Lama Atisha (982 - 1054) was born a prince in Bengal, in eastern India. He became the most learned scholar at Nalanda Monastery in India, which was the greatest university of Buddhist philosophy of all time.
At that time in Tibet, there was much confusion about the practice of sutra and tantra. The King of Tibet, Yeshe Od, wanted to invite Lama Atisha to teach in Tibet so that the understanding of the Buddhadharma (the teachings of the Buddha) would become pure again.
Unfortunately Yeshe Od was captured by the irreligious King Garlok. Rather than using his money to pay his own ransom, King Yeshe Od sent a messenger to India to request Lama Atisha to come to Tibet. As a result, Yeshe Od died in prison.
Lama Atisha was very moved by the king’s aspiration for his people and the sacrifice that he had made. Out of great compassion for the Tibetan people Atisha travelled from India to Tibet, arriving in 1042 to pass on an unbroken lineage of the Buddha’s teachings to the Tibetan people.
While he was in Tibet, Lama Atisha wrote the renowned Buddhist text, “Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”. This text was important because for the first time all of Lord Buddha’s teachings were integrated and systematised into a single path of practice.
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