Lama Atisha
Dipamkara
(982–1054)
“I prostrate to the Bodhisattva Youthful Manjushri.
Having prostrated most respectfully to all the
Triumphant of the three times,
To their Dharma and to the Sangha community,
I shall light a lamp for the path to enlightenment,
Having been urged by my excellent disciple, Jangchub-wo.
Since (practitioners) come to have small, intermediate, and supreme (scopes),
They are known as the three types of spiritual persons.
I shall therefore write about these specific divisions,
Clarifying their defining features.”
From Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by Jowo Je Atisha As translated in: Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by Dipamkara Shrijnana Atisha. Translated by Alex Berzin. PDF available from The Berzin Archives.