How can we attain enlightenment most quickly--- Venerable Atisha

Atisha, the greatest Pandita in India in the 11th century AD, was invited to Tibet and, after twelve years of hard work, established the lineage of the Kadam school.

Atisha, a prince of East Bengal, appeared to him in a dream when he was a young man, advising him not to be entangled by worldly thorny temptations, because he had been a monk with full ordination in the past 552 lifetimes and was a learned Pandita, and it was his mission to save sentient beings from the sea of samsara. Recognizing the necessity of renewing his karmic mission, Atisha became a monk. He tirelessly sought out famous teachers to study. Later, under the guidance of Tantric Guru Rahula, he became a learned and accomplished Dharma teacher.

One day, Atisha himself doubted: "Which path leads directly to enlightenment, which is the fastest?" "How can I reach the other side of Nirvana?" Because he doubted that if he followed the Mahayana Bodhisattva path, he would have to save others in immeasurable eons in order to achieve nirvana silence. So is it still possible for him to attain enlightenment? The young scholar sighed: "Do I have to be reincarnated endlessly? ”

At that moment, the psychic Guru Rahula summoned and informed Atisha that all forms of self-care do not contribute to complete enlightenment, and that illusions, spiritual powers, concentration in meditation, learning, debating skills, and even the experience of nirvana are ultimately useless. If you can diligently cultivate bodhicitta, it will be better to develop great compassion and compassion of the same body. Guru Rahula then predicted that his disciples, like the Great Pessimistic Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, would eventually attain the highest attainment of self-interest and altruism. "Forget your own interests and care more about the well-being of others." Rahula admonished, "Regard others as more important than yourself." Attachment to the self is the source of dissatisfaction and pain, conquering the selfish two-faced troll! A single self is just another fantasy. "Therefore, who can escape samsara and reach nirvana? If you foolishly avoid samsara and chase nirvana, it will be very difficult to attain absolute liberation. It is best to transcend this dualistic concept and realize that there is no difference, so that all affairs can be perfected. Silence and happiness are always available, don't ignore it. ”

One day a short time later, Atisha was walking around the great stupa in Bodh Gaya, the sacred place of Buddha's enlightenment, when two solemn and beautiful young women stood by the lotus pond on the south side of the stupa. One of them asked the other, "What is the best way to practice to achieve full enlightenment?" Another replied: "Selfless bodhicitta is the road to Buddhahood." How can a person turn around and abandon others? The next day, Atisha went around the stupa and the Bodhi tree next to the pagoda, under which Shakyamuni Buddha had meditated. Atisha heard an old and ugly beggar tell an elderly leper: "Equal compassion and bodhicitta are the best way to transcend the sea of suffering and attain complete enlightenment." She explained: "Put yourself in the shoes of others and give up selfish ideas. ”

Atisha thought to himself, "Everyone here, from the most noble to the most humble, seems to know the best way to become enlightened, which is in line with what my guru said, why am I hesitating alone?" The next day, Atisha slowly circled the temple with a rosary in his hand, and he saw a small bird perched on the lap of the statue of Avalokiteshvara, which was carved into the stone niches on all sides of the pagoda. He heard the Buddha statue say to the bird, "Giving up oneself and loving one's bodhicitta is the best way to achieve complete enlightenment." Prioritize others, give glory to others and bear the losses. At this moment, incredibly, Atisha himself found that all his doubts had vanished.