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Atishas life story

Atishas early lifeAtisha was born in the year 982 AD in East Bengal. He was born into a royal family andwas given the name Chandragarbha, meaning Moon Essence. He was later given the

name Atisha, meaning peace, by the Tibetan king Jangchhub . It is said that at thetime of his birth there were many auspicious signs, and that from his very early childhoodPrince Chandragarbha displayed an unusually peaceful and compassionate nature, and anaspiration to spiritual practice.

The young prince also had a special connection with Tara, the female Buddha embodyingall the Buddhas activities of great compassion. At the time when Atishas parentsplanned to arrange a marriage for him, Tara manifested to Atisha and counseled him notto be attached to his kingdom or worldly life in general. She advised the prince that hehad a strong karmic potential to become a great spiritual teacher, as a result of meditationand practice in previous lives. Inspired by Taras words, Atisha formed the firm

determination to practice Dharma and to attain enlightenment.

Atishas search for a masterThe princes first step on the path to enlightenment was to find a spiritual master whowould instruct him in meditation and the Buddhist teachings. He sought out a number ofrenowned Indian masters of his day such as the great teacher Jetari, who first gave himteachings on taking refuge and on bodhichitta; Bodhibhadra, who lived at the greatmonastery of Nalanda; Vidyakokila, known to have attained the perfect realization of thewisdom perceiving emptiness; Rahulagupta, known as the Black Mountain Yogi; andAvadhutipa, the great vajrayana master.

From India to IndonesiaAt the age of twenty-nine, Atisha experienced a vision in which Rahulagupta appeared tohim. The Black Mountain Yogi told him that it would be most beneficial for his practiceand for the Dharma if he were to take ordination as a monk. Atisha had several moredreams in which his teachers and deities appeared and gave him similar advice.Following this direction, Atisha received ordination from the great master Silarakshitaand was given the name Dipamkara Srijana.

Studying under the renowned teacher Dharmarakshita, Atisha deepened his realizationsof wisdom and compassion and was known for his pure ethical behavior. Still, he yearnedto find the method that would bring him quickly and directly to enlightenment, and so,

Atisha made pilgrimage to Bodhgaya. While circumambulating Bodhgayas great stupa,Atisha experienced a clear vision in which two manifestations of Tara appeared in thespace before him. One asked the other: What is the most important practice forachieving enlightenment? The other replied: The practice of bodhichitta, supported byloving kindness and great compassion is most important. Thus, Atisha formed thesingle-minded aspiration to perfect his understanding and practice of the mind ofenlightenment, or bodhichitta.

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Colophon: Extracted from http://www.lamrim.com/hhdl/atishaslamp.html. Original author unknown.

Edited by Kendall Magnussen, FPMT Education Services, February 15, 2009.