fulfilment of [[destiny]]. | |
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− | + | Once he arrived, [[Atiśa]] grasped very quickly the [[Tibetan]] peoples’ [[enthusiasm]] for the [[Dharma]], but [[relative]] lack of [[comprehension]]. | |
− | At | + | At [[Ngari]], he was very impressed with the king's request for "a [[teaching]] of the [[people]] […] had ([[Atiśa]]) been asked for advanced [[empowerments]] into [[tantric]] [[deity]] systems […] he would have been far less [[pleased]]" . |
− | + | It was during the three years [[Atiśa]] spent in this town that he compiled his teachings into his most influential [[scholarly]] work, A [[Lamp]] for the [[Path]] to [[Enlightenment]], and encountered the [[disciple]] forecast by [[Tārā]], [[Dromtön|Dromtonpa]]. | |
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− | + | According to [[Jamgon Kongtrul]], when [[Atiśa]] discovered the [[store]] of [[Sanskrit]] texts at [[Pekar Kordzoling]], the library of [[Samye]], | |
− | + | "he said that the {{Wiki|degree}} to which the [[Vajrayana]] had spread in [[Tibet]] was unparalleled, even in [[India]]. | |
− | After | + | After saying this, he reverently folded his hands and praised the great [[Dharma]] {{Wiki|kings}}, [[translators]], and [[panditas]] of the previous centuries." |
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− | + | ==[[Death]]== | |
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− | + | As he grew old, [[Atiśa]] moved on from [[Ngari]] and accepted an invitation from [[Dromtön|Dromtonpa]] to explore {{Wiki|Central}} [[Tibet]]. | |
− | + | In [[Nyetang]], a town near {{Wiki|Lhasa}}, [[Atiśa]] spent nine years during which he discovered [[Tibetan]] libraries with impressive [[collections]] written in both [[Sanskrit]] and [[Tibetan]]. | |
− | + | The [[Venerable]] [[Monk]] moved around the region for another five years before passing away in 1052 at the prophesied age of seventy-two. | |
− | + | He was enshrined near his last [[permanent]] [[home]] in the town of [[Nyetang]]. | |
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− | + | After staying for thirteen years in [[Tibet]], [[Atiśa]] [[died]] in 1052 CE in a village called Lethan, near {{Wiki|Lhasa}}. | |
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− | + | The site of his last [[rites]] at Lethan has turned into a [[shrine]]. His ashes were brought to [[Dhaka]] (modern-day {{Wiki|Bangladesh}}) on 28 June 1978 and placed in [[Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara]]. | |
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− | + | [[Atiśa]] [[Dipankara Shrijnana]] ({{Wiki|Bengali}}: [[অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান]] [[Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên]]) (980-1054 CE) was a [[Buddhist]] [[teacher]] from the [[Pala]] [[Empire]] who, along with [[Konchog Gyalpo]] and [[Marpa]], was one of the major figures in the establishment of the [[Sarma lineages]] in [[Tibet]] after the repression of [[Buddhism]] by [[King]] [[Langdarma]] ([[Glang Darma]]). | |
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==Legacy== | ==Legacy== | ||
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− | Finally, Atiśa mobilised his influence in India towards the goal of reforming the impurities and redirecting the development of Buddhism there, in the native country of the [[Shakyamuni Buddha]]. For these reasons and more, Atiśa remains a central figure in the history and religious study of [[Buddhism]]. | + | [[Atiśa]] {{Wiki|remains}} an important figure in the [[Tibetan Buddhism|Tibetan Buddhist]] [[tradition]] for several [[reasons]]. |
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+ | First, he refined, systematized, and compiled an innovative and thorough approach to [[Bodhichitta]] known as "[[mind training]]" (Tib. [[Lojong]]), in such texts as A [[Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment]], and established the primacy of [[Bodhichitta]] to the [[Mahayana]] [[tradition]] in [[Tibet]]. | ||
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+ | In this [[sense]], [[Atiśa]] not only dictated a [[scholarly]] model for [[Bodhichitta]] but acted as a living [[human]] example. | ||
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+ | Second, after [[King]] [[Langdarma's]] intolerant reign, the [[monastic]] [[Buddhist tradition]] of [[Tibet]] had been nearly wiped out. | ||
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+ | [[Atiśa's]] closest [[disciple]], [[Dromtönpa]], is considered the founder of the [[Kadam school]], which later evolved into the [[Gelug]], one of the four main school of [[Tibetan Buddhism]]. | ||
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+ | Although [[monasticism]] and the [[Lojong]] teachings were of greatest centrality to the [[Kadam]]/[[Gelug]], they were incorporated into the other three schools—the [[Nyingma]], [[Kagyu]], [[Sakya]] —as well. | ||
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+ | Finally, [[Atiśa]] mobilised his [[influence]] in [[India]] towards the goal of reforming the [[impurities]] and redirecting the [[development]] of [[Buddhism]] there, in the native country of the [[Shakyamuni Buddha]]. | ||
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+ | For these [[reasons]] and more, [[Atiśa]] {{Wiki|remains}} a {{Wiki|central}} figure in the {{Wiki|history}} and [[religious]] study of [[Buddhism]]. | ||
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==Writings== | ==Writings== | ||
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− | + | [[Atiśa]] wrote, translated and edited more than two hundred [[Books]], which helped spread [[Buddhism]] in [[Tibet]]. | |
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+ | He discovered several [[Sanskrit]] [[manuscripts]] in [[Tibet]] and copied them himself. He translated many [[Books]] from [[Sanskrit]] to [[Tibetan]]. | ||
− | + | He also wrote several [[Books]] on [[Buddhist scriptures]], {{Wiki|medical}} [[science]] and technical [[science]] in [[Tibetan]]. [[Dipamkara]] wrote several [[Books]] in [[Sanskrit]], but only their [[Tibetan]] {{Wiki|translations}} are extant now. Seventy-nine of his compositions have been preserved in [[Tibetan]] translation in the [[Tengyur]] ([[bstan-sgyur]]). Following are his most notable [[Books]]: | |
− | [[ | ||
− | + | *[[Bodhi-patha-pradipa]] or [[Bodhipathapradīpa]] (Tib. [[Byang-chub lam-gyi sgron-ma]]) | |
+ | *[[Charya-sanggraha-pradipa]] | ||
+ | *[[Satya-dvayavatara]] | ||
+ | *[[Bodhi-sattva-manyavali]] | ||
+ | *[[Madhyamaka-ratna-pradipa]] | ||
+ | *[[Mahayana-patha-sadhana-sanggraha]] | ||
+ | *[[Shiksa-samuchchaya Abhisamya]] | ||
+ | *[[Prajna-paramita-pindartha-pradipa]] | ||
+ | *[[Ekavira-sadhana]] | ||
+ | *[[Vimala-ratna-lekha]] | ||
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− | [[ | + | [[Vimalaratnalekha]] is a [[Sanskrit]] [[letter]] to Nayapala, [[king]] of [[Magadha]]. [[Charyasamgrahapradipa]] contains some kirtan verses composed by [[Atiśa]]. |
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+ | {{W}} | ||
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+ | [[File:Atisha.JPG|frame|'''Jowo Jé Glorious Atisha''']] | ||
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+ | '''[[Atisha Dipamkara Shrijñana]]''' (Skt. ''[[Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrijñāna]]''; Tib. {{BigTibetan|[[ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་མར་མེ་མཛད་དཔལ་ཡེ་ཤེས]]}}{{BigTibetan|་}}, ''[[Atisha Marmézé Pal Yeshé]]''; [[Wyl.]] ''[[a ti sha mar me mdzad dpal ye shes]]'') or [[Jowo Jé Palden Atisha]] ({{BigTibetan|[[ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་]]}}, ''[[jo bo rje dpal ldan a ti sha]]'') ( [[A-di-xia Fa-Wang]] ) (982-1054) was a great [[Indian]] [[master]] and [[scholar]], and author of many texts [[including]] the ''[[Lamp for the Path of Awakening]]''. | ||
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+ | One of the main [[teachers]] at the famous {{Wiki|university}} of [[Vikramashila]], he was also a strict follower of the [[monastic]] {{Wiki|rule}} and was widely acclaimed for the [[purity]] of his [[teaching]]. [[Indian]] [[Dharma King]] who brought the [[Dharma]] to [[Tibet]] from [[India]] in 1042. One of the "[[seventeen great panditas]]" and holder of the "[[mind training]]" or [[lojong]] teachings. | ||
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+ | Wrote [[Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment]] to provide a simple [[guide]] for the [[Tibetans]]. He spent the last ten years of his [[life]] in [[Tibet]], [[teaching]] and translating texts, and was instrumental in reinvigorating [[Buddhism]] there after a period of persecution. His [[disciples]] founded the [[Kadampa]] school. | ||
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+ | ==Writings== | ||
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+ | *[[Lamp for the Path of Awakening]] | ||
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+ | *{{LH|indian-masters/atisha/jewel-rosary-bodhisattvas|''The [[Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels]]''}} | ||
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+ | ==Main [[Disciples]]== | ||
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+ | Chief among [[Atisha's]] [[Tibetan]] [[disciples]] were the three known as "[[Khu, Ngok]], and [[Drom]]," who were renowned as [[emanations]] of the three main [[bodhisattvas]]—[[Avalokiteshvara]], [[Manjushri]], and [[Vajrapani]]: [[Khutön Tsöndru Yungdrung]], [[Ngok Lekpé Sherab]] and [[Dromtön Gyalwé Jungné]]. | ||
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+ | ==See Also== | ||
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+ | |||
+ | *[[Ka khol ma]], ''The Pillar Testament''. | ||
+ | *[[Quotations: Indian Masters#Atīśa|Quotations from Atīśa's works.]] | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==External Links== | ||
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+ | |||
+ | *{{LH|indian-masters/atisha/jewel-rosary-bodhisattvas|''The Bodhisattva’s Garland of Jewels''}} by [[Atisha]] | ||
+ | *{{TBRC|P3379|TBRC Profile}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Further Reading== | ||
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+ | {{Nolinking|*Chattopadhyaya, [[Alaka]]. ''[[Atisha]] and [[Tibet]]''. {{Wiki|Calcutta}}: {{Wiki|Indian Studies}} Past and Present, 1967. | ||
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+ | *Decleer, Hubert. '[[Atisha's]] Journey to [[Sumatra]]', in ''[[Buddhism]] in Practice'', edited by [[Wikipedia:Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|Donald S. Lopez]] Jr., {{Wiki|Princeton University Press}}, 1995 | ||
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+ | *Decleer, Hubert. '[[Atisha's]] Journey to [[Tibet]]', in ''[[Religions]] of [[Tibet]] in Practice'', edited by [[Wikipedia:Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|Donald S. Lopez]] Jr., {{Wiki|Princeton University Press}}, 1997 | ||
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+ | *Eimer, Helmut. 'The [[Development]] of the Biographical [[Tradition]] concerning [[Atisa]] (Dipamkarasrijnana)' in ''The Journal of the [[Tibet]] {{Wiki|Society}}'', Vol. 2 (1982), pp. 41-51 | ||
+ | *[[Seyfort Ruegg]], David. ''The {{Wiki|Literature}} of the [[Madhyamaka School]] of [[Philosophy]] in [[India]]'', [[Wiesbaden]]: Harrassowitz, 1981, pp. 110-113 | ||
+ | *Sherburne, Richard, trans. ''The Complete Works of [[Atiśa]] [[Śrī]] [[Dīpaṃkara]] [[Jñāna]]''. {{Wiki|New Delhi}}: [[Aditya]] Prakashan, 2000.}} | ||
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+ | {{RigpaWiki}} | ||
+ | {{R}} | ||
+ | [[Category:History of Buddhism]] | ||
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhist Teachers]] | [[Category:Tibetan Buddhist Teachers]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Atiśa]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Tibetan Buddhist History]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Historical Masters]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Indian Masters]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Seventeen Nalanda Masters]] |
Latest revision as of 16:05, 16 February 2024
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Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (Bengali: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên, IAST: Atiśa Dīpaṃkara-śrījñāna; Dīpaṃkara-śrījñāna Atiśa; Chinese: 燃燈吉祥智; pinyin: Rándēng Jíxiángzhì) (980–1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment, of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma (Glang Darma), also, in the spread of 11th-century Mahayana Buddhism in Asia and inspired Buddhist thought from Tibet to Sumatra.
Revered as one of the great figures of classical Buddhism, Atisa was a key figure in the establishment of the Sarma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Early Life
Birth
Atiśa is most commonly said to have been born in the year 980 in Vajrayoginī village in Bikrampur, the northeastern region of Bengal (located in modern day Bangladesh). His homestead in the village is still known to the local people as the "Ponditer bhita" (the homestead of the Pundit - a learned man).
The exact years of his birth and Death are widely disputed. Some sources indicate that Atiśa was born in 982 and died in 1054, while more recent studies contend that his life began in 980 and ended in 1052.[citation needed] In any case, it is unanimously recognized that Atiśa lived to the age of seventy-two.
It is noteworthy that, while no direct connections can be made to the birth of Atiśa, the year 980 also saw a major Power shift in Bengali politics as the resurgent Pala dynasty seized control of the region, disposing of the incumbent Kamboja rulers. Atiśa was allegedly born into royalty, and it would be intriguing to know whether his royal status stemmed from one of these two contemporaneous contending powers.
The prince's birth is often described in traditional accounts as an auspicious or promising episode.
For example, it is said that as Atiśa was born "Flowers rained down upon the city of Vikramapura, a rainbow canopy appeared, and the gods sang hymns which brought gladness and joy to all the people".
This particular description is loaded with several themes distinctly typical of Buddhist literature.
The image of Flowers falling from the sky appears in the episode of Shakyamuni Buddha's attainment of perfect Enlightenment, and the emergence of a rainbow canopy symbolizes the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva.
Most importantly, however, is that the arrival of Atiśa brought certain happiness to Sentient beings.
This effect of Atiśa's birth corresponds directly with the Buddhist concept of dedicating one's life to the uplifting and Enlightenment of all conscious beings.
Palace life
The city of Vikramapura, the most probable candidate for Atiśa's birthplace, was the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Bengal.
Though the city's exact location is not certain, it presently lies in the Munshiganj District of Bangladesh, and continues to be celebrated as an early center of Buddhist cultural, academic, and political life.
Similar to Shakyamuni Buddha, Atiśa was born into royalty; the palace in which he was raised, aptly named the Golden Banner Palace, "had a golden victory banner encircled by countless houses and there were great numbers of bathing-pools encircled by 720 magnificent gardens, forests of Tal (Borassus flabellifer) trees, seven concentric walls, 363 connecting Bridges, innumerable golden victory banners, thirteen roofs to the central palace and thousands of noblemen".
His father was the king of Bengal known as Kalyana Shri, and his mother was Shri Prabhavati.
One of three royal brothers, Atiśa went by the name of Chandragarbha (Chinese: 月藏; pinyin: Yuèzàng) during the first part of his life.
In fact, it was not until he traveled to Tibet and encountered the king Jangchub Ö (Byang Chub Od) that he was given the name of Atiśa, a Tibetan reference to peace.
For the first eighteen months of his life, Atiśa was sheltered and attended to by eight nurses in the royal palace of the capital city, Vikramapura.
At eighteen months old, it is said that his parents then brought him into public for the first time, on a visit to a local temple in Kamalapuri.
It was here that Atiśa's potential as an extraordinary religious and spiritual leader initially emerged. People from all over the region gathered to witness his appearance.
When Atiśa learned from his parents of the crowd's status as his own subjects, he prayed that they may "be possessed of merit like that of [his] parents, rule kingdoms that reach the summit of prosperity, be reborn as sons of kings [and] be sustained by holy and virtuous deeds."
Atiśa then proceeded independently to worship the holy objects both inside and surrounding the temple, renouncing his ties to the world and his family and committing himself to religious pursuit.
Spiritual yearning
Such an interpretation of Atiśa's first public appearance, found in Buddhist texts and historical accounts, strongly reinforces a couple of critical components of Buddhist Philosophy. The story clearly gives an impression of Atiśa as a spiritually advanced and relatively enlightened individual at only eighteen months old.
As such, the prince is seen to have acquired enough merit through virtuous actions in previous lives such that it carried over to dictate both his favourable experience as a venerated prince and enlightened personality as a compassionate individual.
Moreover, Atiśa's spiritual proficiency at this point is demonstrated through both kindness towards his subjects and non-attachment towards his familial, social, and overall life situation.
Mirroring the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the young prince is depicted as having a natural capacity for swift learning in multiple fields and the practice of Dharma at a young age.
He had become "well-versed in Astrology, writing and Sanskrit" by the age of three, "able to distinguish between the Buddhist and non-Buddhist doctrines" by the age of ten, and would eventually become a master of the teachings of Mahayana, Hinayana, and Vajrayana Buddhism under the guidance of over 100 different instructors.
As time elapsed Atiśa's wish to enter the religious life strengthened, but his parents identified him as the brightest of their sons and natural successor to Power.
Therefore, as he turned the customary age of eleven years old, surrounding him with the luxuries and extravagance of royalty, Atiśa's parents commenced the decorative courtship and matrimonial preparations so that the prince might find a bride among the kingdom's beautiful young women of nobility.
Renunciation
Atiśa's response to his parents’ proposal as documented in Buddhist biographical texts evidences the level of commitment the young prince had for religious pursuit and Enlightenment.
On the eve of his wedding, Atiśa experienced a momentous encounter with the Vajrayana goddess Tārā, who would continue with him as a guiding spirit until the end of his life. Tārā explained to the prince that in his past lives he had been a devout Monk.
Accordingly, he should not be overwhelmed by the lure of ephemeral pleasures in the world.
If he should acquiesce, Tārā continued, then "as an elephant sinks deeply into the swamp, [he], a hero, [would] sink in the mire of lust." Essentially, Tārā's manifestation is symbolic for the prince's meaningful realization of his own karmic potential.
The deity's metaphor is illuminating: as an elephant's enormous weight prevents it from escaping the mud, so the prince's wealth and extravagance would prevent him from spiritual awakening.
With this revelation at the forefront of his consciousness, Atiśa renounced his kingdom, family, and social status in order to find a spiritual teacher—or as he told his parents—to go on a hunting trip.
Buddhist sources assert that, while feigning a hunting trip, an adolescent Atiśa made the acquaintance of the brahmin Jetari, a Buddhist recluse and renowned teacher. Jetari taught the young man three things:
- taking Refuge in The Three Jewels of Buddha,
- Dharma and Sangha and
- Bodhichitta, described as the mind-oriented aspiration towards Enlightenment with the intent of benefiting all Sentient beings.
Upon educating the young Atiśa in the basic principles of Mahayana Buddhism, Jetari advised that he go to Nalanda, a Buddhist center for learning in northeastern India.
In Nalanda, Atiśa received once again brief instruction regarding the Bodhisattva vows under the spiritual guide Bodhibhadra, who in turn advised him to seek out a teacher renowned for his perfect meditation of perceiving emptiness, Vidyakokila.
Training
Atiśa's acquisition of the Wisdom to perceive emptiness is particularly significant.
It is during this stage of study that Atiśa became aware of pure human nature and the fundamental freedom inherent to every sentient being's existence; a freedom exclusive of physical attachments and mental bondage.
Buddhist narratives recount one story in which Atiśa comes across a woman alternately crying and laughing.
Confused with her behaviour, he inquires about her condition, and she responds: "[O]ne's own mind has been a Buddha from beginning less time.
By not knowing this, great complications follow from such a small base of error for hundreds of thousands of Sentient beings….
Not being able to bear the Suffering for so many beings, I cry.
And then, I laugh because when this small basis of error is known—when one knows one's own mind—one is freed."
Coming from a background of nobility and material wealth, Atiśa's realisation of value as a freely determined product of perception represents a relative challenge and an alteration of life principles with substantial ontological ramifications.
Upon completing his training for meditations on nothingness and emptiness, Atiśa was advised to go study with Avadhutipa, a Vajrayana master. Though Avadhutipa consented to instruct the still young Atiśa, he required that the prince first consult the Black Mountain Yogi.
The Black Mountain Yogi tested Atiśa in numerous ways. First, he cast a lightning bolt in Atiśa's direction as he first approached.
He then granted the prince thirteen days of instruction, teaching him the Hevajra lineage and bestowing him with the code name Indestructible Wisdom.
Finally, the Black Mountain Yogi insisted that, before Atiśa continue in his studies, he gain permission from his parents to be formally acquitted of royal responsibility, summoning eight naked yogis and yoginis to escort the prince back to Vikramapura.
Returning to the royal palace, Atiśa's parents and subjects believed he had gone mad during his jungle Refuge.
He explained to his parents, however, that his pursuit of Dharma was for the greater benefit of all Sentient beings and that "if [he] had become a king [he] would be with [them] only for this life.
In future lives [they] would never meet, and this life, for all its luxury and wealth would have been for nothing" .
Essentially, Atiśa's motivation in renouncing the wealth and luxury in his life was to repay his parents and fellow beings.
In understanding his reasons and remembering the religious signs that accompanied the prince's birth, Atiśa's mother willingly gave her consent and approved her son's decision to pursue the Dharma.
Atiśa's father, on the other hand, was much harder to convince and, like the Shakyamuni Buddha's own father, only conceded after multiple requests.
Driven forth by his parent's approval, Atiśa went back to Avadhutipa to continue his studies, learning the Madhyamaka Middle Way and various tantra practices. At one point, he assumed a slight amount of pride in his accomplishments.
Such an assumption was immediately met with a reminder that he knew relatively little through the visit from a Dakini in a vision.
Consequently, Atiśa's unnecessary pride was reduced to humbleness overnight and he continued towards the path of Enlightenment.
Monastic life
One day, as Atiśa considered practicing his tantra with all the energy he could summon until he achieved his full potential he was confronted by a contending voice.
The Black Mountain Yogi appeared to him in a dream, and advised him to take his time through steady practice in order to achieve the enlightenment he was seeking.
Rather than extend all his powers at once, the Black Mountain Yogi warned, he should endeavor to become a "spiritual seeker who has renounced family life", a Monk.
Therefore, in his twenty-ninth year, Atiśa was formally declared a Monk under an ordination of the great Śīlarakṣita, and given the new name of Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna, meaning "He Whose Deep Awareness Acts as a Lamp."
Even as a Monk, Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna yearned for the fastest and most direct means of attaining perfect Enlightenment.
He made a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya and, as he was circumambulating the great Stupa there, had a vision consisting of two materialisations of Tārā.
One asked the other what the most important practice for attaining Enlightenment was, and the other duly replied that "the practice of Bodhichitta, supported by loving kindness and great Compassion is most important."
Atiśa thenceforth dedicated himself to refining his understanding and practice of Bodhichitta.
Thus, at the age of thirty-one, the Monk arranged for a perilous journey, traveling for thirteen months to Sumatra in order to study under the reputable Suvarṇadvipi Dharmakīrti, sometimes called Dharmarakṣita and known in Tibetan as Serlingpa (Wylie:Gser-gling-pa), a supposed master of Bodhichitta.
Under the guidance of Dharmarakṣita, Atiśa remained on the island of Sumatra for twelve years studying Bodhichitta and exclusive mind training techniques of oral origination.
Finally, after over a decade of intensive training, Dharmarakṣitaadvised Atiśa to "go to the north.
In the north is the Land of Snows." Dharmarakṣitawas referring to Tibet, a region with a Buddhist tradition forever changed after the arrival of Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna.
From his Master, Dharmarakṣita, Atiśa learnt one meditation that became one of Tibetans fundamental meditation techniques, i.e. Tongleng Meditation.
A meditation that aims to recycle supposedly negative energy into loving and healing energy.
Studies
According to Tibetan sources, Atiśa was ordained into the Mahasamghika lineage at the age of twenty-eight by the Abbot Śīlarakṣita and studied almost all Buddhist and non-Buddhist schools of his time, including teachings from Vishnu, Shiva, Tantric Hinduism and other beliefs.
He also studied the sixty-four kinds of Art, the Art of music and the Art of logic and accomplished these studies until the age of twenty-two.
Among the many Buddhist lineages he studied, practiced and transmitted the three main lineages were the Lineage of the Profound Action transmitted by Maitreya/Asaṅga, Vasubandhu, the Lineage of Profound View transmitted by Manjushri/Nagarjuna, Chandrakirti, and the Lineage of Profound Experience transmitted by Vajradhara/Tilopa, Naropa.
It is said that Atiśa had more than 150 teachers, but one prominent teacher above all else was Dharmakīrti from Sumatra, Indonesia.
Preaching in Sumatra and Tibet
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Before journeying to Tibet, however, Atiśa first returned to India.
Once back, the increasingly knowledgeable Monk received much attention for his teachings and skills in debate and philosophy.
On three separate occasions, the Monk Atiśa was acclaimed for defeating non-Buddhist extremists in debate.
When he came into contact with what he perceived to be a misled or deteriorating form of Buddhism he would quickly and effectively implement reforms.
Soon enough he was appointed to the position of steward, or abbot, at the Venerable Buddhist college Vikramasila, established by the King Dharmapala of Bengal.
Atiśa's return from Sumatra and rise to prominence in India coincided with a flourishing of Buddhist culture and the practice of Dharma in the region, and in many ways Atiśa's influence contributed to these developments.
As Dharmarakṣita had predicted, however, Buddhism in Tibet was in desperate need of resuscitation.
Some Tibetans, for example, believed that "ethical self-discipline and tantra were mutually exclusive and that Enlightenment could be achieved through intoxication and various forms of sexual misconduct."
The politically unstable rule of King Langdarma had suppressed Tibetan Buddhism's teachings and persecuted its followers for over seventy years.
According to the Blue Annals, new king of the Western Tibetan kingdom of Guge by the name of Lha Lama Yeshe Yod, however, was a strict believer in Dharma and so sent his academic followers to learn and translate some of the Sanskrit Buddhist texts.
Among these academics was Nagtso, who was eventually sent to Vikramasila college to study Sanskrit and plead with Atiśa to come teach the Dharma in his homeland.
At first, Atiśa declined the offer to come reintroduce The Buddha's teachings in Tibet.
He believed that he was getting too old for travel and had much unfinished work at the monastic college. On the evening following his declination, however, he received a vision in which his tutelary guide Tārā informed him that his trip to Tibet would be very successful: not only would he greatly honour and assist the Tibetans, but he would also find a dedicated disciple and further contribute to the spread of Dharma. In exchange for these benefits, however, he would only live to seventy-two years.
In truth, Atiśa's undertaking in Tibet was never in Doubt. Prophecies of the impending departure begin with Dharmarakṣitain Sumatra and follow Atiśa's story up until his vision of Tārā.
During his travels across the perilous Himalayas, the Tibetan scholar Nagtso "vaguely realised that […] miraculous manifestations assisted me in an uninterrupted flow."
Nagtso was referring, whether he knew it or not, to the numerous assistances provided by Avalokitesvara throughout his trip to Vikramasila.
As such, it seems as though Atiśa's two-year journey to Tibet is interpreted within the Buddhist tradition as a fulfilment of destiny.
Once he arrived, Atiśa grasped very quickly the Tibetan peoples’ enthusiasm for the Dharma, but relative lack of comprehension.
At Ngari, he was very impressed with the king's request for "a teaching of the people […] had (Atiśa) been asked for advanced empowerments into tantric deity systems […] he would have been far less pleased" .
It was during the three years Atiśa spent in this town that he compiled his teachings into his most influential scholarly work, A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, and encountered the disciple forecast by Tārā, Dromtonpa.
According to Jamgon Kongtrul, when Atiśa discovered the store of Sanskrit texts at Pekar Kordzoling, the library of Samye,
"he said that the degree to which the Vajrayana had spread in Tibet was unparalleled, even in India.
After saying this, he reverently folded his hands and praised the great Dharma kings, translators, and panditas of the previous centuries."
Death
As he grew old, Atiśa moved on from Ngari and accepted an invitation from Dromtonpa to explore Central Tibet.
In Nyetang, a town near Lhasa, Atiśa spent nine years during which he discovered Tibetan libraries with impressive collections written in both Sanskrit and Tibetan.
The Venerable Monk moved around the region for another five years before passing away in 1052 at the prophesied age of seventy-two.
He was enshrined near his last permanent home in the town of Nyetang.
After staying for thirteen years in Tibet, Atiśa died in 1052 CE in a village called Lethan, near Lhasa.
The site of his last rites at Lethan has turned into a shrine. His ashes were brought to Dhaka (modern-day Bangladesh) on 28 June 1978 and placed in Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara.
Atiśa Dipankara Shrijnana (Bengali: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান Ôtish Dipôngkor Srigên) (980-1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, was one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma (Glang Darma).
Legacy
Atiśa remains an important figure in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for several reasons.
First, he refined, systematized, and compiled an innovative and thorough approach to Bodhichitta known as "mind training" (Tib. Lojong), in such texts as A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, and established the primacy of Bodhichitta to the Mahayana tradition in Tibet.
In this sense, Atiśa not only dictated a scholarly model for Bodhichitta but acted as a living human example.
Second, after King Langdarma's intolerant reign, the monastic Buddhist tradition of Tibet had been nearly wiped out.
Atiśa's closest disciple, Dromtönpa, is considered the founder of the Kadam school, which later evolved into the Gelug, one of the four main school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Although monasticism and the Lojong teachings were of greatest centrality to the Kadam/Gelug, they were incorporated into the other three schools—the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya —as well.
Finally, Atiśa mobilised his influence in India towards the goal of reforming the impurities and redirecting the development of Buddhism there, in the native country of the Shakyamuni Buddha.
For these reasons and more, Atiśa remains a central figure in the history and religious study of Buddhism.
Writings
Atiśa wrote, translated and edited more than two hundred Books, which helped spread Buddhism in Tibet.
He discovered several Sanskrit manuscripts in Tibet and copied them himself. He translated many Books from Sanskrit to Tibetan.
He also wrote several Books on Buddhist scriptures, medical science and technical science in Tibetan. Dipamkara wrote several Books in Sanskrit, but only their Tibetan translations are extant now. Seventy-nine of his compositions have been preserved in Tibetan translation in the Tengyur (bstan-sgyur). Following are his most notable Books:
- Bodhi-patha-pradipa or Bodhipathapradīpa (Tib. Byang-chub lam-gyi sgron-ma)
- Charya-sanggraha-pradipa
- Satya-dvayavatara
- Bodhi-sattva-manyavali
- Madhyamaka-ratna-pradipa
- Mahayana-patha-sadhana-sanggraha
- Shiksa-samuchchaya Abhisamya
- Prajna-paramita-pindartha-pradipa
- Ekavira-sadhana
- Vimala-ratna-lekha
Vimalaratnalekha is a Sanskrit letter to Nayapala, king of Magadha. Charyasamgrahapradipa contains some kirtan verses composed by Atiśa.
Source
Atisha Dipamkara Shrijñana (Skt. Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrijñāna; Tib. ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་མར་མེ་མཛད་དཔལ་ཡེ་ཤེས་, Atisha Marmézé Pal Yeshé; Wyl. a ti sha mar me mdzad dpal ye shes) or Jowo Jé Palden Atisha (ཇོ་བོ་རྗེ་དཔལ་ལྡན་ཨ་ཏི་ཤ་, jo bo rje dpal ldan a ti sha) ( A-di-xia Fa-Wang ) (982-1054) was a great Indian master and scholar, and author of many texts including the Lamp for the Path of Awakening.
One of the main teachers at the famous university of Vikramashila, he was also a strict follower of the monastic rule and was widely acclaimed for the purity of his teaching. Indian Dharma King who brought the Dharma to Tibet from India in 1042. One of the "seventeen great panditas" and holder of the "mind training" or lojong teachings.
Wrote Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment to provide a simple guide for the Tibetans. He spent the last ten years of his life in Tibet, teaching and translating texts, and was instrumental in reinvigorating Buddhism there after a period of persecution. His disciples founded the Kadampa school.
Writings
Main Disciples
Chief among Atisha's Tibetan disciples were the three known as "Khu, Ngok, and Drom," who were renowned as emanations of the three main bodhisattvas—Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, and Vajrapani: Khutön Tsöndru Yungdrung, Ngok Lekpé Sherab and Dromtön Gyalwé Jungné.
See Also
- Ka khol ma, The Pillar Testament.
- Quotations from Atīśa's works.
External Links
Further Reading
- Chattopadhyaya, Alaka. Atisha and Tibet. Calcutta: Indian Studies Past and Present, 1967.
- Decleer, Hubert. 'Atisha's Journey to Sumatra', in Buddhism in Practice, edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr., Princeton University Press, 1995
- Decleer, Hubert. 'Atisha's Journey to Tibet', in Religions of Tibet in Practice, edited by Donald S. Lopez Jr., Princeton University Press, 1997
- Eimer, Helmut. 'The Development of the Biographical Tradition concerning Atisa (Dipamkarasrijnana)' in The Journal of the Tibet Society, Vol. 2 (1982), pp. 41-51
- Seyfort Ruegg, David. The Literature of the Madhyamaka School of Philosophy in India, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1981, pp. 110-113
- Sherburne, Richard, trans. The Complete Works of Atiśa Śrī Dīpaṃkara Jñāna. New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan, 2000.