Lam Rim (Tib: lam "path", rim "stages") is the presentation of Buddhas doctrine of Tibetan Buddhism based on extensions of Atisha's root text A Lamp for the Path. The Tibetan language is spoken primarily by the Tibetan people who live across a wide area of eastern Central Asia bordering South Asia, as well as by large number of Tibetan refugees all over the world. ... Media:Example. ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ... Atiśa Dipamkara Shrijnana (Bangla: অতীশ দীপঙ্কর শ্রীজ্ঞান) (982 - 1054 CE) was a Buddhist teacher who reintroduced Buddhism into Tibet after King Langdharma had nearly destroyed it. ...

History

When Atisha was invited and came to Tibet he was asked by Changchup Od to give a complete and easily accessible summary of the doctrine in order to clarify wrong views - especially the apparent contradictions found across the Sutras and their commentaries. Based upon this request Atisha (whose presentation of the doctrine became later known as the Kadampa tradition) taught what came to be known as the Lam Rim for the Tibetans. Later he was honored very much for this by the Pandits of his original monastery Vikramalashila, in India. This article is about historical/cultural Tibet. ... Sūtra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (Pāli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ... The Kadampa (Bka-gdams-pa) Tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. ...

The Kadampa monk and student of Milarepa, Gampopa, introduced the Lam Rim to his disciples as a way of developing the mind gradually. Gampopa's work on Lam Rim is known as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings and is studied to this day in the various Kagyu schools of Tibetan Buddhism founded by his disciples. Jetsun Milarepa (Wylie: Rje-btsun Mi-la-ras-pa), 1052-1135 (approx) was one of one of Tibets most famous yogis and poets, a student of Marpa Lotsawa, and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu (Bka-brgyud) school of Tibetan Buddhism. ... Gampopa or Dakpo Rinpoche (1016-1053) was the formost student of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Milarepa. ... Gampopa or Dakpo Rinpoche (1016-1053) was the formost student of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Milarepa. ... The Kagyu (Tibetan: བཀའ་བརྒྱུད་; Wylie: Bka-brgyud) school, also known as the Oral Lineage and the Spotless Practice Lineage school, is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the other three being Nyingma (Rnying-ma), Sakya (Sa-skya), and Gelug (Dge-lugs). ...

As Tsongkhapa's Gelug school is derived from and mainly based upon the Kadampa school, it comes to no surprise that Tsongkhapa wrote one of his masterpieces on Lam Rim: The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path of Enlightenment (Tib. Lam Rim Chen Mo) which has about 1000 pages, and is primarily based on literary sources. There is also a medium Lam Rim text by Tsongkhapa (200 pages) and a short one, called Lam Rim Dudon (Tib.), which is often recited daily by Gelugpas and is about 10 pages long. The Gelug School Je Tsongkhapa, whose name means The Man from Onion Valley, also known as Je Rinpoche and by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa, is recorded as the founder of the Gelugpa school in Tibetan Buddhism. ... The Geluk (dge lugs) School was founded by Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), Tibets best known religious reformer and arguably its greatest philosopher. ... The Kadampa (Bka-gdams-pa) Tradition was a Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist school. ...

Philosophy

The foundational criteria of the Lam Rim is the tripartite division of practitioners, based upon the motivation of their religious activity. (Note that this division is distinct from the Triyana). Yāna (Sanskrit and Pāli) refers to a mode or method of spiritual practice in Buddhism, and in particular to divisions of various schools of Buddhism according to their type of practice. ...

Excluded from this division were individuals whose motives revolve around material benefits within this life.

Three kinds of person

Atisha wrote in "Lamp of the Path" (verse 2) that one should understand that there are three kind of persons:

• 1. Persons of low motive
• 2. Persons of medium motive
• 3. Persons of high motive

Persons of low motive are searching with all means for happiness within Samsara; their motive is to achieve high rebirth, typically in a heaven. Buddhists traditionally considered this domain included followers of most non-Buddhist religions. The Wheel of Life as portrayed within Buddhism, showing the cycle of Samsara, or reincarnation. ...

Persons of medium motive are searching for their own peace and abandon worldly pleasure. This includes the paths of the PratyekaBuddhas and SravakaBuddhas, the traditional goal of Hinayana practice (personal liberation). Hinayana (Sanskrit: inferior vehicle; Chinese:小乘, Xiǎoshèng; Japanese: Shōjō) is a term coined by the Mahayana, which appeared publicly around the 1st century CE. There are differing views on the use and meaning of the term, both among scholars and within Buddhism. ...

Persons of high motive seek (based on their insight of their own suffering) by all means to stop the suffering of all beings. This is the Mahayana paths of the SamyakSamBuddhas. Relief image of the bodhisattva Kuan Yin from Mt. ...

Mind and nature

Although the Lam Rim texts cover the same subject areas, the subjects are arranged in different ways.

The Lam Rim of Atisha starts with Bodhicitta, the altruistic mind, followed by taking the Bodhisattva vows, whereas Gampopa's lam Lam Rim starts with the Buddha nature, followed by the Precious Human Life and Tsongkhapas texts start with reliance to a master, followed by the Precious Human Life, and continues with the paths of the low, medium and high scopes. In Buddhist thought, bodhicitta (Ch. ...

Gampopa and Tsongkhapa expounded the short root-text of Atisha into an extensive system to understand the entire Buddhist philosophy. In this way, subjects like karma, rebirth, Buddhist cosmology, the practice of meditation, up to and including tantra are gradually explained in logical order. Gampopa or Dakpo Rinpoche (1016-1053) was the formost student of the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Milarepa. ... The Gelug School Je Tsongkhapa, whose name means The Man from Onion Valley, also known as Je Rinpoche and by his ordained name Lobsang Drakpa, is recorded as the founder of the Gelugpa school in Tibetan Buddhism. ... For other uses, see Karma (disambiguation). ... Rebirth may refer the following spiritual/religious concepts: Reincarnation Buddhist Rebirth The experience of being born again in Christianity Rebirth may also refer to: Rebirth, an album by Pain Rebirth, an album by Jennifer Lopez Rebirth, an album by Gackt Rebirth, an album by Angra ReBirth RB-338, software synthesizer... For other senses of this word, see Meditation (disambiguation). ... The Sri Yantra This article is an overview of Tantra and an in-depth look at the Tantra of Hinduism. ...

The Lam Rim teachings are in essence very similar to the Lamdre (lam 'bras) teachings of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Sakya is one of four major schools (Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu and Gelug) in Tibetan Buddhism (Vajrayana). ... Tibetan Buddhism is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, the Himalayan region (including northern Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Ladakh), Mongolia, Buryatia, Tuva and Kalmykia (Russia), and northeastern China (Manchuria: Heilongjiang, Jilin). ...

External links

• A Lamp For The Enlightenment Path by Atisha
• Advice from Atisha by Atisha
• Ven. Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron's page with the Lamrim Outline
• LamRim Radio
• LamRim TV
• Lam Rim Centres

Available Classical Lamrim Books

• The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path of Enlightenment, Vol. 1-3 by Tsong-Kha-Pa, Snow Lion Publications
• Atisha's Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by Geshe Sonam Rinchen, Snow Lion Publications
• The Jewel Ornament of Liberation: The Wish-Fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings by Gampopa, Snow Lion Publications
• Liberation in the Palm of your Hand, Je Phabonkhapa, Wisdom Publications

Available Modern Lamrim Books & Commentaries

• Practicing the Path: A Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo, Yangtse Rinpoche, Wisdom Publications, ISBN 0-86171-346-X
• Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Volume 1: A Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo, The Foundational Practices, by Geshe Lhundub Sopa, Wisdom Publications, ISBN 0-86171-303-6
• Steps on the Path to Enlightenment, Vol.2: Karma : A Commentary on the Lamrim Chenmo by Geshe Lhundub Sopa, Wisdom Publications, ISBN 0-86171-481-4