Today is the parinirvana anniversary of the great master Atisha Dipaṃkara Shrijnana (982–1054) the eleventh-century Indian Buddhist scholar and master from Bengal. Affectionately known as Jowo Je to Tibetans, he came to Tibet at the invitation of the king of western Tibet, Lha Lama Yeshe Wo, and his nephew, Jangchub Wo. His arrival initiated the period of the second transmission of Buddhism to Tibet, a formative time for the Sakya, Kagyu, and Gelug traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Atisha's most celebrated text, Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment, became the source of the lamrim tradition, or graduated stages of the path to enlightenment. There are many folk stories and local oral traditions associated with Atisha’s visit to Tibet. One of the most well-known stories is the kidnapping of Yeshe Wo. Yeshe Wo was abducted by an ardently anti-Buddhist Qarlug Mongol ruler while collecting gold to invite Atisha from India. The Mongolian demanded a ransom of all the wealth intended to be off...