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Remembering an Indian Buddhist master who helped reform religion in Tibet
International desk
06 Jun 2022, 15:28
Photo: Collected
The Indian Nalanda Buddhist masters had made a huge contribution to spreading the doctrine of Buddhism to the Far East countries.
Atisha Dipaikara, who was born as a royal prince to the Gaur family of Vikramanipur city in Bengal in the year 980 AD which was then under the Pala Empire of Ancient India, was the second among three of siblings of King Kalyan Shri and Queen Prabhavati and was given the name Chandragarbha, Tibet Press reported.
The accounts of Atisha Dipankara’s life are found in Tibetan texts–biographies, doctrinal works, catalogues and hymns written in praise.
On his path to spirituality, Atish studied under many great masters like Jetari, Guru Avadhuti, Sri Rakshita from whom he received his monk ordination and was given the name Dipankarasrijnana.
The eminent spiritual Acharyas like Bodhidharma in China, Dhyanabhadra in Korea and Atisha Dipaikara in Tibet, are well-known saint philosophers who through their scholastic work have earned enormous recognition and became the figure of veneration down to the present in these countries.
Further, in order to enhance the highest quality of knowledge and practice on Bodhichitta, Atisha travelled to Suvarnadvipa, presently known as Sumatra in Indonesia and studied under a sublime teacher named Dharmakirti who in Tibetan is known as Lama Serling pa.
After studying for 12 long years in Suvarnadvuipa, when Atisha returned back to India he was appointed as the Abbot of Vikramashila monastery, Tibet Press reported.
Through his skills in debate and philosophy, Atisha rose to a figure of prominence not only in India but his fame reached upto the land of snow i.e Tibet where Lha Lama Yeshe Od and his nephew Jangchup Od took great hardships in inviting him to Tibet.
Subsequently, on his path to spirituality, Atish studied under many great masters like Jetari, Guru Avadhuti, Sri Rakshita etc. from whom he received his monk ordination and was given the name Dipankarasrijnana.
Atisha was invited by Lha Lama Yeshe Od at the time when the state of Buddhism in Tibet was in a destitute condition as the 42nd Tibetan king Lang-dharma suppressed Buddhism under the influence of Bon religious protagonists.
Buddhism in Tibet was nearly declined and the Buddha’s teachings were diluted by many misinterpretations.
Upon his arrival in 1042, Atisha was given a warm welcome by Changchub Od and his people. During his stay in Tibet, Atisha emphasized on the revival of pure Mahayana doctrine by dispelling many misconceptions that continued earlier.
Atisha and his disciples made corrections and revisions to the Tibetan translations of the Buddhist texts, thus, clarifying many confusing points. He also expounded several works on the principles and cult of the general and esoteric branches of Buddhism.
Atisha Dipankara stayed in Tibet for 17 years and his noble deeds are gratefully remembered by all his disciples. Tibetan history credits Atisha Dipankara as the reformer of Buddhism and laying its foundation in pure form in Tibet, according to Tibet Press.
Source: ANI
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The deceased person was confirmed by Lithuanian police to be a Spanish national and a member of the flight crew, although not one of the pilots.
The other occupants of the plane — a German, a Lithuanian, and another Spaniard — were reportedly injured, but their condition remained unclear.
What did DHL say?
"We can confirm that today, at approximately 4:30 am CET [0330 GMT], a Swiftair aircraft, operated by a service partner on behalf of DHL, performed an emergency landing about one kilometer from VNO Airport [Vilnius, Lithuania] while en route from LEJ Airport [Leipzig, Germany] to VNO Airport," the German company said.
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German investigators also said they were "in close contact with the involved parties at home and abroad to clarify the issue as soon as possible."
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What do we know so far about the DHL crash?
The plane, operated by Swiftair, had originated in the German city of Leipzig, which is a hub for DHL.
"It fell a few kilometers before the airport, it just skidded for a few hundred meters, and its debris somewhat caught a residential house," Renatas Pozela, the head of the Lithuanian rescue service said.
"Residential infrastructure around the house was on fire, and the house was slightly damaged, but we managed to evacuate people," he added.
Twelve residents were evacuated from the building, according to officials.
Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas said the plane missed the house "by chance" and crashed into the courtyard.
The cause of the crash is still unknown, and terrorism is not being ruled out
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, but Lithuania's police chief Arunas Paulauskas did not rule out terrorism as a motive.
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According to data from rescue services, emergency crews were alerted about the crash at 5:28 a.m. local time (0328 GMT).
"City services are currently onsite, along with a fire truck and a command team from Vilnius Airport," the Lithuanian airport authority posted on X.
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Moscow has denied the accusations.
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Footage on national broadcaster NHK showed flames and smoke rising from the site on the southern Japanese island.
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The statement said that the Bangladesh government notes with deep concern that a Hindu organization from Kolkata called Bangiya Hindu Jagaran Manch held a violent protest outside the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata on Thursday (November 28) afternoon. The protesters broke through the police barricade and reached the premises of the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission. They set fire to the national flag of Bangladesh and burnt the effigy of the Chief Advisor of the Bangladesh government. Although the situation seems to be under control at present, there is insecurity among all the members of the Deputy High Commission.
It said that the Bangladesh government strongly condemns the heinous act of desecrating the national flag and burning the effigy of the Chief Advisor. Along with this, the statement called on the Government of India to take necessary measures to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.
It also said that the Bangladesh government condemns any kind of violent act. At the same time, the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh in Kolkata and other diplomatic missions of Bangladesh in India have urged the Indian government to ensure the safety of diplomatic and non-diplomatic staff.
JN Roy said that minorities are being persecuted in Bangladesh, so he has urged other hospitals to adopt the same approach.
He also said that India has made an important contribution to the independence war of Bangladesh. However, we are seeing increasing anti-India sentiment in Bangladesh. We hope that other hospitals will also take the same steps.
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