Atiśa

Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna was an 11th-century Bengali Buddhist monk and scholar whose teachings helped restore Buddhism in Tibet.

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Dromtönpa: An 11th-century Tibetan Buddhist teacher who became Atiśa’s principal disciple in Tibet. He carried Atiśa’s teachings forward and founded the Kadam tradition.
Bodhipathapradīpa: Atiśa’s concise treatise outlining a graded path to awakening. It distills his teaching into stages for practitioners of different capacities.
Vikramaśīla: A major Buddhist monastic university in eastern India, active from the late eighth to early thirteenth century. Atiśa studied and taught at this center before traveling to Tibet.
Kadam: An early Tibetan Buddhist tradition established by Atiśa’s disciple Dromtönpa. It preserved and organized Atiśa’s teachings after his death.
Jangchub Ö: A ruler of western Tibet who invited Atiśa to teach in Tibet. His invitation and patronage made Atiśa’s Tibetan journey possible.
Lamrim: A Tibetan Buddhist genre presenting the path to awakening in ordered stages. Atiśa’s treatise became a foundational model for later graded-path teachings.
Mahāyāna: A broad Buddhist tradition centered on the bodhisattva ideal and universal awakening. Atiśa’s teachings developed within its philosophical and devotional traditions.
Kadampa instruction: A body of Tibetan Buddhist oral teachings associated with the Kadam tradition. These teachings transmitted Atiśa’s practical guidance through successive generations.
Rinchen Zangpo: A Tibetan translator and Buddhist teacher who helped transmit Indian Buddhist texts to Tibet. He was among the translators and scholars associated with Atiśa’s mission.
Bodhicitta: The aspiration to attain awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings. Atiśa places this altruistic aim at the heart of the path.