Atisha ,the legendary scholar of kadampa school which is the
predecessor to Gelugpa school
perhaps the most legendary guru worth mentioning
The city of Vikramapura, the most probable candidate for
Atisha’s birthplace, was the capital of the ancient kingdoms of
Southeast Bengal. Though the city’s exact location is not certain,
it presently lies in the Munshiganj
District of Bangladesh, and continues to be celebrated
as an early center of Buddhist cultural, academic, and political
life. Similar to Shakyamuni
Buddha, Atisha was born into royalty; the palace in
which he was raised, aptly named the Golden Banner Palace, “had a
golden victory banner encircled by countless houses and there were
great numbers of bathing-pools encircled by 720 magnificent
gardens, forests of Tala trees, seven concentric walls,
363 connecting bridges, innumerable golden victory banners,
thirteen roofs to the central palace and thousands of noblemen”.
His father was the king of Bengal known as Kalyana Shri, and his
mother was Shri Prabhavati. One of three royal brothers, Atisha
went by the name of Chandragarbha during the first part of his
life. In fact, it was not until he traveled to Tibet and
encountered the king Jangchub Ö (Byang Chub Od) that he was given
the name of Atisha, a Tibetan reference to peace.
Mirroring the life of Shakyamuni Buddha, the young prince is
depicted as having a natural capacity for swift learning in
multiple fields and the practice of Dharma at a young age. He had become
“well-versed in astrology, writing and Sanskrit” by the age of three, “able
to distinguish between the Buddhist and non-Buddhist doctrines” by
the age of ten, and would eventually become a master of the
teachings of Mahayana, Hinayana, and Vajrayana
Buddhism under the guidance of over 100 different instructors. As
time elapsed 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. Therefore, as he turned
the customary age of eleven years old, surrounding him with the
luxuries and extravagance of royalty, Atisha’s parents commenced
the decorative courtship and matrimonial preparations so that the
prince might find a bride among the kingdom’s beautiful young women
of nobility.
Atisha’s response to his parents’ proposal as documented in
Buddhist biographical texts evidences the level of commitment the
young prince had for religious pursuit and enlightenment. On the
eve of his wedding, Atisha experienced a momentous encounter with
the Vajrayana goddess Tara, who would
continue with him as a guiding spirit until the end of his life.
Tara explained to the prince that in his past lives he had been a
devout monk. Accordingly, he should not be overwhelmed by the lure
of ephemeral pleasures in the world. If he should acquiesce, Tara
continued, then “as an elephant sinks deeply into the swamp, [he],
a hero, [would] sink in the mire of lust.” Essentially, Tara’s
manifestation is symbolic for the prince’s meaningful realization
of his own karmic
potential. The deity’s metaphor is illuminating: as an elephant’s
enormous weight prevents it from escaping the mud, so the prince’s
wealth and extravagance would prevent him from spiritual awakening.
With this revelation at the forefront of his consciousness, Atisha
renounced his kingdom, family, and social status in order to find a
spiritual teacher—or as he told his parents—to go on a hunting
trip.
Buddhist sources assert that, while feigning a hunting trip, an
adolescent 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, Atashi 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.
may the merit of this post
transferred to the lives lost in recent racial fighting , and no
enmity and all deceased acquired the conditions for future rebirth
in the Land of Ultimate Bliss