Becoming Bodhisattvas

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Becoming Bodhisattvas: A Guidebook for Compassionate Action
Book
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Description

The Way of the Bodhisattva has long been treasured as an indispensable guide to enlightened living, offering a window into the greatest potential within us all. Written in the eighth century by the scholar and saint Shantideva, it presents a comprehensive view of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition’s highest ideal—to commit oneself to the life of a bodhisattva warrior, a person who is wholeheartedly dedicated to the freedom and common good of all beings. And it has inspired many of the tradition’s greatest teachers, providing a remarkable source of insight on the means by which we may heal ourselves and our troubled world. These essential teachings present the core of the Buddhist path, from cultivating deep-seated confidence to infusing one’s life with selflessness, joyfulness, kindness, and compassion. Pema Chödrön here invites you to journey more deeply into this liberating way of life, presenting Shantideva’s text verse-by-verse and offering both illuminating stories and practical exercises to enrich the text and bring its timeless teachings to life in our world today. (Source: Shambhala Publications)
Citation
Chödrön, Pema. Becoming Bodhisattvas: A Guidebook for Compassionate Action. Edited by Helen Berliner. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications, 2018.
Table of contents
  • People Like Us Can Make a Differenceix
  • Developing a Clear Intention1
  • Preparing the Ground25
  • Transcending Hesitation53
  • Using Our Intelligence75
  • Taming the Mind103
  • The Three Disciplines129
  • Working with Anger159
  • Specific Situations for Practicing Patience189
  • Enthusiasm225
  • Heartbreak with Samsara269
  • Dissolving the Barriers303
  • Dedication341
  • Acknowledgments363
  • Appendix: Study Guidelines365
  • Glossary367
  • Bibliography371
  • Index375
Interconnections
1 Full translation of
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Classical WorksAbout this item
An "Introduction to Bodhisattva Practice," the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is a poem about the path of a bodhisattva, in ten chapters, written by the Indian Buddhist Śāntideva (fl. c. 685–763). One of the masterpieces of world literature, it is a core text of Mahāyāna Buddhism and continues to be taught, studied, and commented upon in many languages and by many traditions around the world. The main subject of the text is bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the path and practices of the bodhisattva, the six perfections (pāramitās). The text forms the basis of many contemporary discussions of Buddhist ethics and philosophy.
2 Other editions
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Books2007About this item
Chödrön reveals the traditional Buddhist teachings of the Bodhicharyavatara, describing the steps we can take to cultivate courage, caring, and joy.
No Time to Lose (Chödrön 2005)-front.jpg
Books2005About this item
In No Time to Lose Chödrön reveals the traditional Buddhist teachings that guide her own life: those of The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara), a text written by the eighth-century sage Shantideva. This treasured Buddhist work is remarkably relevant for our times, describing the steps we can take to cultivate courage, caring, and joy—the key to healing ourselves and our troubled world. Chödrön offers us a highly practical and engaging commentary on this essential text, explaining how its profound teachings can be applied to our daily lives. Full of illuminating stories and practical exercises, this fresh and accessible guide shows us that the path of the bodhisattva is open to each and every one of us. Pema Chödrön urges us to embark on this transformative path today, writing, "There is no time to lose—but not to worry, we can do it." (Source: Shambhala Publications)
1 Teaching based on
Shantideva high res brighter cropped.jpg
Classical WorksAbout this item
An "Introduction to Bodhisattva Practice," the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is a poem about the path of a bodhisattva, in ten chapters, written by the Indian Buddhist Śāntideva (fl. c. 685–763). One of the masterpieces of world literature, it is a core text of Mahāyāna Buddhism and continues to be taught, studied, and commented upon in many languages and by many traditions around the world. The main subject of the text is bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration for enlightenment, and the path and practices of the bodhisattva, the six perfections (pāramitās). The text forms the basis of many contemporary discussions of Buddhist ethics and philosophy.