Discover Bodhicitta
The Buddhist path of wisdom and compassion is often presented through the single concept of bodhicitta. What is bodhicitta and why should we learn about it? Discover the basics of bodhicitta, considered to be the highest virtue in Buddhism.
Explore
The understanding and practice of bodhicitta depends on the knowledge of the stories, key concepts, texts, and people associated with it. Explore these various aspects to gain a better understanding of bodhicitta, the desire to seek the ultimate happiness for all sentient beings.
Study
Delve deeper into the study of bodhicitta and its associated theory, practice, and traditions by reading the core texts, the most popular of which is The Way of the Bodhisattva by Śāntideva, one of the greatest promoters of bodhicitta.
Practice
What use is a powerful medicine if one does not take it to cure the illness? say Buddhist masters. Learn how to put bodhicitta into practice in order to bring the highest good – perfect enlightenment – to all sentient beings.
Shantideva
Śāntideva is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring monk-authors in the history of Buddhism. A philosopher-poet in the ranks of Dante, Rumi, and William Blake, his writings on the cultivation of compassion and wisdom capture the highest human spirit and have influenced millions through the centuries. Śāntideva's most important work, The Way of the Bodhisattva, is a world classic and is read as part of the core curriculum in many Indo-Tibetan Buddhist traditions.
Why Shantideva
Within the broad range of Buddhist thought dealing with the mind, Śāntideva belongs to the Mahāyāna tradition, which teaches wisdom and compassion as the primary path to freedom and the ultimate happiness. He is perhaps the most influential author of Mahāyāna altruism to persuasively argue for the deliverance of all sentient beings from the cycle of existence with an unconditional, impartial, and urgent sense of compassion based on logical reasoning.
His Life & Works
We have very sparse information on the life and works of Śāntideva. The common accounts claim Śāntideva to have mostly remained as a meditator, even when he was at the famous scholarly center of Nalanda. However, verses 105 and 106 of the fifth chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva mention two other works Śāntideva composed: The Compendium of Training and The Compendium of Sūtras.
