Bodhicittabhāvanā (Mañjuśrīmitra)/Full text
The Bodhicittabhāvanā, compiled in 8th century CE India and written in Sanskrit, is a foundational Dzogchen meditative treatise authored by Mañjuśrīmitra. Also known as Cultivation of Bodhicitta, Meditation on the Awakened Mind, or Gold Refined from Ore, this root text focuses on the realization of ultimate bodhicitta through nonconceptual awareness. The work was transmitted through the Indian Mahāsiddha Tradition and Mañjuśrīmitra's Dzogchen lineage, with attributed transmission to Garab Dorje and Sri Singha, eventually becoming central to the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. Its practice emphasis centers on ultimate bodhicitta realization, nondual awareness (rigpa), direct introduction to the nature of mind, spontaneous presence and emptiness, and transcendence beyond conceptual fabrication. Philosophically grounded in Mahāyāna Buddhism, Dzogchen (Great Perfection), Tathāgatagarbha doctrine, the Two Truths framework, and the nonduality of clarity and emptiness, the text relates closely to Garab Dorje's Dzogchen teachings, the Seventeen Tantras of Dzogchen, Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra (as its relative bodhicitta counterpart), Sūtra Mahāyāna teachings on bodhicitta, and the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti. Notable commentators who have interpreted this profound teaching include Longchen Rabjam (Longchenpa), Mipham Rinpoche, Namkhai Norbu, Tulku Thondup, and Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso. (Adapted from Source Feb 9 2026)
| Reference | Mañjuśrīmitra ('jam dpal bshes gnyen). bodhicittabhāvanā [बोधिचित्तभावना]. byang chub kyi sems bsgom pa [བྱང་ཆུབ་ཀྱི་སེམས་བསྒོམ་པ།]. [The Cultivation of Bodhicitta (84000)]. Tengyur, RKTST 1417 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=1417&typ=2. |
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| People | Mañjuśrīmitra |
