Kelsang Pagpa

The vows to abandon two hundred and fifty-three downfalls, undertaken by a fully ordained monk, are amongst the Pratimoksha vows. Atisha never broke any one of these. This shows that he possessed very strong mindfulness and very great conscientiousness.

As Nagarjuna explained, attaining enlightenment is simply a matter of progressing step by step through the common paths, then the paths of generation stage and then the paths of completion stage, from which we can proceed directly to our final destination of Buddhahood.

With a human mind, we can understand the existence of past and future lives. This understanding leads us to think beyond the preoccupations of this short life and to consider our welfare in future lives.

We can understand the relationship between our mind and its external objects. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

There are three types of higher moral discipline: the higher moral discipline of the Pratimoksha vows, or vows of individual liberation; the higher moral discipline of the Bodhisattva vow; and the higher moral discipline of the Tantric vows.

The very subtle wind is our own body, or continuously residing body; and the very subtle mind is our own mind, or continuously residing mind. The union of these two is called the ‘indestructible wind and mind’. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

We can also use our human life to attain complete liberation from suffering; or we can use it to attain full enlightenment, or Buddhahood, for the sake of all living beings.

In his Dharma teachings, Buddha advises us not to seek happiness outside ourself but to establish it within our mind. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Generally, there are three ways in which we can use our precious human life to realize its potential. We can use it to ensure that in future lives we will be born as a human being with all the conditions necessary for a happy and meaningful life.

The essence of Dharma practice is to reduce and eventually to completely eradicate our delusions, and to replace them with peaceful, virtuous states of mind. This is the main purpose of training in meditation. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Atisha also gained all the realizations of the three higher trainings. Since all the stages of Sutra and all the stages of Tantra are included within the three higher trainings, Atisha therefore gained all the realizations of the stages of the path.

By relying upon Buddha’s teachings, we can use our human life to gradually reduce and eventually eradicate altogether our delusions and all the pain and suffering to which they give rise.

Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. If we first establish peace within our minds by training in spiritual paths, outer peace will come naturally; but if we do not, world peace will never be achieved, no matter how many people campaign for it. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Buddha gave eighty-four thousand different instructions to cure these inner diseases, and, unlike other living beings, human beings have the opportunity to receive these instructions and put them into practice.

By practicing Buddha’s teachings, we protect ourself from suffering and problems. All the problems we experience during daily life originate in ignorance, and the method for eliminating ignorance is to practice Dharma. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

By relying upon his Spiritual Guides, Atisha gained special knowledge of the three sets of Buddha’s teachings – the set of moral discipline, the set of discourses and the set of wisdom; and of the four classes of Tantra.

‘Dharma’ means ‘protection’. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

The founder of the Kadampa tradition is the great Buddhist Master and scholar, Atisha. Atisha was born in AD 982 as a prince in East Bengal, India.

We should know that at present we have reached the human world for just a brief moment from our former lives, and we have the opportunity to attain the supreme happiness of enlightenment through practicing Dharma. This is our extraordinary good fortune. ~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

With our human life we can attain the supreme permanent peace of mind, known as ‘nirvana’, and enlightenment by putting Dharma into practice. Since these attainments are non-deceptive and ultimate states of happiness they are the real meaning of human life.