About the Buddhist University of Nālandā
Founded in ca. 435 c.e. by the Gupta Dynasty King, Kumarāgupta I, Nālandā University was dedicated to the educational enterprise of training the intellectual elites of first millenium India. Expanded by successive generations of kings, Nālandā held pride of place in India as her oldest, most prestigious University for close to 800 years.
Part of the strength of Nālandā’s course of studies was its ecumenical approach to knowledge. Although by design a Buddhist center for study and contemplation, Nālandā University served the greater educational needs of the kingdom by providing basic education in the subjects of grammar and poetics, logic and epistemology, medicine, the arts, and a wide-range of both religious and political philosophies.
Serving as a residential campus, at the height of its existence, Nālandā could boast a faculty and student body in excess of ten thousand. So great was its reputation that over the centuries of its existence, Nālandā attracted students from across the Indian sub-continent, down from the snowy ranges of Tibet, and even from as far away as China and the Śrī Vijaya Empire of Indonesia. The true source of its fame, however, was its faculty.
The Seventeen Paṇḍitas of Nālandā University
About the Seventeen Paṇḍitas of Nālandā
Over the course of its existence, from ca. 435 to 1202 c.e., the Buddhist University of Nālandā was home to some of the greatest luminaries of first millenium India. Built on the ruins of a seven hundred year old retreat center that had been destroyed by fire in 325 c.e., Nālandā traced its roots to the great Buddhist scholar-yogi Nāgārjuna, founder of the Madhyamaka School of philosophy, and his intellectual successors, continuing his legacy with the first abbot of Nālandā, the Mādhyamika scholar-yogi, Candrakīrti.
Of the hundreds of known scholars to have walked the grounds of Nālandā over the centuries, the subsequent Tibetan tradition has singled out seventeen scholars (“paṇḍitas”) of particular note. Exalting these individuals as “supreme sources of amazing and eloquent explanations, exceedingly fine scholars who are the ornaments of the world,” His Holiness the Dalai Lama composed a poem in praise of them, for it is no exaggeration to say that through their lives and writings they came to shape the very meaning of Buddhist philosophy and religious practice, both in India and Tibet.
“Supplication to the Seventeen Paṇḍitas of Nālandā,Clarifying the Three-fold Faith”
by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
1.
I pay homage to the Sun of propounders, the powerful Subduer [Śākyamuni],
Who guides wandering beings through instruction in dependent arising,
The god of the gods, who obtained the supreme abandonment, realization, and protection
That arises from the compassion aspiring to benefit wandering beings.
I pay homage to the Sun of propounders, the powerful Subduer [Śākyamuni],
Who guides wandering beings through instruction in dependent arising,
The god of the gods, who obtained the supreme abandonment, realization, and protection
That arises from the compassion aspiring to benefit wandering beings.
2.
I supplicate the esteemed Nāgārjuna, who, in accordance with
The prophecy of the Conqueror, introduced the Madhyamaka system, the supreme vehicle,
Who was skilled in clarifying the profound by means of reasoning into dependent arising —
The meaning of suchness, free of extremes, the intention of the Mother of Conquerors.
I supplicate the esteemed Nāgārjuna, who, in accordance with
The prophecy of the Conqueror, introduced the Madhyamaka system, the supreme vehicle,
Who was skilled in clarifying the profound by means of reasoning into dependent arising —
The meaning of suchness, free of extremes, the intention of the Mother of Conquerors.
3.
I supplicate the Conqueror’s son, Āryadeva,
Who traversed the ocean of Buddhist and others’ philosophical systems to the farthest shore,
The glorious crown jewel amongst all the holders of Nāgārjuna’s teachings,
Supremely learned and accomplished, his principle spiritual son.
I supplicate the Conqueror’s son, Āryadeva,
Who traversed the ocean of Buddhist and others’ philosophical systems to the farthest shore,
The glorious crown jewel amongst all the holders of Nāgārjuna’s teachings,
Supremely learned and accomplished, his principle spiritual son.
4.
I supplicate the esteemed Buddhapālita, who clarified
The ultimate meaning of dependent arising, the thought of Superiors,
The essential point of the profound, [existence as] mere designation and name,
And who ascended to the utmost state of accomplishment.
I supplicate the esteemed Buddhapālita, who clarified
The ultimate meaning of dependent arising, the thought of Superiors,
The essential point of the profound, [existence as] mere designation and name,
And who ascended to the utmost state of accomplishment.
5.
I supplicate the master Bhāvaviveka,
Who introduced a philosophical system
That refuted such extremes as truly existent production, and
Accepted the shared perception of valid cognitions and external objects.
I supplicate the master Bhāvaviveka,
Who introduced a philosophical system
That refuted such extremes as truly existent production, and
Accepted the shared perception of valid cognitions and external objects.
6.
I supplicate Candrakīrti, who promulgated
The complete path of the Sutras and Tantras, who was skilled in expounding
The profound and the vast Madhyamaka system, in which appearance and emptiness
Eliminate the two extremes through dependent arising and the merely conditional
[nature of things].
I supplicate Candrakīrti, who promulgated
The complete path of the Sutras and Tantras, who was skilled in expounding
The profound and the vast Madhyamaka system, in which appearance and emptiness
Eliminate the two extremes through dependent arising and the merely conditional
[nature of things].
7.
I supplicate the Conqueror’s son, Śāntideva,
Who was skilled in teaching the host of fortunate disciples
The amazing and marvelous path of great compassion
Through the many varied means and reasons of the vast and the profound.
I supplicate the Conqueror’s son, Śāntideva,
Who was skilled in teaching the host of fortunate disciples
The amazing and marvelous path of great compassion
Through the many varied means and reasons of the vast and the profound.
8.
I supplicate the great abbot Śāntarakṣita, who introduced the Madhyamaka,
The emptiness of duality, in accordance with the mental dispositions of disciples,
Was skilled in clarifying the reasonings of the Madhyamaka and Valid Cognition, and
Disseminated the teachings of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows.
I supplicate the great abbot Śāntarakṣita, who introduced the Madhyamaka,
The emptiness of duality, in accordance with the mental dispositions of disciples,
Was skilled in clarifying the reasonings of the Madhyamaka and Valid Cognition, and
Disseminated the teachings of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows.
9.
I supplicate the esteemed Padmaśīla [Kamalaśīla],
Who, having elucidated according to the Sutras and Tantras, the stages of meditation
In the union of calm abiding and special insight on the Madhyamaka view, free from extremes,
Flawlessly clarified the teachings of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows.
I supplicate the esteemed Padmaśīla [Kamalaśīla],
Who, having elucidated according to the Sutras and Tantras, the stages of meditation
In the union of calm abiding and special insight on the Madhyamaka view, free from extremes,
Flawlessly clarified the teachings of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows.
10.
I supplicate the esteemed Asaṅga, who was cared for by
Maitreya, who skilfully disseminated all the Mahāyāna
Sets of teachings, who revealed the vast path and, as prophesied,
Opened the way for the chariot of the Consciousness [Only] system.
I supplicate the esteemed Asaṅga, who was cared for by
Maitreya, who skilfully disseminated all the Mahāyāna
Sets of teachings, who revealed the vast path and, as prophesied,
Opened the way for the chariot of the Consciousness [Only] system.
11.
I supplicate the esteemed master Vasubandhu,
Who, having upheld the emptiness of duality in the Seven Treatises and Abhidharma,
Clarified the tenets of the Vaibhāṣikas, Sautrāntikas, and Vijñānavādins,
The supreme scholar, renowned as the Second Omniscient One.
I supplicate the esteemed master Vasubandhu,
Who, having upheld the emptiness of duality in the Seven Treatises and Abhidharma,
Clarified the tenets of the Vaibhāṣikas, Sautrāntikas, and Vijñānavādins,
The supreme scholar, renowned as the Second Omniscient One.
12.
I supplicate the esteemed Dignāga, the embodiment of Valid Cognition, who
Having opened a hundred doors of valid cognition for the sake of teaching
The scriptural systems of The Subduer through reasoning by the power of facts,
Bestowed [to all] the eye of discriminating awareness.
I supplicate the esteemed Dignāga, the embodiment of Valid Cognition, who
Having opened a hundred doors of valid cognition for the sake of teaching
The scriptural systems of The Subduer through reasoning by the power of facts,
Bestowed [to all] the eye of discriminating awareness.
13.
I supplicate the esteemed Dharmakīrti, who,
Having weighed all the critical points of Buddhist and others’ epistemologies,
Granted conviction in all the vast and profound paths of Sautrāntika and Cittamātra
Through the path of reasoning, and who was skilled in expounding the ways of
the marvelous Dharma.
I supplicate the esteemed Dharmakīrti, who,
Having weighed all the critical points of Buddhist and others’ epistemologies,
Granted conviction in all the vast and profound paths of Sautrāntika and Cittamātra
Through the path of reasoning, and who was skilled in expounding the ways of
the marvelous Dharma.
14.
I supplicate the esteemed Noble Vimuktasena,
Who lit the lamp illuminating the meaning of the Ornament [of Clear Realization] scripture
In accordance with the Madhyamaka system, free from the extremes of existence
and non-existence,
The meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom as it came from Asaṅga and his brother.
I supplicate the esteemed Noble Vimuktasena,
Who lit the lamp illuminating the meaning of the Ornament [of Clear Realization] scripture
In accordance with the Madhyamaka system, free from the extremes of existence
and non-existence,
The meaning of the Perfection of Wisdom as it came from Asaṅga and his brother.
15.
I supplicate the master Haribhadra, who
Clarified the “Three Mothers,” the supreme scriptures of the Perfection of Wisdom,
In accordance with the quintessential instructions of Maitreyanatha,
Fulfilling the prophecy of the Conqueror to reveal the meaning of the “Mother” [sutras].
I supplicate the master Haribhadra, who
Clarified the “Three Mothers,” the supreme scriptures of the Perfection of Wisdom,
In accordance with the quintessential instructions of Maitreyanatha,
Fulfilling the prophecy of the Conqueror to reveal the meaning of the “Mother” [sutras].
16.
I supplicate the esteemed Guṇaprabhā,
Having summarized well, the intention of a hundred thousand categories of Vinaya,
Being supreme in resolution and learning, unmistakenly explained
Individual liberation in accordance with the Mūlasarvāstivādin system.
I supplicate the esteemed Guṇaprabhā,
Having summarized well, the intention of a hundred thousand categories of Vinaya,
Being supreme in resolution and learning, unmistakenly explained
Individual liberation in accordance with the Mūlasarvāstivādin system.
17.
I supplicate the esteemed Śākyaprabhā,
Lord of the precious treasury of the good qualities of the three precepts,
The supreme holder of the Vinaya, who elucidated the meaning of the vast scriptures,
For the sake of extending the longevity of the stainless teachings on Vinaya.
I supplicate the esteemed Śākyaprabhā,
Lord of the precious treasury of the good qualities of the three precepts,
The supreme holder of the Vinaya, who elucidated the meaning of the vast scriptures,
For the sake of extending the longevity of the stainless teachings on Vinaya.
18.
I supplicate Jowo Atīśa,
The kind lord who spread the teachings of the Subduer in the Land of Snows,
Expounding — without exception — the tradition of the vast and profound
Speech of the Subduer as the path of the three types of beings.
I supplicate Jowo Atīśa,
The kind lord who spread the teachings of the Subduer in the Land of Snows,
Expounding — without exception — the tradition of the vast and profound
Speech of the Subduer as the path of the three types of beings.
19.
Through supplicating with an unflinchingly pure mind, in this way,
These supreme sources of amazing and eloquent explanations,
Exceedingly fine scholars, who are the ornaments of the world,
May I be blessed to ripen this continuum [of mind and body] and be liberated.
Through supplicating with an unflinchingly pure mind, in this way,
These supreme sources of amazing and eloquent explanations,
Exceedingly fine scholars, who are the ornaments of the world,
May I be blessed to ripen this continuum [of mind and body] and be liberated.
20.
Ascertaining through the Four [Noble] Truths just how one engages in and turns away
from Saṃsāra, and
Stabilizing faith in the Three Refuges guided by valid cognition,
By understanding the meaning of the Two Truths, the manner in which things
fundamentally abide,
May I be blessed to establish the root of the path to liberation.
Ascertaining through the Four [Noble] Truths just how one engages in and turns away
from Saṃsāra, and
Stabilizing faith in the Three Refuges guided by valid cognition,
By understanding the meaning of the Two Truths, the manner in which things
fundamentally abide,
May I be blessed to establish the root of the path to liberation.
21.
Endowed with the root of boundless compassion
That aspires to protect wandering beings, together with a mind of renunciation
That seeks the goal of liberation, which is the utter pacification of suffering and its causes,
May I be blessed to purify an uncontrived Mind of Enlightenment.
Endowed with the root of boundless compassion
That aspires to protect wandering beings, together with a mind of renunciation
That seeks the goal of liberation, which is the utter pacification of suffering and its causes,
May I be blessed to purify an uncontrived Mind of Enlightenment.
22.
May I be blessed to easily find conviction in
All these paths — the profound points of the system of the Perfections and
The Vajrayāna — through hearing, contemplating, and meditating,
On the meaning of the scriptures of these great Charioteers.
May I be blessed to easily find conviction in
All these paths — the profound points of the system of the Perfections and
The Vajrayāna — through hearing, contemplating, and meditating,
On the meaning of the scriptures of these great Charioteers.
23.
May I accomplish the objective, in accordance with
The great Charioteers — upholding and propagating
The teachings of scripture and realizations through explanation and practice — and
obtain the proper
Basis [a human life] that is endowed with the three precepts, lifetime after lifetime.
May I accomplish the objective, in accordance with
The great Charioteers — upholding and propagating
The teachings of scripture and realizations through explanation and practice — and
obtain the proper
Basis [a human life] that is endowed with the three precepts, lifetime after lifetime.
24.
May the great lands of this world be ever adorned
With ever multiplying holy scholar-adepts
Who utterly abandon wrong livelihood, passing their time with the activities of
Hearing, contemplating, explaining, and practicing in all religious communities.
May the great lands of this world be ever adorned
With ever multiplying holy scholar-adepts
Who utterly abandon wrong livelihood, passing their time with the activities of
Hearing, contemplating, explaining, and practicing in all religious communities.
25.
By such power may all the grounds and paths of the Sutras and Tantras be traversed, and
Having quickly attained the state of an Omniscient Conqueror,
Spontaneously fulfilling the two aims [of oneself and others],
For as long as space remains, may I work for the aims of wandering beings.
By such power may all the grounds and paths of the Sutras and Tantras be traversed, and
Having quickly attained the state of an Omniscient Conqueror,
Spontaneously fulfilling the two aims [of oneself and others],
For as long as space remains, may I work for the aims of wandering beings.
Courtesy AIBS