Friday, July 10, 2009

Opening Verse

I've set this blog up to serve as a discussion group for Atisha's text, The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment. Every couple of days I will post a verse from Atisha's text. Discussion will take place in the comments on the post. Tonight I'll start with the first verse of the text:

I pay homage with great respect

To the Conquerors [Buddha] of the three times [the past, present and future]

To their teaching and to those who aspire to virtue.

Urged by the good disciple Jangchup Wo

I shall illuminate the lamp

For the path to enlightenment


8 comments:

  1. The first three verses pay homage to the Three Jewels, the Buddha (second line), Dharma, and Sangha (third line). The next three verses are the promise to complete the text. This is the traditional way to start a shastra.

    Here is a biography of Atisha.

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  2. It might be nice to say which of the many translations you are using.

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  3. I found this page with a Sanskrit, Tibetan, Chinese and English.
    How cool is that?

    http://www.beita.org/tibet/html/hzdzfx//200902/11-318.html

    for some reason it won't let me post other than as anonymous.
    Mike

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  4. This is the translation I have as well. So glad you decided to start this as I have been meaning to read Lamp for the Path for a while now.

    Andy

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  5. This is very touching, and certainly I venerate all Buddhas of the past, present and future who will illuminate our lives with the boundless wisdom of Dharma.

    Gassho.

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  6. What is a shastra, exactly? I understand the word as meaning "commentary".

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  7. A shastra is a treatise on some subject annd not ncessarily a commentary. The Sanksrit for commentary would be bhasyam.

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