Atisha c. 980 – 1054
Atisha (c. 980 – 1054) was a Bengali-Tibetan philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Buddhism.
Atisha Dipankara Shrijnana was a Bengali Buddhist philosopher and monk, abbot of the great Indian monastic university of Vikramashila, who, late in life, accepted an invitation from the Tibetan king Yeshe-O to come to Tibet, where he spent his last twelve years restoring monastic discipline and the integrity of Buddhist teaching. His Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, a brief verse summary of the entire Buddhist path written in Tibet, became the model for the later Tibetan stages-of-the-path literature and exerted an enduring influence on every major Tibetan school. His emphasis on the joint cultivation of bodhicitta and the wisdom of emptiness shaped Tibetan Buddhism for the next nine hundred years.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Bengali-Tibetan
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Buddhism
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Atisha:
“Bodhicitta is the seed of every Buddha; without it, all other practice is in vain.”
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Attributed to Atisha:
“Three kinds of beings walk the path: those who seek their own peace, those who seek a higher rebirth, and those who seek awakening for the sake of all.”
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Attributed to Atisha:
“When the mind tames itself, the world it inhabits is at peace.”
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Attributed to Atisha:
“Receive every teaching as if it were medicine for the precise illness of your own heart.”
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Attributed to Atisha:
“What is meditated upon repeatedly becomes the very stuff of the mind.”
Frequently asked about Atisha
- When did Atisha live?
- Atisha was born in c. 980 and died in 1054.
- Where was Atisha from?
- Atisha was a Bengali-Tibetan philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Atisha associated with?
- Atisha was associated with Buddhism.
- What was Atisha known for?
- Atisha Dipankara Shrijnana was a Bengali Buddhist philosopher and monk, abbot of the great Indian monastic university of Vikramashila, who, late in life, accepted an invitation from the Tibetan king Yeshe-O to come to Tibet, where he spent his last twelve years restoring monastic discipline and the integrity of Buddhist teaching.
- How many quotes are attributed to Atisha?
- There are 15 attributed quotations from Atisha in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.