Bodhicaryavatara
by Shantideva · बोधिचर्यावतार
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 700 CE
- Era
- Medieval
- Form
- Scripture
- Language
- Sanskrit
- Length
- Short · 150 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Bodhicaryavatara, translated by Kate Crosby and Andrew SkiltonOxford World's Classics, 2008A scholarly translation from the Sanskrit with an introduction to each chapter and to Mahayana thought.
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A poem in ten chapters by a monk of the university of Nalanda on the path of the bodhisattva, the one who vows to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings. It begins by praising the awakening mind, confesses faults and generates the resolve, then treats the perfections in turn, vigilance, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom. The chapter on patience argues against anger; the meditation chapter teaches the exchange of self and other; the ninth chapter is a compressed philosophical defence of the Madhyamaka doctrine of emptiness. It has been the most read text of Tibetan Buddhism for centuries.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Bodhicaryavatara are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
