Atisa and Tibet: Life and Works of Dipamkara Srijnana (alias Atisa) in relation to the History and Religion of Tibet with Tibetan Sources

The book opens with a full account of the baffling personality of the great Bengali Pandit Atisa or Dipamkara Srijnana, the greatest of the teacher reformers of Tibetan Buddhism. The author proceeds to portray the Tibetan background of early Buddhism and gives an account of the early history of Tibet and Indo-Tibetan connections, together with a study of Buddhism in Tibet from the seventh century onwards right down to the time of Atisa in the eleventh century A.D.

The book is provided with an extremely valuable and illuminating set of Appendices sufficiently important to be worth describing in some detail. Appendix A contains Tibetan source materials relating to the life and teaching of Atisa in English translation. Appendix B lists the works (219 in all) in Kanjur and Tanjur of which Dipamkara is either author, translator, reviser or otherwise. Appendix C gives the literal and annotated translation of the following works of dipamkara preserved in Tibetan translation in the Tanjur: Garyagiti, Caryagiti-Vrtti, Vimala-ratna-lekha, Bodhi-patha-pradipa. Appendix D gives The Tibetan sexagenary cycle with tables of conversion of the Christian Calendar to the Tibetan Calendar and vice versa.

About the Author

MRS. ALKA CHATTOPADHYAYA (b. 1926) took her M.A. from Calcutta University and started teaching in the colleges of Calcutta. In 1968, she was awarded a PhD by Calcutta University. In 1973, she became the Principal of the Vidyasagar College for Women, Calcutta.

Author's Preface
Transliteration, Notes and References

1. Dipamkara in the Religious History of India and Tibet
2. Misunderstanding Dipamkara and His Message
3. The Sources
4. The Name
5. How many Dipamkaras?
6. Birth and Lineage
7. Early Career
8. Tantrika Initiation
9. Buddhist Ordination
10. Suvarnadvipa and Dharmakirti
11. Back to India: Peace Mission
12. Indian Monasteries
13. Vikramasila vihara
14. Odantapuri and Somapuri
15. Dipamkara at Vikramasila

16. How the Tibetans Tell their own History
17. Tibetans and their First King
18. Early Legendary Kings
19. Bon Religion
20. Mysterious Helper
21. Sron-btsan-sgam-po
22. Thon-mi Sambhota
23. Khri-sron-Ide-btsan
24. The Ministerial Intrigues
25. Santaraksita, Padmasambhava and Kamalasila
26. Ral-pa-can
27. gLari Dar-ma

Atisa in Tibet

28. The Subsequent Propagation of the Doctrine
29. The pious king Ye-ses-od
30. Tibet on the eve of inviting Atisa
31. Jayasila and Viryasimha
32. Journey to Tibet
33. "Thirteen Years" in Tibet

Appendix A
Bibliographical Materials: Tibetan Sources rendered into English

1. Introductory Note
2. 'Brom-ston-pa's stotra to Dipamkara
3. Extracts from dPag-bsam-ljon-bzan of Sum-pa
4. Extracts from Taranatha
5. The General History and Philosophy of the bKa'-gdams-pa sect by Chos-kyi-ni-ma
6. A New Biography of Atisa compiled in Tibetan from Tibetan Sources by Nagwang Nima and edited by Lama Chimpa

Appendix B
The Works of Dipamkara

1. Introductory Note
2. Works in the bsTan-'gyur of which Dipamkara is both author and translator
3. Works in the bsTan-'gyur of which Dipamkara is the author only
4. Works in the bsTan-'gyur of which Dipamkara is the translator only
5. Works in the bsTan-'gyur connected in other ways with Dipamkara
6. Works in the bsTan-gyur, though with some variation in the name of the author or translator, are to be attributed to the same Dipamkara
7. Works in the bKa'-'gyur of which Dipamkara is the translator or reviser.

Appendix C
Selected writings of Dipamkara

1. Introductory Note
2. Carya-giti
3. Carya-giti-vrtti
4. Dipamkara-Srijnana-dharma-gitika
5. Vimala-ratna-lekha
6. Bodhi-patha-pradipa
7. Sayings of Atisa: A
8. Sayings of Atisa: B
9. Sanskrit restoration of the Bodhi-patha-pradipa by Mrinalkanti Gangopadhyaya
10. Photostat reproduction of the manuscript containing the Sayings of Atisa

Appendix D
On the Tibetan Sexagenary Cycle. In Collaboration with R.N. Bhattacharya.

Bibliography and Abbreviations
Index