The Legacy of Atiśa: A Reflection on Textual, Historical and Doctrinal Developments to Enrich Buddha Dhamma from the Azimuth of Vikramśilā to Modern Era
Atīśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna (982-1054 CE) was a great Bengali Buddhist legend and a former Vikramśilā scholar (paṇḍita) who came to Tibet to propagate Buddha Dhamma in the 11th Century. He promulgated Mahāyāna and Vajrāyāna traditions in Tibet among that were subsequently transmitted to Southeast, Central and East Asia. Ācāriya Atīśa’s monumental compositions, such as Bodhipathapradīpa (A Lamp for the Path to Awakening), Satyadvayavatara, Bodhisattvamanyavali, Madhyamakaratnapradipa, Mahayanapathasadhanasangraha, Shiksasamuccaya Abhisamya, Prajnaparamitapindarthapradipa and compilations of Dhamma texts have enriched Buddhist commentarial literature and doctrinal contents, revealing subtle and profound Buddhist teachings.This paper explores the legacy of Atīśa through demonstrating his dharma endeavors around Asian countries along with illustrating his compilation of masterpiece-texts in order to propagate Buddha Dharma. It is a comprehensive review, and assessment of the meticulous research on the infl uence of Atīśa’s scholarly works and composition of Tibetan epic texts, such as The Jewel Ornaments of Liberation by Gampopa (1079-1153 CE.), Lam Rim Chen Mo by Tshongkhapa (1157-1419 CE.) along with related doctrinal contributions of Tibetan Buddhist schools principally in the Geluk and kadam.The paper further investigates the infl uences of Atīśa’s teachings from the time of the azimuth of Vikramśilā (a sister university of Nālandā) to modern day Buddhism, especially focusing on the teachings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism
目次
Introduction 415 Atīśa’s Life Story: From Vajrayogini to Tibet 416 Atīśa’s Textual Compilations and Its Dhamma Enrichment 419 Conclusion 425
