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ATISHA – HISTORY OF THE MAN
 The namesake of my kennel is Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana.
Atisha is considered to be one of the most important individuals in
Tibetan history. He was a Buddhist teacher and mystic from India
and was given the name “Atisha” by the king of Tibet when
he first traveled to the “Land of Snow,” as Tibet was
known. Atisha is a Tibetan reference to “peace.”
Atisha was born in the year 980 A.D. into a royal family from the
Bengal region of India. The young prince was a child
prodigy. At 18 months, in his first public appearance, he was
able to identify important religious objects, at 3 years he was
proficient in Sanskrit, astrology and writing and by 10 years of age he
was able to distinguish between Buddhist and non Buddhist
teachings. At 11, he renounced his wealth and royal standing and
ultimately left home to dedicate himself to a religious life.
After studying with many famous masters, Atisha was ordained a monk at
29 and soon became very well known throughout Southeast Asia. He
was a great debater and established many institutes of learning in
India. In addition to his knowledge, Atisha was renowned for his
love and compassion. Atisha’s reputation was so widespread
that the rulers of the “Land of Snow” – Tibet --
begged him to come to their country to restore Buddhism among the
Tibetan people. Buddhist religious knowledge in Tibet had been
all but wiped out by a previous king. The new Tibetan king
who asked Atisha to help him, in fact, gave up his life for this
cause. Although Atisha was hesitant to go, the goddess Tara
appeared to him in a dream and told him that his journey to Tibet would
be very successful. And, indeed it was. He lived in Tibet
for 17 years, until his death at age 72. While there, he wrote or
translated more than 200 books, some of which were exported back to
India. His work led to the establishment of Kadam adopted by the
Gelug, also known as the Yellow Hat Sect – which is one of the
four main sects of Buddhism. The Kadam Radreng Monastery was
established by Atisha’s disciple Dromtonpa 17 years after
Atisha’s death. Atisha’s lay disciple, Dromtonpa. was
eventually reincarnated as the first Dali Lama.
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