Today is the parinirvana anniversary of the great master Atiśa Dipaṃkara Śrījñāna (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 other traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Atiśa's most celebrated text, Jangchub Lamdron, “Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment”, serves as the foundation for the lamrim tradition, which outlines the graduated stages of the path to enlightenment taught across all Tibetan Buddhist traditions. There are many folk stories and local oral traditions associated with Atiśa’s visit to Tibet. One of the most well-known stories is the kidnapping of Lha Lama Yeshe Wo, who was abducted by an ardently anti-Buddhist Qarlug Mongol ruler while collecting gold to invi...