Lamrim as a genre of Tibetan Buddhist literature

The article considers a specific category of Tibetan Buddhist literature called lamrim or ‘stages of the path’. Taking as an example two representative texts the author contends that lamrim is actually an authentic literary genre with distinctive characteristics. Generally recognized prototype of the genre is «The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment» by Jowo Atisha, an Indian philosopher responsible for reforming Buddhism in Tibet in 11 th century. The genre reaches its peak in the 14-15 th centuries when classic «The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment: The Lamrim Chenmo» was composed by Je Tsongkhapa. We find out that the genre has Indian origins, and its predecessors are actually Indian Buddhist texts; the development of the genre continues till mid-20 th century mainly in the form of commentaries on «Lamrim Chenmo», many of which can be considered the most outstanding representatives of the genre.