The Tibetan Buddhist Master
TAOSHOBUDDHA
ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER
ATISHA – THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER © 2010, Taoshobuddha
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Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber Photography: Taoshobuddha
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The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’ and ‘Buddha’. The word Tao was coined by the Chinese master, Lau Tzu. It means that which is and cannot be put into words. It is unknown and unknowable. It can only be experienced and not expressed in words. Its magnanimity cannot be condensed into finiteness. The word Sho implies, that which is vast like the sky and deep like an ocean carries within its womb a treasure. It also means one on whom the existence showers its blessings. And lastly the word Buddha implies the Enlightened One; one who has arrived home. Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom the existence showers its blessings and one who has arrived home. The Enlightened One
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Chandragarbha – to – Atisha
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Atisha Tibetan Buddhist Master
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Atisha attained the knowledge of emptiness and became aware of pure human nature. He learned of the freedom all sentient beings have, a freedom from physical attachments and mental bondage. Buddhist narratives recount one story in which Atisha comes across a women alternately crying and laughing. Confused with her behavior, he inquires about her condition, and she responded: [O]ne’s own mind has been a Buddha from the beginning. 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.
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Preface am indeed elated as I am speaking to you on a Tibetan Buddhist Master. What excite me are three names Tibet, Buddha, and Atisha. Tibet is the only country in the world that has spent all energy for the development of human consciousness. Buddha gave Vipashyana Meditation and made enlightenment possible. And Atisha is the Buddhist master who left India to go to Tibet. Initially Atisha was allowed for three years. However on reaching Atisha decided to stay back in Tibet. Atiśha Dipankara Shrijnana was born in 980-82. Atisha was a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, became one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King. Atisha is one of the rare masters. He is rare in the sense that he was taught by three enlightened masters in addition to 157 masters that he acquired. It has never happened before. Also it is very rare that a master is trained by three masters. Atisha is a gift from India to Tibet just as Bodhidharma is India’s gift to China. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Besides establishing the roots of Buddhism in Tibet Atisha gave seven steps to mind training. Atisha is really very scientific. First he says: Take the whole responsibility on yourself. Secondly he says: Be grateful to everyone. Now that nobody is responsible for your misery except you, if it is all your own doing, then what is left? Atisha, a Buddhist monk credited with reforming Tibetan Buddhism, had a life similar to Shakyamuni Buddha, although he lived nearly fifteen centuries after Buddha. Born into a royal family in the city of Vikramapura, Southeast Bengal, Atisha’s parents groomed him to inherit the kingdom from his father. Vikramapura had been one of the early centers of Buddhism, serving as the center for Buddhist culture. Atisha is really very scientific. First he says: Take the whole responsibility on yourself. Secondly he says: Be grateful to everyone. Now that nobody is responsible for your misery except you, if it is all your own doing, then what is left? As the talk continues delve deeper into the life of Atisha. Love Taoshobuddha
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Birth and early life
tiśha Dipankara Shrijnana (980-82 – 1052-54 C.E.), a Buddhist teacher from the Pala Empire who, along with Konchog Gyalpo and Marpa, became one of the major figures in the establishment of the Sarma lineages in Tibet after the repression of Buddhism by King Langdarma (Glang Darma). Atisha is one of the rare masters. He is rare in the sense that he was taught by three enlightened masters in addition to 157 masters that he acquired. It has never happened before. Also it is very rare that a master is trained by three masters. Atisha is a gift from India to Tibet just as Bodhidharma is India’s gift to China. But the moment his love became active he started moving towards Tibet, as if a great magnet was pulling him there. In the Himalayas he attained. It was there in Himalayas that Atisha became enlightened and then he never came back to India. He moved towards Tibet, his love showered on Tibet. He transformed the whole quality of Tibetan consciousness. He was a miracle – worker; whatsoever he touched was TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER transformed into gold. He was one of the greatest alchemists the world has ever known. Atisha introduced ‘Seven Points of Mind Training’ as the fundamental teaching that he gave to Tibet. Tibet is infinitely indebted to Atisha. Atisha is really very scientific. First he says: Take the whole responsibility on yourself. Secondly he says: Be grateful to everyone. Now that nobody is responsible for your misery except you, if it is all your own doing, then what is left? It has happened in my case. My birth was chosen to be in the company of a Naqshbandi Sheikh Sufi Brij Mohan Lal for the continuation of my work and the journey of transformation. Many things from the previous birth that were left incomplete needed to be completed and made available to humanity. In this family there were three masters. There was tremendous opportunity for transformation and the continuation of the work. Because of the time that was chosen for the birth I could not be born to the parentage of Sufi Brij Mohan Lal and Shakuntala Devi that I aspired the most. Still I considered my grandmother as my mother sub consciously. It happens when a master enters death consciously he has freedom to choose his parents in the next life. Since I could not be born to this parentage the sheikh choose his daughter Gyatri and son – in – law Lakshmi Sahai as my parents. This way I remained under his care and also the doors of salvation were open for my biological parents. At the time I was born my parents were totally overwhelmed by the consciousness of the Sheikh couple. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER At the age when Taoshobuddha was only eight months old the Sufi master transferred the Secrets of the Golden Flower or the Mind Seal of a Buddha onto me. From 1951 until 1955 I remained under the spiritual care of Naqshbandi Brij Mohan Lal. It was during this period every night I slept with him and participated in various stages of meditations. It was there the inward journey continued. This infused everything into unconscious layer to surface as the inward journey continues. After 1955 I was put under the care of other Naqshbandi Masters Sufi Shakuntala Devi and Sufi Onkar Nath and others. In this company surfaced all that was infused in the unconsciousness to the surface? The company of these masters proved as catalyst. Not only these masters other masters were equally instrumental in training. To be a disciple of three enlightened masters is simply unbelievable. One enlightened master is enough. Atisha reminded me of my birth as he was taught by three enlightened masters. This story has a metaphorical significance also. And it is both true and historical too. Atisha, a Buddhist monk credited with reforming Tibetan Buddhism, had a life similar to Shakyamuni Buddha, although he lived nearly fifteen centuries after Buddha. Born into a royal family in the city of Vikramapura, Southeast Bengal, Atisha’s parents groomed him to inherit the kingdom from his father. Vikramapura had been one of the early centers of Buddhism, serving as the center for Buddhist culture. Although Atisha had a lengthy career as a teacher at the Buddhist College, Vikramasila, his life purpose led him to TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Tibet. After making a dangerous two year journey over the Himalaya Mountains to Tibet at an elderly age, Atisha spent the remaining years of his life reviving Tibetan Buddhism. He lived until seventy – two years old, having devoted fifteen years to his work in Tibet, entered death in 1052 C.E.
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Childhood and Renunciation of Princely Life n eastern India, in the land of Jahor, in the city of Bangala, in the Golden Banner Palace, lived King Kalyana the Good and Queen Prabhavati the Radiant. The royal palace was crowned with thirteen golden roofs, one set atop the other, and magnificently adorned with 25,000 golden banners. It was surrounded by countless parks, pools, and beautiful gardens. The kingdom was as rich as the ancient, opulent dynasties of China. His father Kalyana Shri presided as the king of Bengal and his mother was Prabhavati. The royal couple had three sons, Padmagarbha, Chandragarbha, and Shrigarbha. It was this second prince, who grew up to become our illustrious teacher, Atisha (Jobo rje dPal-ldan A-ti-sha) (982-1054 CE). One of three royal brothers, Chandragarbha came to be known as Atisha. When he traveled to Tibet and encountered the king Jangchub Ă– TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER (Byang Chub Od), he received the name of Atisha, a Tibetan reference to peace. Atisha, born in 980 - 82 C.E. in Vajrayogini village, in Bikrampura, the northeastern region of Bengal (located in modern day Bangladesh), lived to the age of seventy - two. 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. Atisha was born into royalty, his royal status possibly stemming from one of those two contemporaneous contending powers. The city of Vikramapura, Atisha birth place, served as the capital of the ancient kingdoms of Southeast Bengal, present day Munshiganj District of Bangladesh. An early center of Buddhist cultural, academic, and political life, Vikramapura still celebrates its heritage today. Similar to Shakyamuni Buddha, Atisha had been born into royalty; the palace of his childhood aptly named the Golden Banner Palace. It had a golden victory banner encircled by countless houses and there were great numbers of bathing – pools encircled by 720 magnificent gardens, forests of Tala trees, seven concentric walls, 363 connecting bridges, innumerable golden victory banners, thirteen roofs to the central palace and thousands of noblemen. Traditional accounts often describe the prince’s birth as an auspicious or promising episode. For example, when Atisha had been born ‘flowers rained down upon the city of Vikramapura, a rainbow canopy appeared, and the gods sang hymns which brought joy to all the people.’ The image of flowers falling from the sky appears in the episode of TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Shakyamuni Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment, and the emergence of a rainbow canopy symbolizes the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva. Most importantly, the arrival of Atisha brought certain happiness to sentient beings. The effect of Atisha’s birth corresponds directly with the Buddhist concept of dedicating one’s life to the uplifting and enlightenment of all conscious beings. When Atisha was eighteen months old, his parents held his first public audience at the local temple, Kamalapuri. Without any instruction, he prostrated to the venerable objects inside and spontaneously recited, ‘Because of the compassion of my parents, I have attained a precious human life rich with the opportunity to view all you great figures. I shall always take from you my safe direction (refuge) in life.’ People from all over the region gathered to witness his appearance. When Atisha 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.” When introduced to his royal subjects outside, he prayed to realize his fullest potential in order to satisfy their every need. He also prayed to be able to take the robes of a spiritual seeker who has renounced family life, never to be proud, and always to have compassionate sympathy and loving concern for others. This was most extraordinary for such a young child. Such an interpretation of Atisha’s first public appearance, found in Buddhist texts and historical accounts, strongly reinforces two critical components of Buddhist philosophy. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER The story conveys Atisha as a spiritually advanced and relatively enlightened individual at only eighteen months old. As such, the prince acquired enough merit through virtuous actions in previous lives to become a venerated prince and enlightened one. Atisha’s kindness towards his subjects and non – attachment towards his family gives evidence of his state of enlightenment. Mirroring the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the young prince displays a natural capacity for swift learning and the practice of Dharma even at a young age. He had become “well – versed in astrology, writing and Sanskrit” by the age of three. And by the age of ten he was “able to distinguish between the Buddhist and non-Buddhist doctrines”, 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 went Atisha’s wish to enter the religious life strengthened, but his parents identified him as the brightest of their sons and natural successor to power. At eleven years old, surrounded with the luxuries and extravagance of royalty, Atisha’s parents sought to find a bride for the prince among the kingdom’s nobility. As Atisha grew older, his wish to become a mendicant monk increased even stronger, but his parents had different expectations. Of their three sons, he was the brightest, and the auspicious omens at his birth helped convince them that he should be the royal successor. Therefore, when the boy reached eleven, the customary age for marriage at that time, they made elaborate preparations for him to take a bride. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER On his wedding eve, the Buddha-figure (yidam) Tara appeared to Atisha vividly in a dream. She told him that for 500 consecutive lives he had been a mendicant monk and therefore not to have any attraction for the transitory pleasures of this world. She explained that an ordinary person caught up in them would be relatively easy to rescue, like a goat trapped in quicksand. But, as a royal prince, he would be as difficult to extract as an elephant. The boy told no one about this dream, but on other grounds cleverly excused himself from this marriage. Having firmly resolved to find a spiritual teacher, but telling his parents he wished to go hunting, Atisha now left the palace with 130 horsemen. First, he met in the forest the holy Jetari, a man of the brahmin priestly caste who was living as a Buddhist recluse. From him, the young Atisha formally accepted a safe direction in life and took the bodhisattva vows. This holy man then sent him to the sequestered monastic university of Nalanda and the spiritual master Bodhibhadra. Atisha immediately set off with all his horsemen and there, from Bodhibhadra, he again received the bodhisattva vows and teachings. He was next directed to the great Vidyakokila for further instruction and then on to the famous Avadhutipa. This latter master advised the boy to return home, treat everyone respectfully, but try to see the drawbacks of such a luxurious life and then report back. Atisha’s parents were delighted to see him and thought at last he would settle down, take a wife, and prepare for his future rule. However, Atisha informed them that he had in TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER fact gone in search of a spiritual teacher. He confessed that all he wished was to lead a quiet, contemplative life and had come for permission to take leave of his princely duties. Shocked at his words, his parents tried to dissuade him from leaving but all in vain. They said he could combine both lives and offered to build sequestered monasteries near the palace and let him study, feed the poor and so on. They pleaded with him not to return to the forest. But, Atisha told them he had not the slightest attraction to royal life. ‘To me,’ he said, ‘this golden palace is no different from a prison. The princess you offer is no different from a daughter of the demons, the sweet food no different from the rotted flesh of a dog, and these satin clothes and jewels are no different from rags from the garbage heap. From this day onwards, I am determined to live in the forest and study at the feet of the master Avadhutipa. All I ask is for some milk, honey, and brown sugar and I shall take my leave.’ There was nothing his parents could do but consent to his request and so Atisha returned to the forest with these provisions and an embarrassingly large entourage of royal attendants as they insisted to accompany him. Avadhutipa now sent the young prince to the master Rahulagupta, on the Black Mountain, to enter the practice of tantra. Atisha arrived with all his horsemen and told this vajra master how he had studied with many teachers, but still was unable to shake off his bondage to royal life. Rahulagupta conferred upon him his first empowerment, which was into the practice of Hevajra, a Buddha – figure with which to bond his mind. He then sent him back to the palace with eight of his disciples, four male and four female, dressed scantily in TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER the bone ornaments of mahasiddhas, great adepts with actual attainments. For three months, Atisha stayed in the environs of the palace with these strange new companions, behaving in a completely unconventional and outrageous manner. In the end, his parents were forced to give up all hopes for their precious son. Thinking him to have gone mad, they gave full permission for him to leave with his rather unsavorylooking friends and be gone once and for all.
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Studies in India and the Golden Isle tisha immediately ran back to his master Avadhutipa and now, from the age of twenty – one to twenty – five, studied intensively the Madhyamaka middle way outlook of reality. During this period, he also studied with many other highly accomplished teachers and became extremely well versed in all systems of tantra practice. In fact, he became rather proud of his erudition and felt he was rather clever with these hidden measures to protect the mind and that he had mastered all their texts. But then, he received a pure vision of a Dakini, a celestial maiden whose movements are unimpeded by ignorance, who held in her arms many volumes on the everlasting streams of such tantra systems. She told him, ‘In your land, there are only a few such texts, but in our land there are so many.’ After this, his pride was deflated.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER One day, he decided to go off and devote all his energies to the tantra practices in order to realize his fullest potential in his very life. His vajra master, Rahulagupta, then appeared in a dream and advised him not to do so and desert everybody, but to become a mendicant monk. He should continue in this manner with steady practice and achieve perfect enlightenment in its due course of time. Thus, at the age of twenty – nine, Atisha received from the stable elder, Shilarakshita, the robes of a spiritual seeker who has renounced family life and was given the name Dipankara Jnana, ‘He Whose Deep Awareness Acts as a Lamp.’ During his first two years after taking robes, Atisha studied at the Monastic University of Odantipuri with the great Dharmarakshita, the author of the famous lojong (blosbyong, mind-training) text for cleansing our attitudes, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons. They focused on all the Hinayana or modest-minded measures to take as a vehicle leading to liberation, but Atisha was always dissatisfied. He longed for the fastest way to realize his fullest potential. His vajra master Rahulagupta told him, ‘It does not matter how many pure visions you receive, you must train to develop caring love, compassionate sympathy, and a bodhichitta aim totally dedicated to benefiting others and to achieving enlightenment.’ He advised him to commit himself wholeheartedly to the Buddha – figure Avalokiteshvara, to bond his mind closely with him and work to become enlightened so that he could best free everyone from samsara, uncontrollably recurring existence. Only with this achievement would he realize his fullest potential. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER At Vajrasana, the Vajra Seat, at modern Bodh Gaya, while circumambulating the great stupa relic monument for honoring the Buddha, Atisha heard two statues whispering to each other in a niche overhead. One asked the other, ‘If you wish to achieve Enlightenment as quickly as possible, in what should you train?’ ‘A totally dedicated heart of bodhichitta’ was the reply. And while circumambulating the cupola of the monument, a statue of Buddha, the Vanquishing Master Surpassing All, spoke to him saying, ‘O mendicant monk, if you wish to realize your fullest potential quickly, train in love, compassion, and bodhichitta.’ At that time, the most famous master holding the complete teachings on how to develop bodhichitta was Dharmamati, the Sublime Teacher from Suvarnadvipa, the Golden Isle. Thus, with a group of 125 learned monks, Atisha set off on a ship of merchants bound for the Golden Isle, modern Sumatra. In those days a long ocean voyage was not an easy affair and they had a particularly difficult passage with storms, whales, and losing their way. It took thirteen arduous months to complete their journey, but Atisha remained undaunted throughout. When they finally landed, Atisha did not go at once to the famous master, but stayed instead for a full two weeks with a group of this master’s disciples. He prodded them over and again for information about their teacher and insisted on his full biography. This shows us the importance of thoroughly examining a spiritual master and checking his or her qualifications before going to study.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Meanwhile, this Sublime Teacher from the Golden Isle had heard of the arrival from India of the learned scholar and his mendicant companions on their spiritual quest. He assembled his own community of monks for the welcome and when Atisha arrived, they performed together many formal ceremonies auspicious for the future. He also presented Atisha with a Buddha statue and predicted that one day he would tame the minds of the people of the northern Land of Snow. Atisha stayed in the Golden Isle for twelve years, avidly training with this master. First, he studied A Filigree of Realizations (mNgon-rtogs rgyan, Skt. Abhisamayaalamkara) the Triumphant Maitreya’s guideline instructions for fathoming the Omniscient One’s Sutras of Far-reaching Discriminating Awareness (Sher-phyin-gyi mdo, Skt. Prajnaparamita Sutras). He then gradually received the full teachings on extensive behavior from the lineage of Maitreya and Asanga, as well as those of the special lineage on exchanging selfishness for concern with others, which the bodhisattva Shantideva, a spiritual son of the Triumphant, had received directly from the ennobling, impeccable Manjushri himself. After Atisha gained, through these methods, a full-realization of a bodhichitta aim, he returned to India at the age of forty – five and resided thereafter mostly at the sequestered monastic university of Vikramashila. All in all, Atisha studied with 157 great teachers, but he had such exceptional reverence for this magnificent teacher from the Golden Isle and the measures he imparted that tears would well in his eyes whenever he mentioned or TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER heard his name. When later asked by his Tibetan disciples if this display of emotion meant that he favored one of his teachers above all others, Atisha replied, ‘I make no distinctions among all my spiritual mentors. But because of the kindness of my sublime master from the Golden Isle, I have gained peace of mind and the dedicated heart of a bodhichitta aim.’
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Spiritual training tisha’s response shows the youth’s commitment to the pursuit of enlightenment. On the eve of his wedding, Atisha encountered the Vajrayana goddess, Tara, who continued to guide him throughout his lifetime. Tara explained to the prince that in his past lives he had been a devout monk. He should resist the pleasures in the world. If not, Tara continued, then ‘as an elephant sinks deeply into the swamp, [he], a hero, [would] sink in the mire of lust.’ Tara’s appearance symbolizes the prince’s realization of his own karmic potential. With that revelation in mind, Atisha renounced his kingdom, family, and position to find a spiritual teacher. He gave his parents the excuse of going on a hunting trip. Atisha made the acquaintance of the brahmin Jetari, a Buddhist recluse and renowned teacher. Jetari taught the young man three things: 1) Taking refuge in the Three Jewels of Buddha, 2) Dharma and Sangha, and 3) bodhichitta, described as the mind – oriented aspiration towards enlightenment with the intent of benefiting all sentient beings. Upon educating the young Atisha in the basic principles of Mahayana Buddhism, Jetari advised that TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER he go to Nalanda, a Buddhist center for learning in northeastern India. In Nalanda, Atisha 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. Atisha attained the knowledge of emptiness and became aware of pure human nature. He learned of the freedom all sentient beings have, a freedom from physical attachments and mental bondage. Buddhist narratives recount one story in which Atisha comes across a women alternately crying and laughing. Confused with her behavior, he inquires about her condition, and she responded: One’s own mind has been a Buddha from the beginning. 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. Having been a noble and wealthy, Atisha’s attainment of freedom took on a greater challenge. Upon completing his training for meditations on nothingness and emptiness, Atisha studied with Avadhutipa, a Vajrayana master. He required the prince to first consult the Black Mountain Yogi. The Black Mountain Yogi tested Atisha. First, he cast a lightning bolt in Atisha’s direction as he approached. He then granted the prince thirteen days of instruction, teaching him the Hevajra lineage and bestowing him with TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER the code name Indestructible Wisdom. Finally, the Black Mountain Yogi insisted that before Atisha continue in his studies that he gains permission from his parents to formally renounce royal responsibility, summoning eight naked yogis and yoginis to escort the prince back to Vikramapura. Returning to the royal palace, Atisha’s parents and subjects believed he had gone mad during his jungle refuge. He explained to his parents that he renounced wealth and luxury in his life to repay his parents and fellow beings. Remembering the signs that accompanied the prince’s birth, Atisha’s mother willingly gave her consent, approving her son’s decision to pursue the Dharma. Atisha’s father proved harder to convince and, like the Shakyamuni Buddha’s own father, only agreed after a determined effort. With his parent’s approval, Atisha went back to Avadhutipa to continue his studies, learning the Madhyamaka middle way and various tantra practices. During his training, he had a slight of pride in his accomplishments. His teacher reminded him that he knew relatively little through the visit from a dakini in a vision. Atisha’s humility returned overnight and he continued towards the path of enlightenment. Atisha studied almost all Buddhist and non – Buddhist schools of his time, including teachings from Vishnu, Shiva, and Tantric Hinduism. He also studied music and logic by the age of twenty – two. The Lineage of the Profound Action transmitted by Maitreya/Asanga, Vasubandhu; the Lineage of Profound View transmitted by Manjushri/Nagarjuna, TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Chandrakirti; and the Lineage of Profound Experience transmitted by Vajradhara/Tilopa, Naropa number foremost among Buddhist lineages he studied, practiced and transmitted.
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Dipankara Shrijnana nother time, a contending voice confronted Atisha as he prepared to practice his tantra. The Black Mountain Yogi appeared to him in a dream, advising him to take his time through steady practice to achieve the enlightenment. 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. In his twenty – ninth year, the great Shilarakshita ordained Atisha a monk. He received a new name of Dipankara Shrijnana, meaning ‘He Whose Deep Awareness Acts as a Lamp.’ Even as a monk, Dipankara Shrijnana yearned for the fastest and most direct means of attaining perfect enlightenment. He made a pilgrimage to Bodhgaya and, while walking around the great stupa there, he had a vision of two materializations of Tara. One asked the other to name the most important practice for attaining enlightenment. The other replied that ‘the practice of bodhichitta, supported by loving kindness and great compassion is most important.’ Atisha dedicated himself to the understanding and practice of bodhichitta from that time. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER At the age of 31, the monk arranged for a perilous journey, traveling for thirteen months to Sumatra to study under the reputable Suvarnadvipi Dharmarakshita, known in Tibetan as Serlingpa a master of bodhichitta. Under the guidance of Dharmarakshita, Atisha remained on the island of Sumatra for twelve years studying bodhichitta. After over a decade of intensive training, Dharmarakshita advised Atisha to ‘go to the north. In the north is the Land of Snows.’ Dharmarakshita referred to Tibet, a region with a Buddhist tradition forever changed after the arrival of Atisha Dipankara Shrijnana.
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Sumatra and Tibet efore journeying to Tibet, Atisha returned to India. He earned fame as a debater, on three occasions 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 received appointment to the position of steward, or abbot, at the venerable Buddhist College Vikramasila, established by the King Dharmapala of Bengal. Atisha’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. Atisha’s influence contributed to those developments. As Dharmarakshita had predicted, Buddhism in Tibet desperately needed 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. A new king by the name of Lha Lama Yeshe Yod proved a strict believer in Dharma, sending his TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER disciples to learn and translate some of the Sanskrit Buddhist texts. Nagtso, who studied Sanskrit Vikramasila College, numbered among them. He pleaded with Atisha to come teach the Dharma in his homeland. Atisha declined the offer to come reintroduce the Buddha’s teachings in Tibet. He considered himself too old for the rigorous trip and had much unfinished work at the monastic college. On the evening after he turned Atisha down, Tara appeared to him saying that his trip to Tibet would be astoundingly successful. He would greatly honor and assist the Tibetans, find a dedicated disciple, and further contribute to the spread of Dharma. He would live in the task until seventy two years old.
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Tibet and Atisha here has never been any doubt about Atisha’s undertaking in Tibet. Prophecies of his departure began with Dharmarakshita in Sumatra, following Atisha to his vision of Tara. During his travels across the perilous Himalayas, the Tibetan scholar Nagtso ‘vaguely realized that […] miraculous manifestations assisted me in an uninterrupted flow.’ Nagtso referred, whether he knew it or not, to Avalokitesvara's continual assistance throughout his trip to Vikramasila. Atisha’s two-year journey to Tibet may be interpreted within the Buddhist tradition as a fulfillment of destiny. In Tibet, Atisha first stayed at Ngari. The King supported his work to bring Buddha’s teaching to the people. During the three years Atisha spent in this town, he wrote what became the main body of his teaching, ‘A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’, and met the disciple Tara, Dromtonpa. According to Jamgon Kongtrul, when Atisha discovered the store of Sanskrit texts at Pekar Kordzoling, the library of Samye Atisha 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 TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER great dharma kings, translators, and pandits of the previous centuries.’ After staying for thirteen years in Tibet, Atisha died in 1052 C.E., in a village called Lethan, near Lhasa. The site of his last rites at Lethan has turned into a shrine. However his ashes were brought to Dhaka, Bangladesh on June 28, 1978, and placed in ‘Dharmarajika Bauddha Vihara.’
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Writings tisha wrote, translated and edited more than two hundred books. He discovered several Sanskrit manuscripts in Tibet and copied them. He translated books from Sanskrit to Tibetan. He also wrote several books on Buddhist scriptures, medical science and technical science in Tibetan. Dipankara wrote several books in Sanskrit, but only their Tibetan translations survived. Seventy – nine of his compositions have been preserved in Tibetan translation in the Tengyur (bstan-sgyur). His most notable books are: 1. Bodhi-patha-pradipa, 2. Charya-sanggraha-pradipa; contains some kirtan verses composed by Atisha. 3. Satya-dvayavatara 4. Bodhi-sattva-manyavali 5. Madhyamaka-ratna-pradipa 6. Mahayana-patha-sadhana-sanggraha 7. Shiksa-samuchchaya Abhisamya 8. Prajna-paramita-pindartha-pradipa 9. Ekavira-sadhana 10. Vimala-ratna-lekha: a Sanskrit letter to Nayapala, king of Magadha. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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Legacy tisha stands as 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). He conveyed that teaching through A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, and other texts. Atisha established the primacy of bodhichitta for the Mahayana tradition in Tibet. Atisha lived his teaching. Second, after King Langdarma’s intolerant reign, the monastic Buddhist tradition of Tibet had been nearly wiped out. Atisha’s closest disciple, Dromtönpa, became the founder of the Kadam School, which later evolved into the Gelug, as one of the four main school of Tibetan Buddhism. The Kadam/Gelug proved central to monasticism and the lojong teachings, incorporating into the other three schools—-the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya—-as well. Third, Atisha mobilized his influence in India to reform corrupt practices and to reform Buddhism, the native country of the Shakayumi Buddha. For those reasons, Atisha remains a central figure in the history and religious study of Buddhism. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER The three masters that Atisha remained with for many years were: first, Dharmakirti, a great Buddhist mystic. He taught him no-mind, he taught him emptiness, he taught him how to be thoughtless, he taught him how to drop all content from the mind and be contentless. The second master was Dharmarakshita, another Buddhist mystic. He taught him love, compassion. And the third master was Yogin Maitreya, another Buddhist mystic. He taught him the art of taking the suffering of others and absorbing it into your own heart: love in action. This could happen because all these three masters were great friends. They had started their search together; while they were on the way they had remained together, and when they attained they were still together. Atisha became a disciple of Dharmakirti. Dharmakirti said to him, ‘I will teach you the first principle. And for the second you go to Dharmarakshita, and for the third to Yogin Maitreya. This way you will know all the three faces of the ultimate reality, the three faces of God – the trinity, the TRIMURTI. And this way you will learn each face from the person who is the most perfect in it.’ These are the three ways people reach to the ultimate. If you reach through emptiness you attain the other two also, but your path remains basically that of emptiness – you know more about emptiness, so emptiness will be emphasized in whatsoever you teach.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER That is what happened in Buddha’s case. He had attained through emptiness, hence his whole teaching became emptiness-oriented. There is no God in Buddha’s teaching, because God is a thought, content, an object. God is the other, and Buddha had attained by dropping the other. Buddha had attained by emptying his mind totally, hence there is no place for God, no place for anything at all. His path is the purest VIA NEGATIVA. That was also the case with Dharmakirti. He was the perfect master of emptiness, a master par excellence of emptiness. And when Atisha had learned how to be empty, the master said, ‘It will be better for you to go to Dharmarakshita for the next step, because he has attained from a totally different path. Just as you can reach Everest from different sides, he has reached from a totally different path, the path of compassion. I can also teach you the path of compassion, but my knowing about that path is only known from the top.’ ‘I have reached through the path of emptiness. Once you reach the top, you can look down at all the paths, they are all available to your vision. But to follow a path in its different dimensions, to follow a path in all its details, small details, is a totally different thing.’ And to look at it from a helicopter or from the mountain – top is certainly a different vision; it is a bird’s – eye view. And Dharmakirti said, ‘If there had been nobody available here, I would have taught you the other too. But when a man like Dharmarakshita is just here, my neighbor, living in another cave just nearby, it is better you go to him.’ TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER First one has to become empty, utterly empty. But you have not to cling to emptiness; otherwise your life will never know the positive expression of religion. Your life will miss the poetry, the joy of sharing; you will remain empty. You will have a kind of freedom, but your freedom will be only freedom from, it will not be freedom FOR. And unless a freedom is both – freedom from and freedom for – something is missing, something is lacking; your freedom will be poor. Just to be free from is a poor kind of freedom. The real freedom starts only when you are free for. You can sing a song and you can dance a dance and you can celebrate and you can start overflowing. That's what compassion is. Man lives in passion. When the mind disappears, passion is transformed into compassion. Passion means you are a beggar with a begging-bowl; you are asking and asking for more and more from everybody; you are exploiting others. Your relationships are nothing but exploitations -- cunning devices to possess the other, very clever strategies to dominate. When you are living in the mind, in passion, your whole life is power politics. Even your love your social service, and even your humanitarian works, are nothing but power politics. Deep down, there is a desire to be powerful over others. The same energy, when the mind is dropped, becomes compassion. And it takes a totally new turn. It is no longer begging; you become an emperor, you start giving. Now you have something – you had it always, but because of the mind, you were not aware of it. The mind was functioning TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER like darkness around you, and you were unaware of the light within. The mind was creating an illusion of being a beggar, while all the time you had been an emperor. The mind was creating a dream; in reality you never needed anything. All had already been given. All that you need, all that you can need is already the case. God is within you, but because of the mind its dreaming, and desiring you never look within, and you go on rushing outwards. You keep yourself in the background, your eyes are turned towards the outside, and they have become focused there. That is what the mind is all about: focusing the eyes on the outside. And one has to learn how to be unfocused from there how to make them loose, less rigid, and more liquid, so that they can turn inwards. Once you have seen who you are, the beggar disappears. In fact it had never existed. It was just a dream, an idea. The mind is creating all your misery. With the mind gone, misery is gone too, and suddenly you are full of energy. And the energy needs expression, and sharing. It wants to become a song, a dance, and a celebration. That is compassion: you start sharing. These ‘Seven Points of Mind Training’ are the fundamental teaching that he gave to Tibet. Atisha is one of those great gifts. Tibet is infinitely indebted to this man. These seven points, the smallest treatise you can find, are of immense value. You will have to meditate over each TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER statement. They are the whole of religion condensed: you will have to unfold each statement. They are like seeds, as they contain much. It may not be apparently so, but the moment you move into the statements deeply, when you contemplate and meditate and start experimenting with them, you will be surprised. You will be going into the greatest adventure of your life. Mind training is any method that implants a set of ideas, perspectives, and experiences that work to dismantle habituated patterns of behavior, emotion, and perception. The mind training presented here plants the seed of compassion and nurtures its growth into the tree of awakening mind (bodhichitta) until it blossoms into presence and the effortless activity that helps others to wake up and be present in their lives, too.
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How does mind training work? ind training works like two sticks rubbed together to make fire. One stick consists of the perspectives and discipline of mind training; the other is composed of the projections and dynamics of habituated patterns in you. Practice generates friction that causes both sticks to burn up.
Taking and sending Taking and sending (In Tibetan: gtong.len, pronounced ‘tonglen’) is a specific technique used in mind training to undermine the pattern of self – centeredness that characterizes pattern – based experience. It is based on the more general technique of mentally exchanging one’s experience with the experience of others. Taking and
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER sending provides a simple effective method to carry this intention into all aspects of one's life. Where does mind training come from? Serlingpa or Dharmakirti, Atisha, and Chekawa The tradition of Mahayana mind training begins in India, probably around 200-300 C.E. It was certainly in full flower by the time of Shantideva, who makes extensive use of it in his Bodhicharyavatara. The technique of taking and sending itself is usually traced to Serlingpa (Dharmakirti), a master who lived in Indonesia. Atisha received instruction from him in both mind training and taking and sending and brought these teachings to Tibet in the 11th century. Mind training was originally a secret transmission, taught only to students who had a proven capacity and sincerity for practice. Chekawa Yeshe Dorje (1102-1176) for whom the practice had special significance, composed the seven points and taught them openly. The three masters that Atisha remained with for many years were: First: Dharmakirti, a great Buddhist mystic. He taught him no-mind, emptiness, how to be thoughtless, and how to drop all content from the mind to be free from any content. Second master was Dharmarakshita, another Buddhist mystic. He taught him love, compassion. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Third master was Yogin Maitreya, another Buddhist mystic. He taught him the art of taking the suffering of others and absorbing it into his own heart: love in action. This could happen because all these three masters were great friends. They had started their search together; while they were on the way they had remained together, and when they attained they were still together. Atisha became a disciple of Dharmakirti first. Dharmakirti told Atisha, ‘I will teach you the first principle. And for the second you go to Dharmarakshita, and for the third to Yogin Maitreya. This way you will know all the three faces of the ultimate reality, the three faces of God -- the trinity, the TRIMURTI. And this way you will learn each face from the person who is the most perfect in it.’ And in fact two masters are not separate from one another. To be a master implies one has reached to the very source of creation. This is what enlightenment means reaching the source and dwelling there as well. However after enlightenment the master chooses a particular field to operate and since our eye is of the outer world we see the difference between masters.
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Inviting Atisha to Tibet
fter Atisha’s return to India, he protected and upheld the Triumphant One’s hallowed Dharma by three times defeating in formal debate nonBuddhist extremists. Within the Buddhist fold, he established many institutes of learning wherever he traveled, and whenever he saw signs of degenerate or misinformed practices, he would immediately reform them. His fame spread throughout India. Because of his compassion and insight, he was revered as the crowning jewel of the erudite masters. He conferred the greatest benefit, however, on the people of Tibet, the Land of Snow. Although the Buddha Dharma had been brought to Tibet several centuries earlier through the efforts primarily of Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava (Gu-ru Rin-po-che Pad-ma ‘byung-gnas) and several others, this early flowering suffered a great setback due to repression by King Langdarma (Glang-dar-ma) (863 – 906 CE). Few practitioners were left and afterwards many points were no TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER longer properly understood. Many felt that the practices of ethical self-discipline and tantra were mutually exclusive and that enlightenment could be achieved through intoxication and various forms of sexual misconduct. Others believed that likewise contradictory were the teachings of Hinayana and Mahayana, leading respectively to liberation and enlightenment. Saddened by this degenerate condition, the Tibetan king Yeshey-wo (Ye-shes ‘od) wished very strongly to invite a learned master from one of the great monastic centers of India to come to Tibet and clarify the confusion. Not knowing specifically of Atisha, he sent twenty – one young men to study Sanskrit and locate a suitable master. All but two died of the heat. Unable to invite anyone, but having learned the language, the new translators Rinchen-zangpo (Rin-chen bzang-po) (958 – 1051 CE) and Legshay (Legsbshad) returned to the king and informed him about Atisha. As soon as he heard his name, the king decided that this Atisha was the person who was needed. Wasting no time, he sent a second party of nine, headed by Gyatsonseng (rGya brtson-‘grus seng-ge), with much gold to invite this master. But the eight companions died as well and, unable to bring Atisha, Gyatsonseng stayed on in India. When news of this second failure reached Yeshey-wo, he decided to lead an expedition himself to collect more gold for yet another party. But on this mission, he was captured on the Nepalese border by the rival King of Garlog (Gar-log, Qarluq), who wished to prevent the further spread of Buddhism in Tibet.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER King Yeshey-wo’s nephew, Jangchub-wo, was informed either to give up this mission to India or to raise an amount of gold equal to the size of his uncle in order to secure the hostage’s release. The nephew traveled about the kingdom, but was only able to collect gold equal to the King’s torso and limbs. He could not raise the additional gold for his head. When the Garlog ruler demanded the full measure of ransom, the nephew requested permission to see his uncle. He was taken to a dark prison cell enclosed by iron bars. There he explained the situation to his uncle, who was in chains and very frail, and said he would continue to search for the remaining gold. ‘Do not give up hope,’ he told his uncle, ‘for I shall raise the ransom. I could wage war with this Garlog king, but many would be killed. Buying your freedom seems best.’ ‘My dear nephew,’ the aged King replied, ‘I never expected you to have such compassion and wisdom. I am pleased that you understand the evils of violence, but now you must forget about me. Instead, use all the gold you have collected to invite to Tibet the great master Atisha. I have died countless times in previous lives, but I am sure I have never before sacrificed myself for the Triumphant One’s Dharma. Now I am very happy to do so. Whomever you send to India, please have him tell Atisha that I have given my life for the welfare of my subjects and the Dharma so that he could be brought to Tibet. Although I have not had the fortune to meet him this lifetime, I have fervent hopes that I can in the future.’ The nephew submitted to his uncle’s command and departed, nearly overcome by grief. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Jangchub-wo, now became King of Tibet. He decided that the best person he could send on this third mission would be the translator Nagtso (Nag-mtsho Lo-tsa-ba), who had already been to India several times. The new king invited him to the palace and, insisting that the translator sit on the royal throne, pleaded with him. ‘My uncle died so that Atisha could be invited to Tibet. If his wish is not fulfilled, the troubled people of this land will surely fall into terrible rebirths. I beg you to save these unfortunate beings.’ The young king then broke down and wept. Nagtso had no choice but to accept and brave the hardships of yet another journey to India. The translator set off with 700 gold coins and six companions. The King escorted them for several days and, before taking his leave, reminded Nagtso to tell Atisha, ‘This is the last of the gold in Tibet and my uncle was the last of Tibet’s great men. If he has any compassion for others, he must come. If the barbarians of Tibet have such concern for the Dharma and he has none, then Buddhism has indeed weakened and there is no hope!’ The King then turned back to his palace. On the way to India, the delegation met a young boy who asked the purpose of their journey. When told, he was very pleased and said, ‘You will be successful in your quest if you always recite this prayer, ‘I make obeisance to and take safe direction from Avalokiteshvara. I request that the Triumphant One’s Dharma flourish in Tibet.’ When asked who he was, the boy said they would find out in due time.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Eventually, the travelers reached the sequestered monastic university of Vikramashila late one night and camped at the gates. In a room above, lived Gyatsonseng, the Tibetan who had led King Yeshey-wo’s second mission. When he heard voices speaking his native tongue, he looked down with great surprise and, seeing the party camped below, asked why they had come. The Tibetans excitedly related their story, and even disclosed that the purpose of their mission was, in fact, to bring Atisha himself back to Tibet. Gyatsonseng warned them not to reveal their aims so openly. He advised them to leave their gold with the boy posted at the gate and come to see him in the morning. The travelers did so and the small boy told them to rest and to trust him. Early the next day, the lad woke them and asked why they had come. When they told him everything, the boy said crossly, ‘You Tibetans talk too much! You must keep this quiet. Otherwise, there will be much interference. Important things should never be done in haste, but always slowly, carefully, and in secret.’ He then returned their gold coins and led them into the enormous monastic grounds. The party met an old man who greeted them and asked where they were from and why they had come. Again, they made no attempt to hide anything and the old man scolded them, ‘If you continue indiscreetly like this, you will never accomplish your goal. Tell your mission only to Atisha.’ He then offered to show them to Gyatsonseng’s room. Although he walked slowly with a cane, no one could keep up with him, for he too, like the small boys before, was an emanation of Avalokiteshvara, overseeing their mission. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Now the Tibetans decided on a plan of action. Gyatsonseng told them to say they had come to study Sanskrit. ‘Our chief abbot, the elder Ratnakara, is Atisha’s superior and regards him very highly. If he hears of your real purpose, he will make sure you never even meet Atisha.’ The next morning, they reported to the Abbot and presented him with half their gold coins. They told him that in the past many of their countrymen had come to India seeking to invite to Tibet such erudite masters as Atisha. However, they had come to study and become learned themselves. The venerable elder was greatly relieved and said, ‘By all means do that. Do not misunderstand. It is not that I have no compassion for Tibet, but Atisha is one of our most highly realized masters, especially in terms of his bodhichitta. If he does not remain in India, there is no hope for the Buddha’s teachings to be preserved in their birthplace.’ The Abbot, however, was still highly suspicious of these foreigners and prevented them from meeting Atisha. The Tibetans, convinced that their ploy had worked, began to attend classes and bided their time. After several months, an important monastic ceremony was held. As everyone was required to attend, the travelers hoped that at last they would catch a glimpse of Atisha. As they watched and waited, many great masters made their entrance. Some, like the famous Naropa, came surrounded by a huge retinue. Others were preceded by attendants bearing flowers and incense. Finally, Atisha arrived. He was dressed in old tattered robes, with the chapel and storehouse keys tied to his waist. The Tibetans were sorely disappointed with his unimpressive appearance and asked Gyatsonseng if they TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER could invite one of the other more glamorous masters instead. Gyatsonseng told them, ‘No, Atisha has a very special close bond with Tibet and, despite his appearance; he is the one you must bring back.’ Finally, a secret meeting was arranged. Nagtso presented Atisha with the gold coins piled high on a round mandala offering plate and told him the history of how the hallowed Dharma had degenerated in Tibet. Relating the story of King Yeshey-wo’s sacrifice and repeating the words of both the uncle and nephew, Nagtso pleaded with him to come. Atisha told them they were very kind and that he had no doubt that those Tibetan kings were in fact bodhisattvas. He was aware of the problems and sincerely respected the King for his sacrifice, but they must try to understand he was getting on in years and had many responsibilities as keeper of the monastery’s storehouse. He hoped it would be possible to come and returned their gold for the journey home. ‘Meanwhile,’ he told them, ‘I must consult with my personal yidam.’ That night, Tara appeared to Atisha in a pure vision and told him his journey would be a complete success. He would benefit the Tibetans enormously and would find among them a disciple with an especially close bond to him. This would be an upasaka, a man with lay vows, and he would spread the Dharma even further. ‘But,’ she told him, ‘if you remain in India, you will live to be ninety – two, whereas if you go to Tibet your lifespan will be seventy – two years.’ Atisha now felt confident to go with the Tibetans and that it was worth the sacrifice of twenty years of his life if he could TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER truly benefit others. He would have to find some clever means to obtain leave from his shrewd abbot. First, he asked permission to make pilgrimages to the east, south, and west of Vikramashila. This was granted and he visited a number of holy places. He then asked to make a similar journey to the north, but the Elder, sensing his hidden motive, refused. The Tibetan delegation was thrown into great despair and decided the only hope was to tell the Abbot the entire truth. The stable Elder pretended to be angry, and the Tibetans immediately fell to their knees and pleaded for forgiveness. ‘My reasons for not wishing to give you Atisha are the same as before,’ the Abbot began, ‘but because the need of Tibet is so great, I am willing to let him remain in your land for three years. However, you must promise to return him to India after that time.’ Overwhelmed with joy, the Tibetans pledged their word.
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Reforming and Revitalizing Dharma in Tibet hus, at the age of fifty – three, Atisha set out on the long journey to the Land of Snow. On route, the translator Gyatsonseng fell ill and died. In grief, Atisha declared, ‘Now my tongue has been cut out!’ Then Nagtso humbly bowed before him and said, ‘Please do not worry. Although my Sanskrit is not perfect, it will surely improve. There are others as well who maybe can serve you.’ In Nepal, they met the great eye opening translator Marpa (Mar-pa Lo-tsa-ba) (1012 – 1099 CE), who was on his way to India for the third time. Atisha invited him to be his interpreter, but Marpa excused himself by saying, ‘It was my teacher’s wish that I visit India three times. Now, I must make this final journey.’ They also met the aged translator Rinchen-zangpo, but he too was unable to help. ‘As you can see by the white hair on my head,’ he said, ‘I am very old. I have worked all my life without ever the chance for doing TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER intensive practice.’ Thus, Atisha went on, forced to rely on Nagtso’s limited skills. After two years of travel, the party finally arrived in Upper Tibet (sTod, western Tibet) at the city of Ngari (mNga’-ri), the capital of Yeshey-wo’s kingdom. Both the householders and the monks formed a grand procession and invited Atisha to stay at the nearby sequestered monastery. The Indian master was overjoyed at this enthusiasm for the Triumphant One’s teachings and was greatly surprised at the number who had taken the robes of a spiritual seeker. Many learned people came from all over Tibet. He was so impressed with the profundity of their questions concerning the Sage Buddha’s sutras and tantras that he wondered why they had gone to so much trouble to invite him when there were already so many masters. However, when he quizzed them back as to how these two sets of preventive measures formed an integral whole, they were unable to answer. Atisha now knew the purpose of his mission. One day, King Jangchub-wo requested a teaching for the people of Tibet. ‘We do not want one on measures that are so vast and profound we shall be unable to adopt them,’ he said. ‘What we need is something that will tame our minds and enable us to deal with our everyday impulsive behavior (karma) and its results. Please teach us the measures you yourself take.’ Atisha was so enchanted by the simplicity and sincerity of the King’s request that in later years he referred to him as ‘my excellent disciple.’ Had he been asked for advanced empowerments into tantric deity systems or for practices TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER conferring special powers, he would have been far less pleased. Thus, he spent three years at Ngari giving discourses later compiled into ‘A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’ (Byang-chub lam-gyi sgron-ma, Skt. Bodhipathapradipa). This became the prototype for all future texts on this subject. The points he always emphasized in his talks with the people earned him the nicknames, ‘Sublime Teacher of Safe Direction (Lama Refuge)’ and ‘Sublime Teacher of Impulsive Behavior and Its Results (Lama Cause and Effect).’ He was very pleased with this and said, ‘Even hearing such names might prove beneficial.’ Throughout this time, Atisha kept watch for his future chief disciple, the Tibetan layman prophesied by ennobling, impeccable Tara, but he had still not appeared. One day, the Indian was invited to a patron’s house for lunch and, as he was a strict vegetarian, was served traditional toasted barley cakes (tsampa). When he left, he asked for a few extra pieces and some butter. At that very same moment, the revered Dromtonpa (‘Brom-ston rGyal-ba’i ‘byung-gnas) (1004 – 1064 CE), the awaited upasaka layman, arrived at Atisha’s house. He asked the attendants, ‘Where is my sublime Mahayana guru?’ They replied, ‘Atisha is having lunch with his patron. If you wait here, he will return shortly.’ Dromtonpa could not wait. Instead, he ran quickly toward the patron’s house. Atisha and Dromtonpa met in one of the streets. Although they had never seen each other before, there was an immediate mutual TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER recognition because of their close bond from previous lives. Dromtonpa made prostration and Atisha, offering him the barley cakes, said, ‘Here is your lunch. You must be very hungry.’ The layman ate the cakes and used the butter to make a butter - lamp offering to his newly found spiritual master. From that time onwards, he offered such a lamp each night without fail. After Atisha had been in Ngari three years, he set out with the translator Nagtso for the return to India. But, a war on the Nepalese border prevented their passage. Nagtso became extremely anxious since now it appeared impossible for him to keep his promise to the Abbot of Vikramashila. Atisha immediately calmed his fears by saying, ‘It is useless to worry about a situation that is beyond your control.’ Greatly relieved, Nagtso wrote the Abbot a letter, explaining how their good intentions had been thwarted. As partial recompense for his absence, Atisha sent with it a copy of ‘A Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’. He also requested permission to stay in Tibet for the remainder of his life. They then returned to Ngari. Nowadays, the publication of a book is a relatively simple commercial transaction. At the time of Atisha, however, before a manuscript could be printed, it had to pass a rigid examination by a committee of scholars, presided over by the local king. If the work were found lacking in any way, it would be tied to the tail of a dog and dragged through the dust. While the author, instead of reaping praise and fame, would suffer a humiliating loss of reputation. TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Atisha’s text was subjected to this same scrutiny and the committee unanimously agreed to its outstanding worth. The presiding king was even moved to remark that it would not only benefit the ignorant Tibetans, but the sharp-minded Indians as well. When the Abbot of Vikramashila read the text, he wrote to Nagtso the translator, ‘I have no more objections to Atisha’s remaining in Tibet. What he has written has benefited us all. I merely ask that he now compose and send us his own commentary to it.’ This is how Atisha’s own explanation of the difficult points of this important text (Byang-chub lam-gyi sgron-ma’i dka’-‘grel) came to be written. Soon, Dromtonpa invited Atisha to travel further north to Central Tibet (dBus) and visit Lhasa. On the way, they stopped at Samyay (bSam-yas), the first monastery built in Tibet. Atisha was very impressed by the library’s Sanskrit and Tibetan collections and said that he did not think that so many Sanskrit Buddhist texts existed even in India at that time. Altogether, Atisha spent seventeen years in the Land of Snow: three in Ngari, nine in Nyetang (sNye-thang) near Lhasa, and five in various other places until his death in 1054 CE at the age of seventy-two as prophesied by Tara. Atisha’s body was embalmed and enshrined at Nyetang and, two years later (1056 CE), the revered layman Dromtonpa established the sequestered Radreng Monastery (Rvasgreng rGyal-ba’i dben-gnas), the most important center of the Kadam (bKa’-gdams) tradition which passed on his master’s lineages.
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ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER Nagtso the translator recalled that not once during the long time they had been together had Atisha ever said or done anything unpleasant. Teaching an integrated path of sutra and tantra, the great Indian master accomplished the enormous task of reforming and revitalizing the spread in Tibet of the Triumphant One’s complete Dharma. In fact, it is due to his kindness that these hallowed measures have survived in their original form.
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