About 1000 years, Atisha Dipankar Srijnan has been revered as an exceptional religious personality in Tibet and other Asian countries. However, the famous saint-philosopher of the 10th-11th centuries was forgotten for generations in his birthplace of Bangladesh and throughout the Indian subcontinent until the end of the nineteenth century.

Dipankar Srijnan previous name was Chandragarbha, he was born into a royal family in 980 or 982 AD in the village Vajrayogini of Vikrampur Dhaka, Bangladesh. His father’s name was Kalyansri and mother’s name was Prabhavati.

Sarat Chandra Das, a Bengali scholar, found about this saint-philosopher from Tibetan Tanjur writings while researching ancient Bengal history. Credit goes to him for bringing to light a chapter of rich Tibetan history as well as the writings of Buddhist monks from Bengal, particularly Atish Dipankar. He was a monk and a well-known scholar in the Buddhist philosophical schools of his time. He, travelled extensively outside of India to study and practice Buddhist teachings. Atish Dipankar had the difficulty of discovering fresh ways to transmit Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings, which were already over 1500 years old, by creatively adapting and interpreting them for the people of his time and society.

Back to his early life, Prince Chandragarbha left his family and connections and received his early teachings from the renowned Tantric guru ‘Jetari’. Chandragarbha proved himself a brilliant disciple by quickly acquiring grammar, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism, as well as some Tantric learning. He mastered logic and philosophy and was able to overcome a well-known scholar of another religion in an open discussion using powerful arguments. Later, he studied Tantricism and meditational science with Rahul Gupta of Krishna Giri in South India, who inducted him into the esoteric system and gave Chandragarbha the name “Guhyajnanavajra,” which refers to hidden Tantric ceremonies. He was formally trained as a monk at the age of 19 by the instructions of ancient Magadha and Mahasanghika Acharya of India’s renowned Odantapuri Vihara. Dipankar Srijnan was given this name during his ordination ceremony. At the age of 30, Acharya Shilarakshita officially  gave him the Bodhisattva vows, as well as proper training in the metaphysical aspects of Buddhism. He also studied Tripitaka, Theravada, and Mahayana Buddhism, Tantrayana, as well as logic and philosophy. Knowledge was not segregated in ancient times, as it is today in the age of specialization. Dipankar, like Socrates, Aristotle, Plato, and Ibne Sina before him, pursued the entire knowledge and strived to master of its philosophical thoughts and also intense knowledge of astronomy, logic, philosophy, literature and grammar. At 31, he had acquired full mastery of three Pitakas. Yet his urge for further study of classical Buddhism continued. At the age of 32, in 1012 AD, he went for a sea expedition with a group of gem merchants to visit Suvaranadvipa, the most prominent center of Buddhist study at the time, which is now located in Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. Atish Dipankar arrived at Suvarnadvipa after a harrowing fourteen-month journey over the turbulent sea in a sail-driven wooden ship, where he studied Buddhism for 12 years under Guru Serilingpa Dharmakirti, Asia’s best scholar of the time. On his journey back from Suvarnadvipa, he stopped in Tamralipi, which is now Sri Lanka. At 44 Atish Dipankar returned to India and spend next 15 years in preaching Dhamma and he was given the title Dhammapala. He emerged in various Universities and Viharas across India for engraving his knowledge in studies and spreading Buddhism. He was associated with the following Universities and monasteries in Vajrasana, Somapuri, Nalanda, Odantapuri, Pandita and Vikramshila Mahaviharas. He was the Principal of the Vikramshila Viharas. Students from Nepal, Tibet, China came here to studies various subjects. When Atish Dipankar was the Maha Acharya of Vikramshila Mahavihara, the King of Tibet invited him to visit Tibet and revitalize Buddhism, which was in a state of ruin at the time. The Tibetan king of that time, Lhalama Yeshe Oe, he was dharma practitioner but later king Jangchub Oe pleaded Atish Dipankar for this journey to Tibet. He was in dilemma on this decision. Though his advanced age he decided to travel to Tibet. In Tibet he devoted his time for dissemination of the true Doctrine and built up the foundation of pure Mahayana Buddhism. However he could not return to return and after 17 years of preaching in Tibet he passed at the age of 73 in 1054 AD.

Some classified his works as 79 in the Tibetan Tanjur collection, while others counted them as 175 as author, translator, and revisor, demonstrating his multifaceted genius. His original Tibetan works are classified into four categories: Tantra, Prajnaparamita, Madhayamika, and Cometary. The Tibetans experienced a one-of-a-kind religious renaissance thanks to Atisha’s religious reformation and intellectual writings.

Atisha created the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment to clarify Buddhist teachings in Tibet.

Reference :

Various texts available in internet

Aticle written by Mr. Deba Priya Barua, Ex. Chief Ed. of Bangladesh National News Agency & Secretary General of ABCP Bangladesh National Center