SOAS, University of London (The School of Oriental and African Studies)

Atisha revisited: Jo bo rje's travels in Tibet according to his early biographies

Atiśa Dīpaṃkarashrījñāna (982-1054), known as Jo bo rje in Tibetan, is one of the crucial figures in the revival of Buddhism in the 11th century. The scholar from Bengal was invited by the kings of Western Tibet, reached Tibet in 1042 and spent the last 12 years of his life there. Tibetan historiography protraits him as a profound scholar and charismatic teacher who guided the Tibetans back on the path of authentic Indian Buddhism. In particular, the revival of a strict monastic tradition in central Tibet is seen as a result of his activities.

The case is not as simple as later sources make us believe, and a thorough reading of his early biographies gives a much more nuanced picture of Atisha’s stay in Tibet. They speak about adventurous travel, religious rivalry and struggle for patronage, cultural misunderstandings and language problems. Moreover, together with Atiśa’s short collected works (the Jo bo’i chos chung), these biographies give us some insight into the relationship between Mahayana and Vajrayana in Atiśa’s tradition. Thus, the early souces give a much more rounded picture of the Indian scholar than the later standard biographies do.

This paper will introduce the most important sources for the life of Atiśa and attempt to re-evaluate Atiśa’s significance for Tibetan Buddhism in the light of these sources.