The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (菩提道燈論)

About 菩提道燈論

Source text translated by 法尊

1,644 · about 5 min

The *Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment* is an essential treatise composed in the eleventh century by the Indian Buddhist master Atiśa at the invitation of the Tibetan prince of Ngari. Completed during the early period of the later dissemination of Buddhism in Tibet, it aims to clarify the confused views and practices of the Dharma at that time, offering practitioners a clear and sequential path to buddhahood. The treatise systematically expounds a complete framework for study and practice, from the initial generation of bodhicitta to the attainment of buddhahood. It emphasizes the threefold scheme of the paths: the path of the lesser scope, focused on securing favorable rebirths within saṃsāra; the path of the intermediate scope, aimed at liberation from cyclic existence; and the path of the great scope, which involves generating bodhicitta, practicing the conduct of a bodhisattva, and ultimately achieving the fruit of buddhahood. This work serves as the foundation for the teachings of the Kadam tradition and the later Gelug school, exerting a profound influence on Tibetan Buddhism. Regarded as an indispensable guide for practitioners, it is honored as a compendium of the Dharma.