Atisha, the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist scholar and saint, came to Tibet at the invitation of the king of Western Tibet, Lha Lama Yeshe Wo, and his nephew Jangchub Wo. His coming initiated the period of the "second transmission" of Buddhism to Tibet, the revival which followed the persecution of Buddhism by the Tibetan king Langdarma in the ninth century, formative for the Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Atisha's most celebrated text, entitled Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, was written for the Tibetan people at the request of Jangchub Wo. It sets forth the entire Buddhist path within the framework of three levels of motivation on the part of the practitioner, represented by the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana paths. Atisha's text thus became the source of the lamrim tradition, or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment, an approach to spiritual practice incorporated within all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Geshe Sonam Rinchen's lucid and engaging commentary draws out Atisha's meaning for today's practitioners with warmth and wit, bringing the light of this age-old wisdom into the modern world.

Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, Geshe Sonam Rinchen, Snow Lion Publications, $18.95

Atisha Dipamkara Shrijnana (982-1055 CE) was a renowned Buddhist scholar and teacher at the monastic university, Vikramashila, in India. He was born in a royal family in Bengal. He was invited to Tibet in 1043 (1042?) by the Kings Yeshe O (ye she 'od) and Jang Chub O (byang chub 'od), where he founded the Kadampa school and wrote his most influential work, The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhipathapradipa), which teaches the gradual path to enlightenment. He introduced the cult of Tara, who was his tutelary deity (yidam), in Tibet. He is also known by the name of Jowo Je. His main disciple was Drom Tonpa ('drom ston pa). Another chief disciple was the translator Ngog Legpa Sherab (sngog legs pa'i shes rab). He died at Nyethang (nye thang).

Geshe Sonam Rinchen was born in Tibet in 1933. He studied at Sera Je Monastery and in 1980 received the Lharampa Geshe degree. He is currently resident scholar at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives in Dharamsala, India, where he teaches Buddhist philosophy and practice.

Ruth Sonam was raised in Ireland and graduated from Oxford University with an M.A. in Modern Languages. She began studying with Geshe Sonam Rinchen in 1978 and has worked as his interpreter since 1983. They have published Yogic Deeds of Bodhisattvas, a translation of Gyel-tsap's commentary on Aryadeva's Four Hundred Stanzas, and The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, a commentary on mind-training.

CONTENTS: Atisha's Lamp for the Path of Enlightenment
Introduction		7
Prologue		23
1.	The Three Perspectives	27
2.	Arousing and Nurturing the Aspiration	57
3.	The Vow	75
4.	Higher Perception	89
5.	Reality and Wisdom	107
6.	The Vajra Vehicle	129
The Seven-part Practice, from The King of Prayers		149
Root Text [English]		151
Root Text [Tibetan]		161
Notes		181
Source Readings		217