17/10/2021 TH Lay sangha gathering - virtual pilrimage to Bangaladesh

Event writeup by :
Lee Seew Lim (Sangha-jayanta)

Photographers :
Chuah Lean See
(Sangha Visuddhi)

Ng Paik Leng
(Sangha-sucariya)

Tan Yan Hwa
(Sangha Cittapagunna)

As great master Atisa Dipamkara have contributed enormously to Buddhism especially in Bangladesh and Tibet, I think it is good to know more about Him. As mentioned in the book titled ATISA Dipamkara the Illuminator of the Awakened Mind, he was born in 982 AD to King Kalyānasri & Queen Sriprabhavati. Atisa’s birth name was Chandragarbha. He was also known as Jñānaguhyarajra which is an esoteric initiatory name given to him by his teacher Rāhulaguptavajra who was a tantric yogin. At the age of 29, Atisa became ordained into the Mahāsāmghika Lineage at Mati-vihata in Bodh Gayā and received the ordination name as Dipamkarasrijñāna, a name in the lineage tradition of Devabuddhajñāna.

As keen investigation of the Dhamma (Dhammavicaya) is one of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment (Satta Bojjhanga) and is also one of the 37 Elements of Bodhisattva Practices, I think it will be very beneficial or even great blessing to know and learn more about other great masters and their teachings too which will bring great joys and blessings to those who treasured them.

After joining the Than Hsiang Lay Sangha Online Gong Xiu on 17th October 2021, it led me to go through again the notes of the 12 sessions of Dhamma Lecture conducted by our Honourable Shifu (Venerable Dr. Wei Wu) in Than Hsiang Temple from October to December 2003. The title of the 12 sessions Dhamma Lecture is Stages of the Buddha’s Path of which Session 2 mentioned many great masters such as NAGAJUNA; ASAHGA; ATISHA; LAMA TSONGKHAPA; THIRD DALAI LAMA; H.H. THE FOURTEEN DALAI LAMA and their respective TEACHINGS.

It was mentioned that one of the famous text written by Atisa Dipamkara is the Bodhipathapradipa of which based on it that the LAMRIM teaching was developed; I think it is good to study the LAMRIN CHEN MO (The Great Treatise on the stages of The Path to Enlightenment) compiled by great master TSONG-Kha-Pa (1357-1419) which Than Hsiang Temple had conducted this course before.

As for the 5 Buddhas mentioned in Ven. Dr. Gyanabodhi’s Dharma talk on 17th October 2021, I think it is good to learn more about the 5 Buddha families in order to gain more in-depth knowledge of these Buddhas and their dominant Bodhisattvas so as to create good affinity with them in our pursue of liberation and the Path to Enlightenment.