Atisa Dipankara – The Great Buddhist Reformer and Propagator Of Dharma The Tibetan Buddhism is obviously and actively being propagated to the West by the 14th Dalai Lama and other Buddhist Lamas . All Buddhists should be proud of the 14th Dalai Lama’s and other Lamas’ consistent efforts to internationalize Buddhism globally to both the East and the West. When we think of Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism, celebrated Tibetan Master Tsong Khapa immediately appears in our minds. Many general Buddhists seem to have forgotten that the huge pillar behind the establishment of Tibetan or Vajrayana Buddhism was not Tsong Khapa but Atisa Dipankara of the 11st century C.E. Atisa Dipankara founded the Kadampa School of Tibetan Buddhhism. Tsong Khapa reviewed and expounded Atisa ‘ s Buddhist Thought of Kadampa School of Tibetan Buddhism. Atisa was not only a great Buddhist master of Vjrayana Buddhism but also a great Buddhist master of three Buddhist traditions of Theravada Buddhism, Mahayana Buddhism and Vajrayana Buddhism. He composed many Buddhist treatises in Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism in Sanskrit language . Most of his Buddhist Sanskrit treatises were translated into Tibetan language. His Buddhist teachings Mahayanized and reformed Tibetan culture into Tibetan Buddhism. He was invited by the King of Tibet , King byang-club ‘od to revolutionize the Tibetan social, religious and cultural conditions and lives of Tibetan people at that time. Frankly, Tibetan people are currently respected because of the rich Buddhist heritage of Tibetan Buddhism inherited by the Tibetan Buddhists from the illuminating Buddhist Thought of Atisa Dipankara , Tsong Khapa, 14th Dalai lama and other Buddhist Lamas. Recently, International Conference on Atisa and Cultural Renaissance was held in New Dehli from 16th to 18th January, 2013. It was organized by Gandhi National Centre for The Arts, New Dehli, India. I am happy the people of India in their renewed effort of activating Buddhist renaissance in India had organized such international conference. An international Buddhist conference on Atisa is a global venue in which many experienced renowned Buddhist scholars, and Buddhist leaders met and shared the life, supreme knowledge and brilliant scholarship of Atisa Dipankara. I hope that such international Buddhist Conferences on Atisa’s Buddhist Thought will be organized and held annually in India to supplement the Buddhist renaissance effort activated by the annual Indian Global Buddhist Conference held in India. Atisa Dipankara should deserve the same honour like the one global reverence which is still being received by both Sufi Rumi and Sufi Ibn Arabi and other spiritual leaders. Hence, I would like to see internal Buddhist conferences on Nagarjuna’s Buddhist Madhyamika Thought (Middle View) of Sunyata (Emptiness) and the Vasubandhu’s Buddhist Yogacara Thought of Vijnana Matra (Consciousness Only) to be held in India too when all necessary contigent conditions meet. I would like to see that their Buddhist teachings will continue to remind and inspire us to learn Buddhism authentically to help establish global peace. Past Buddhist scholars like Indian Atisa, Nagarjuna , Vasubandhu and many other Indian Buddhist scholars in the past should be honoured and remembered through annual international Buddhist conferences organized by Indian Universities or Indian government in India . Religion, philosophy, science , economics and politics can go together. Atisa’s, Nagrajuna’s and Vasubandhu’s Buddhist thought can help reunite all world faiths esoterically like what Indian Unpanisadic philosophy does to the world . If Atisa did not participate as steward and the Tibetan People did not take part as religious participants in the Eternal Now at that time, Tibetan Buddhist civilization would not continue to have existed today. Tibetan Buddhism means a lot to the Tibetan Buddhists today in terms of mental calmness and happiness . Without the continuity of Tibetan Buddhist legacy activated by Atisa, Tsong Khapa , the 14tth Dalai lama and other Buddhist Lamas and faith participation of Tibetan Buddhists hitherto, Tibetan Buddhism would not have flourished in the East and in the West . Even though I myself is not a Tibetan Buddhist, I am also blessed to receive the Tibetan Buddhist wisdom through my university education in Sri Lanka . It is ungrateful not acknowledge that all concerned Buddhists are being connected to the Tibetans leaders and their retinues and followers through the Oneness of the interconnected web technology of interrelationship and interdependence. We clearly witness that the cyber technology of internet facilitates cyber bridge building that connects so many hearts with so many hearts all over the world to share data and information. The cyber Internet facilitates the self-manifestation of the Buddha-nature in us on a global scale. Religion and science are non-dually inseparable.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:45:57 +0000
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