Alloy Statue of Atisa,Ming Dynasty figural statue,20 cm high

Atisa(982-1054),Buddhist master in ancient India,was the forefather of the bKav-gdam-pa Sect and the first person to spread Buddhism in the Later Period of Prosperity of Tibetan Buddhism.Atisa is a Sanskrit transliteration,meaning "Victorious",which was an honorific title conferred upon him by the Gu-ge royal family.After teaching vBrom-ston-pa all doctrines of Sutra and Tantra,Atisa passed away in gNes-thang at the age of 72 in September 1054.He wrote over twenty wrks,including Explanation of the Path to Enlightenment,The Lamp that Shows the Path to Enlightenment in the Esoteric Buddhism and others.