LIFE OF JE ATISHA: A Mind-Only Yogācāra Madhyamaka Proponent who engaged in yogic conduct (tul-zhug): 17th Gyalwang Karmapa (Day 1, 2025 continued))

“Avadhūtīpa the elder (chenpo) was from the Yogācāra Madhyamaka school. This seems to be the reason why Atisha upheld the views of the Yogacara Madhyamaka view. Once there were some Tibetan lamas who asked Atisha,  the reasons why he holds the Yogacara Madhyamaka view? In response, Atisha said: “I asked exactly the same question to my guru, Avadhūtīpa who responded:

 “It is through this Dharma that I was able to see and realise the nature and ultimate view. So for that reason, you should also uphold this view.”

…Yet, these days, there is a tradition in Tibet of saying that almost all the Indian panditas were Consequentialist Middle Way (Prasangika Madhyamaka), right?” –17th Karmapa, Life-story of Je Atisha (2023)

Introduction

Continuing on with the 17^th Gyalwang Karmapa’s teaching this week on Je Atisha. The Day One 2025 teaching got cut off online as the Karmapa started explaining about Atisha’s earlier gurus when he was a secret mantra yogi practitioner (before he became a monk), such as the Indian mahasiddha, Shantīpa.

So, before writing about Day Two, I have created a video clip (from the prior 2023 Atisha teaching the 17th Karmapa) in which the 17th Karmapa explains how Atisha followed the Mind-Only view/Yogācarā Madhyamaka, as espoused by Shantīpa and his other Indian Mahasiddha gurus. Yet, as the 17th Karmapa remarked himself, in Tibet, there seems to have developed a tradition of saying almost all the Indian mahasiddhas followed Prasangika Madhyamaka (Consequentialist Middle Way).

The 17th Karmapa explains that three of Atisha’s main earlier gurus were:

• Rāhula-gupta who also gave Atisha his secret name Jñānavajra
• Avadhūtīpa a proponent of Mind-Only/Yogācāra view
• Shantīpa, also a Mind-Only/Yogācāra

The 17th Karmapa gave several teachings on the Mind-Only view (in 2022) and how it was not treated correctly or well by Tibetans, see video clip here.

Excerpt from Atisha Life-Story teaching (2023)

“Secret Mantra studies and practice with accomplished Indian yogic siddhas, Rahula-Gupta and Atisha’s secret name Jñānavajra

“Now, I would like to talk about how he practised secret mantra. In the beginning, before he had studied the Sutras, he studied a lot of secret mantras. When he was young he primarily studied tantric teachings.

When he was 22 years old, he went to Midnight-Blue Khandro mountain temple and while he was there was a guru called Rahula Gupta[4]. This was not a general type of teacher, but a lama who had visions of Hevajra and prophecies from the dakinis. Atisha took all the empowerments on Hevajra from him and was given the secret name of Jñāṇavajra (Yeshe Dorje).

There was another yogi of Yamantaka named Kamalarakshita who was really powerful, he was able to transform alcohol into milk and he could spread out his mat and float across the Ganges river. So, these were the kinds of powers this guru had.  Atisha also did a lot of his secret mantra studies with him.”

Madhyamaka Studies with Indian siddha, Avadhūtīpa and his Mind-Only views

“Another important guru Atisha studied with when he was young was Avadhūtīpa. There are two, an elder and a younger. The one I am thinking of here is the elder/greater. Some people say that Atisha spent seven years with him, some say he spent twelve years. So, there are differing accounts. However, Nyagtso Lotsawa says that Atisha spent nine years studying with him. He mainly studied the Madhyamaka (Middle Way) view with him.

Avadhūtīpa Chenpo was from the Yogācāra Madhyamaka school. This seems to be the reason why Atisha upheld the views of the Yogacara Middle Way view. Once there were some Tibetan lamas who asked Atisha,  the reasons why he holds the Yogacara Middle Way view? In response, Atisha said: “I asked exactly the same question to my guru, Avadhūtīpa who responded:

“It is through this Dharma that I was able to see and realise the nature and ultimate view. So for that reason, you should also uphold this view.”

So, Atisha was an upholder of the Madhyamaka, and in particular the Autonomous Yogacāra Madhyamaka. Atisha spent many years following this guru. Yet, these days, in Tibet we say that almost all the Indian panditas were Consequentialist Middle Way (Prasangika Madhyamaka).

Studies of Madhyamaka with Indian siddha, Shantīpa

“However, if you think about Atisha’s life, there is another really important guru called Shantipa ( Śāntipa).  He was one of the great paṇḍitas of Nalanda and he was the one who guarded the eastern gate. He was a very well-known Mind-Only scholar, famous for his Mind-Only views. So, Atisha studied Dharma from him.

One time, Shantipa was teaching the 8000 verse Prajñāparāmita Sutra to him and Shantipa made negations of all of the Madhyamaka expositions. So, he would say: “the Madhyamaka says this, and this is not right.” He refuted each of the Madhyamaka expositions. Because of these refutations, instead of making Atisha doubt the Madhyamaka view, it made him have a much stronger understanding of it. His refutations of Madhyamaka were very beneficial for Atisha because it clarified exactly what the Madhyamaka view was.  Even though Atisha held the Mind-Only/Yogācāra Madhyamaka view, it is said that he also had a strong interest in the Consequentialist Madhyamaka of Chandrakirti’s tradition. So the older lamas tell us.”

For full report/transcript of the Day One 2023 teaching, which is the same in content as the Day One 2025 teaching, see here.