Tibetan Buddhism

Lore & Background

The most important founding figure of the Kadam tradition is Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna (982–1054), a Bengali Indian Buddhist master who was known as a great teacher at Vikramaśīla and traveled to Tibet in 1037 on the invitation of a princeling named Jangchub O. Atiśa's poem, the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhipathapradīpa; Tib. Byang chub lam sgron) was an influential text which laid out the stages of the path to Buddhahood. He also helped translate some texts into Tibetan, taught Buddhism and wrote on Vajrayana practice. Atiśa's main teaching focus was on presenting a comprehensive Buddhist Mahayana system, and his numerous works explain basic topics such as bodhicitta, the six perfections, the two truths, dependent origination, karma, and Madhyamaka philosophy. Over time he drew several students around him, including the influential Dromtönpa Gyelwé Jungné, who convinced Atiśa to stay in Tibet indefinitely. This Buddhist circle was part of the 'later diffusion' of Buddhism in Tibet. The tradition became known as Kadampa over time. The name means those who teach the Buddhist scriptures (bka) through personal instructions (gdams).

Reader's Guide

After the death of Atiśa in 1054, his main disciple Dromtön was the main leader of the Kadam tradition. He founded Radreng Monastery in 1056. Another important student was Ngog Legpai Sherab, he founded Sangpu Neutog in 1071. According to Sam Van Schaik, 'both monasteries followed Atiśa's principle of combining tantric meditation practice with a firm adherence to the monastic code and with rigorous scholarship.' Dromtön's three main students were Po to ba Rin chen gsal (Potowa), Spyan mnga' ba Tshul khrims 'bar (Chen Ngawa), and Bu chung ba Gzhon nu rgyal mtshan (Bu chungwa). From these three come the main teaching lineages of Kadam: (1) the authoritative treatises (gzhung) lineage, (2) the essential instruction (gdams ngag) lineage, and (3) the oral instruction (man ngag) lineage, respectively. These 'three brothers' as they became known, traveled Central Tibet teaching and promoting the Kadampa order. During the 11th and 12th centuries especially, the monastery at Sangpu became the dominant Kadampa institution, known for its scholarship. According to Van Schaik, 'Sangpu became the centre of the renaissance in Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism.' It maintained a curriculum which covered Prajñāpāramita, pramāṇa, vinaya and abhidharma. Another influential Kadam monastery for Buddhist scholarship was Narthang Monastery, which was established in 1153 by Tumtön Lodrö Drak (ca. 1106–66). Due to influence and prominence of other Tibetan Buddhist schools like Sakya, Gelug and Kagyu, the Kadampa ceased to exist as an independent tradition by the end of the 16th century and their monasteries and lineages were absorbed into the other schools.

Did You Know?

• Atiśa traveled to Tibet in 1037 on the invitation of a princeling named Jangchub O.
• The name 'Kadampa' means 'those who teach the Buddhist scriptures (bka) through personal instructions (gdams).'
• Dromtön's three main students—Potowa, Chen Ngawa, and Buchungwa—were known as the 'three brothers.'
• Sangpu Neutog monastery, founded in 1071, became 'the centre of the renaissance in Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism' according to Sam Van Schaik.
• The Kadampa ceased to exist as an independent tradition by the end of the 16th century.

The Bengali Master and the Birth of a Tradition

Atiśa Dīpankara Śrījñāna (982–1054) arrived in Tibet in 1037 at the invitation of a princeling named Jangchub O, having been renowned as a great teacher at the Vikramaśīla monastery in India. His presence marked what scholar Ronald M. Davidson calls 'the threshold moment in the efflorescence of Buddhism' and 'provided a stable foundation for monastic scholarship for the next thousand years.' Atiśa's central contribution was the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhipathapradīpa), a text that laid out the stages of the path to Buddhahood. His teaching emphasis was on presenting a comprehensive Mahayana system, covering bodhicitta, the six perfections, the two truths, dependent origination, karma, and Madhyamaka philosophy. He also wrote on Vajrayana practice and helped translate texts into Tibetan. His main disciple, Dromtönpa Gyelwé Jungné, persuaded Atiśa to remain in Tibet indefinitely, and the circle of students that gathered around them gradually became known as the Kadampa—literally 'those who teach the Buddhist scriptures through personal instructions.'

Monastic Foundations and the Scholastic Renaissance

After Atiśa's death in 1054, his principal disciple Dromtön assumed leadership and founded Radreng Monastery in 1056. Another key student, Ngog Legpai Sherab, founded Sangpu Neutog in 1071. Both institutions embodied Atiśa's principle: combining tantric meditation practice with a firm adherence to the monastic code and with rigorous scholarship. Dromtön's three principal students—Potowa, Chen Ngawa, and Buchungwa—became known as the 'three brothers' and traveled throughout Central Tibet spreading the Kadampa order, each carrying one of the tradition's three teaching lineages. By the 11th and 12th centuries, Sangpu emerged as the dominant Kadampa institution, which Sam Van Schaik identifies as 'the centre of the renaissance in Tibetan Buddhist scholasticism.' Its curriculum spanned Prajñāpāramita, pramāṇa, vinaya, and abhidharma. Narthang Monastery, founded in 1153 by Tumtön Lodrö Drak (ca. 1106–66), became another major scholastic hub. According to Thupten Jinpa, these two scholastic centers 'came to dominate the study of classical Indian Buddhist learning, especially in epistemology, abhidharma psychology and phenomenology, the scholastic inquiry into the perfection of wisdom literature, and the Middle Way philosophy of emptiness.'

The Three Lineages and Philosophical Depth

The Kadampa teaching structure was organized around three distinct lineages, each traced to one of Dromtön's principal students. The Authoritative Treatises lineage, associated with Potowa Rinchensél (1031–1106), centered on close study of six classic Indian texts: Asaṅga's Bodhisattvabhūmi, Maitreya-nātha's Mahāyāna-sūtrālamkāra-kārikā, Shantideva's Śikṣāsamuccaya and Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, Aryaśura's Jātakamālā, and the Udānavarga. These were complemented by Nagarjuna's Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, his Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness, and Atiśa's Entry into the Two Truths and An Instruction on the Middle Way. The Essential Instruction lineage, obtained by Chengawa Tsültrim Bar (1033–1103), emphasized Atiśa's essential instructions as the key basis for practice, including guides on the four truths, the two truths, and dependent origination. The Oral Instruction lineage, entrusted to Phu-chungwa Shönu Gyaltsen (1031–1106), focused on studying the teachings found in The Book of Kadam. Philosophically, Atiśa synthesized the Madhyamaka approaches of Bhāviveka and Candrakīrti, using Bhāviveka's Tarkajvālā and Madhyamakaratnapradīpa as an introduction before advancing students to Candrakīrti's Madhyamakāvatāra. Later Kadampa scholars at Sangpu, including Ngog Loden Sherab (1059–1109) and Chaba Chokyi Senge (1109–1169), extended this work into epistemology, defending a form of realism regarding conventional truth that distinguished them from the Yogacara-Madhyamaka position of Śāntarakṣita.

Dissolution and the Long Shadow of Kadampa

By the end of the 16th century, the Kadampa no longer existed as an independent tradition. The rise of other major Tibetan Buddhist traditions—Sakya, Gelug and Kagyu—meant that Kadampa monasteries, lineages and traditions were absorbed into all major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The most significant act of synthesis is credited to Tsongkapa, who in the 15th century is credited with synthesizing and folding Kadampa lineages into the Gelug school. Yet the disappearance of the Kadampa as a named institution did not erase its influence. Because its teachings had been distributed across multiple successor schools, Kadampa lineages remained strong long after the school disappeared. The lojong (mind training) and lamrim (stages of the path) frameworks, the Madhyamaka-epistemology curriculum, and the monastic model of combining tantric meditation practice with strict vinaya adherence and rigorous scholarship all persisted as foundational elements of Tibetan Buddhist education. The Kadampa's greatest legacy was not a surviving institution but a pervasive intellectual and spiritual architecture that shaped the entire Tibetan Buddhist landscape for centuries to come.