Atisha - Tibetan Master by Taoshobuddha

The Tibetan Buddhist Master
TAOSHOBUDDHA
ATISHA – TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER
ATISHA – THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER
© 2010, Taoshobuddha
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TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONS.
Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber
Photography: Taoshobuddha
TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 2

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

Chandragarbha – to –
Atisha

Atisha
Tibetan Buddhist Master

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 (Jo-
bo 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 Ö

(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

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.

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.

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

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

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 unsavory-
looking friends and be gone once and for all.

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.

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 (blo-
sbyong, 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.

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.

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. Abhisamaya-
alamkara) 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

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.’

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

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

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,

Chandrakirti; and the Lineage of Profound Experience

transmitted by Vajradhara/Tilopa, Naropa number foremost
among Buddhist lineages he studied, practiced and
transmitted.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.’

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.

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.

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.

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.’

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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 non-
Buddhist 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

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 (Legs-
bshad) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 (Rva-
sgreng rGyal-ba’i dben-gnas), the most important center of
the Kadam (bKa’-gdams) tradition which passed on his
master’s lineages.

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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The Tibetan Buddhist Master

ATISHA – THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST MASTER

Printed and Published by TAOSHOBUDDHA MEDITATIONSTM

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be

Cover design and graphics: Anand Neelamber

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 2

The word Taoshobuddha comes from three words, ‘tao,’ ‘sho,’

Thus, Taoshobuddha implies one who is existential, on whom

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 3

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 4

Tibetan Buddhist Master

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 5

Atisha attained the knowledge of emptiness and became

[O]ne’s own mind has been a Buddha from the beginning. By

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 6

am indeed elated as I am speaking to you on a Tibetan

Atiśha Dipankara Shrijnana was born in 980-82. Atisha was

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 7

Besides establishing the roots of Buddhism in Tibet Atisha

Atisha, a Buddhist monk credited with reforming Tibetan

Atisha is really very scientific. First he says: Take the whole

As the talk continues delve deeper into the life of Atisha.

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 8

Birth and early life

tiśha Dipankara Shrijnana (980-82 – 1052-54 C.E.),

But the moment his love became active he started moving

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 9

transformed into gold. He was one of the greatest alchemists

Atisha introduced ‘Seven Points of Mind Training’ as the

Atisha is really very scientific. First he says: Take the whole

It has happened in my case. My birth was chosen to be in the

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 10

At the age when Taoshobuddha was only eight months old

To be a disciple of three enlightened masters is simply

Atisha, a Buddhist monk credited with reforming Tibetan

Although Atisha had a lengthy career as a teacher at the

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 11

Tibet. After making a dangerous two year journey over the

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The royal couple had three sons, Padmagarbha,

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 13

(Byang Chub Od), he received the name of Atisha, a Tibetan

Atisha, born in 980 - 82 C.E. in Vajrayogini village, in

The city of Vikramapura, Atisha birth place, served as the

Traditional accounts often describe the prince’s birth as an

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 14

Shakyamuni Buddha’s attainment of Enlightenment, and

Such an interpretation of Atisha’s first public appearance,

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 15

The story conveys Atisha as a spiritually advanced and

Mirroring the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the young prince

As Atisha grew older, his wish to become a mendicant monk

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 16

On his wedding eve, the Buddha-figure (yidam) Tara

Having firmly resolved to find a spiritual teacher, but telling

Atisha’s parents were delighted to see him and thought at

TAOSHOBUDDHA BUDDHIST SERIES Page 17

fact gone in search of a spiritual teacher. He confessed that

Shocked at his words, his parents tried to dissuade him from

There was nothing his parents could do but consent to his