Seventeen Nalanda Masters
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Seventeen Nalanda Masters [aka. the "Seventeen Great Paṇḍitas of Nālandā" (ནཱ་ལེནྡྲའི་པཎ་ཆེན་བཅུ་བདུན་)]. Seventeen Indian panditas who were associated with Nalanda monastery, and whose writings had a great influence on Tibetan Buddhism.
This group of seventeen panditas was presented by the 14th Dalai Lama and expands upon the more traditional list used in Tibet of the Six Ornaments and Two Supreme Ones.[1]
The 14th Dalai Lama "has often said that Tibetan Buddhism is none other than the Buddhism of India in the tradition of Nalanda, the great center of Buddhist learning that was located in present-day Bihar, India."[1]
- Many of the greatest masters and scholars in Indian Buddhism resided-and often presided-at this monastic center of learning which in its heyday included thousands of monks, dozens of temples and an enormous library. While we do not know with certainty that all of the seventeen masters below physically stayed at Nalanda, there is no doubt that their teachings and impact became fully integrated into the teachings and presentations of Buddhist thought there.[1]
The seventeen masters are:
- Nagarjuna
- Aryadeva
- Buddhapalita
- Bhavaviveka
- Chandrakirti
- Shantideva
- Shantarakshita
- Kamalashila
- Asanga
- Vasubandhu
- Dignaga
- Dharmakirti
- Arya Vimuktisena
- Haribhadra
- Gunaprabha
- Shakyaprabha
- Atisha
The 14th Dalai Lama writes:
- ... these great masters of India, the land of the noble ones, ... composed treatises that opened the eyes of intelligence of numerous discerning individuals. These writings survive without degeneration to this day long – now approaching 2,550 years [following the Buddhist passing] – still serving as treatises for study, critical reflection, and meditation. Therefore, remembering the kindness of these learning masters, I aspire with unwavering devotion to follow in their footsteps.[2]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Seventeen Nalanda Masters, Shambhala Publications
- ↑ The Dalai Lama, 2009, p. 160
Sources
- The Dalai Lama, The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2009, pp. 153-161
