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<div class="d-inline-block font-serif small-caps tsdwiki-border-b-whitefade line10 mb-4" style="font-size: 3.5rem;">Discover</div>
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|subtitle=Practice wisdom and compassion as a way of life
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|header=Who is Śāntideva?
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|text=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. His proverbial advice that "there is nothing whatsoever which does not become easy with practice" and the statement "there is no evil like anger and fortitude like tolerance" are regularly quoted within Buddhist circles.
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|text=The application of bodhicitta in practice is central to the Mahāyāna pursuit of full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. According to Mahāyāna masters, bodhicitta is a prerequisite for a practice or path to qualify as a Mahāyāna path leading to the state of a fully awakened buddha. Only when the practice is motivated or informed by bodhicitta (''byang chub sems kyi rtsis zin pa'') can it be considered as a bona fide part of the Mahāyāna path. Thus, the masters strongly recommend the cultivation of the altruistic thought of bodhicitta before beginning any project or activity. This is because, in the Buddhist system, the moral value of an action is determined by the quality of intention or the state of the mind.
 
Buddhist masters teach that mind can be in any of the three states:
#A virtuous state with positive thoughts and emotions, such as thirst for knowledge, devotion, compassion, love, etc.
#A nonvirtuous state with negative thoughts and emotions, such as arrogance, hatred, jealousy, etc.
#A neutral state with neither positive nor negative states of mind.  


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Furthermore, the virtuous mind can be of three types:
#An inferior mind wishing happiness and well-being in this mundane world.
#A middling mind wishing a higher state of lasting happiness, fulfillment, and freedom beyond the ordinary world.
#A superior mind wishing a higher state of lasting happiness for all sentient beings.


Śāntideva was a monk at Nalanda monastic university, a highly reputed international center of excellence in ancient India. He probably lived around the beginning of the eighth century and was likely born in North India, although we have no evidence or records from his time. Most of what we know about him comes from accounts of his life written long after his time by faithful followers. Thus, his life is shrouded in legend and nothing can be said with certainty. Like the Buddha, he is said to have been born as a prince in North India but to have renounced his kingdom to pursue a spiritual career through the guidance of his tutelary deity Mañjuśrī, the Buddha of Wisdom. Śāntideva is said to have reached a high level of erudition and spiritual enlightenment through Mañjuśrī's blessings, although, outwardly, he appeared as a lazy monk, indulging in eating, sleeping, and relieving himself, thus earning him the nickname Busuku.
This last superior mind is bodhicitta and the one recommended by the Mahāyāna masters before beginning any project or activity.


As the story goes, it was to mock his indolence and to shame him that his peers persuaded Śāntideva to give a public sermon. Śāntideva agreed and is said to have miraculously climbed on the unreasonably high throne they purposely set up to mock him. Śāntideva then asked the congregation whether they wanted an exposition of a text that already existed or something new. They asked for a new thing, resulting in Śāntideva's delivery of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', or ''The Way of the Bodhisattva''. Śāntideva is said to have levitated into the sky as he recited the verse "When existence and nonexistence do not remain before the mind, as there is no other aspect, the mind comes to rest without any grasping." He rose higher and higher until he disappeared, his voice still being heard. The disappearance into sky could be understood as an allegory for the highest experience of transcendence and emptiness of all conceptual thoughts in Śāntideva's philosophical system. But whatever the case may be of this origin story, ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' has since then come to be perhaps the most influential Buddhist work in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition on the cultivation of wisdom and compassion as one's way of life.
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Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, a twentieth-century teacher of bodhicitta, thus writes in ''The Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta'' (''Byang chub sems kyi bstod pa rin chen sgron ma''):
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|quote-text=Should one launch something, launch with bodhicitta.
Should one think of something, think of bodhicitta.
Should one analyze something, analyze with bodhicitta.
Should one examine something, examine with bodhicitta. (v. 98)<ref>''brtsam na byang chub sems las brtsam''// ''bsam na byang chub sems nyid bsam''// ''dpyad na byang chub sems su dpyad''// ''brtag na byang chub sems la brtag''//. Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, ''Byang chub sems kyi bstod pa rin chen sgron ma'' (Dharamsala: Dga' ldan pho brang, 2018), 29, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW8LS66303.</ref>
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Patrul Rinpoche, a paragon of bodhicitta practice in nineteenth-century Tibet, also proclaimed in his ''Aspiration to Generate Bodhicitta'' (''Bskal mang gong nas sogs''):
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|quote-text=If present, this alone is sufficient for reaching buddhahood.
If this is absent, one is handicapped in reaching buddhahood.
May I generate this pure thought of awakening,
The unmistaken seed of buddhahood. (v. 6)<ref>''yod na sangs rgyas sgrub la des chog cing''/ /''med na sangs rgyas sgrub la thabs chags pa''/ /''sangs rgyas 'grub pa'i sa bon ma nor ba''/ /''rnam dag byang chub sems mchog bskyed par shog''. See Patrul Rinpoche, ''Bskal mang gong nas sogs'', in Gsung 'bum o rgyan 'jigs med chos kyi dbang po (Chengdu: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), 8: 356, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW24829_B101CB.</ref>
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In the beginning, a practitioner must cultivate the mind (''cittotpāda'') of awakening through a concerted effort by taking the bodhisattva vow repeatedly, engaging in the various contemplative techniques, receiving teachings on bodhicitta and bodhisattva practices, and utilizing other methods. Gradually, one would become accustomed to thinking of bodhicitta, which would also become stronger and constant. When bodhicitta naturally arises without effort, a person is said to have formally become a bodhisattva. Thus, Jigme Lingpa said:
{{QuoteCite
|quote-text=It is more important to have the supreme mind naturally arise than to consciously cultivate it.<ref>Jigme Lingpa, ''Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod kyi rgya cher 'grel pa bden gnyis shing rta rgyu mtshan nyid kyi theg pa'i skor'', in Gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa (Gangtok, Sikkim: Sonam T. Kazi, 1970–75), 1: 246b, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW1KG10193_E90C9C.</ref>
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However, a beginner must make a contrived effort to generate bodhicitta, firstly by cultivating the aspiring bodhicitta and then by engaging in the practice of engaged bodhicitta. Śāntideva presents the distinction between the two in the following verses from his text ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' (''Bodhicaryāvatāra''):
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One must first have the thought to take all sentient beings to the state of the Buddha just as one must first have the thought to go to Bodh Gaya before one starts the journey. Having generated the strong motivation to take all sentient beings to buddhahood, one must then engage in the actual paths and practices which lead them to the goal. The bodhisattva road consists of a long and arduous practice of the six perfections: giving, discipline, patience, effort, meditation and wisdom. These six topics cover the entire range of practices a person must take up as a bodhisattva to reach buddhahood. They also include the practice of both relative bodhicitta, or the moral mental resolve to take all sentient beings to the state of full awakening, and ultimate bodhicitta, which is the deep understanding and experience of the ultimate nature of all things.


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|header=Buddhism as a Science of Mind and Art of Inner Transformation
|text=Buddhism is often dubbed as a science of the mind. It is typically seen as a way of life concerned with inner transformation through the cultivation of positive outlooks and values rather than being concerned with religious dogmas and rituals. The Buddha was a pragmatic teacher who taught the way to escape the cycle of existence ridden with dissatisfaction and suffering and how to achieve a state of awakening and eternal happiness. As happiness and suffering are essentially states of the mind, the Buddhist path is centered on the inner state of the mind or consciousness. It is aimed at clearly understanding the true nature of mind and seeking, through such insight, a full transformation of the individual, both morally and cognitively. Through the use of many techniques and methods, it strives to bring one from a distracted mind to a focused one, from agitated to calm, from malicious to loving, from dull to intelligent, and so forth.
Thus, Buddhism is considered to be an art of mind training. Taming and transforming the mind is seen as the essence of the Buddha's teachings. "There is no need for many regimes other than the regime of guarding the mind," says Śāntideva. Such a regime starts with the proper understanding of how the mind or the inner spirit works. What is the nature of consciousness? How do our feelings and emotions work? What informs our ordinary thoughts and emotions? "If one fails to understand the secret of the mind, one will hopelessly wander in existence, though one may wish for happiness and the end of suffering," claims Śāntideva.


Śāntideva's thoughts and enjoinments are set in such a Buddhist system of seeking total freedom from suffering and the cycle of existence by transforming the inner mind. He is a master ''par excellence'' in showing us how to look at the inner workings of our mind and its various trappings. From reining in a mad elephant-like mind and motivating the mind to fight like a warrior for the benefit of all beings to resting in the transcendent absorption beyond thoughts and words, Śāntideva presents a discourse of spiritual edification and enlightenment laden with moving exhortations, critical analyses, striking allegories, and earnest aspirations.
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|header=Wisdom and Compassion as a Way of Life
|text=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. In the Mahāyāna tradition, one's welfare is deeply intertwined with the welfare of all other beings, and there is the recognition that all beings equally wish for happiness and do not wish for suffering. Therefore, Śāntideva argues, "I must clear the suffering of all beings because they are suffering, like my own suffering. I must benefit all beings because they are sentient beings, like my own body."


The Mahāyāna path is often epitomized by ''bodhicitta'', or the thought of awakening—an earnest wish to take all sentient beings to the state of the Buddha, which is viewed as the state of genuine and lasting happiness and bliss. Heroic and altruistic beings who tread this path and seek to rescue the world from suffering are known as ''bodhisattvas''. Their actual practices, which lead them to enlightenment, are presented as a set of six perfections. These are the perfections of giving, discipline, tolerance, zeal, meditation, and wisdom. The cultivation of bodhicitta and the training of the bodhisattvas by practicing the six perfections form the central theme of Śāntideva's writings. He claims to have condensed in his works the teachings on the highest human ideals of bodhisattva altruism, teachings which are scattered across numerous Mahāyāna scriptures.
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At the heart of the Buddhist endeavor to understand and transform the mind and the Mahāyāna ethos to benefit all beings is ''prajña'', or the wisdom which sees through the beguilement of our ordinary existence and distinguishes the kernel of truth from the chaff of illusory transient appearance created by our thoughts. "All these branches of training are taught by the Sage for the sake of wisdom," Śāntideva proclaims, and such wisdom is concerned with discerning the interdependence of all things on a relative level and the ineffable nature of emptiness as the ultimate truth. It is in the exposition of wisdom that we see the critical and incisive philosopher in Śāntideva as he presents the way things are according to his Middle Way school. Śāntideva is not only an evocative spiritual poet but also a reductionist analytical thinker. "Just as there is no plantain plant if one breaks it down into parts, there is no real self if one thoroughly examines," he concludes. In his final ontology, Śāntideva rejects any instances of a real existence, nonexistence, both, or neither. Everything, including emptiness itself, is said to be utterly empty and nonapprehensible, akin to the bare, clear openness of space. Only when the mind is free from fixation on a thing, non-thing, or neither does it naturally rest in its true state of peace, free from the slightest tension, stress, and apprehension. Only then can one effectively cut through the habitual propensities for self-love, attachment, hatred, stupidity, jealousy, etc.
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Such a deep experience of emptiness and the illusory nature of things, according to Śāntideva, helps one not only face the ups and downs of life with the same level of ease and equanimity but also induces an intense surge of compassion for the beings who are drowning in the sea of suffering. It inspires one to work evermore to free other beings who are caught in the prison of ignorance, mistakenly holding illusory and empty things to be real. Just as compassion for other beings leads to developing the wisdom to see things as they really are, wisdom and insight into the true nature of things helps enhance the vigor of compassion for all beings. In this way, wisdom and compassion mutually strengthen each other.
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Thus, Śāntideva and his project of illuminating the bodhisattva path can be appreciated fully only by placing him in the context of the Mahāyāna ethos, which skillfully weaves together wisdom and compassion as an enlightened way of life.
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|text=Generating bodhicitta—the awakening mind—forms the foundation of the bodhisattva path. This transformative practice begins with recognizing the precious rarity of human existence and cultivating unwavering faith in enlightenment's possibility. Through developing immeasurable compassion for all suffering beings and finding guidance from an authentic spiritual teacher, practitioners prepare to undertake the profound bodhisattva vow. The formal ceremony involves purification through the seven-limb prayer, mind training through the four immeasurables, and the actual taking of vows to dedicate one's life to liberating all sentient beings from suffering.


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|text=<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-person-hiking fa-fw mx-1" style="--fa-primary-color: #8e3c40; --fa-secondary-color: #8e3c40;"></i> Start the Journey <i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-expand-wide ml-1 fa-sm align-baseline" style="--fa-primary-color: #8e3c40; --fa-secondary-color: #8e3c40;"></i>
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* [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Generating_Bodhicitta:_The_Bodhisattva_Vow|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Generating Bodhicitta: The Bodhisattva Vow]]
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** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Procedure_for_Taking_the_Vow|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Procedure for Taking the Vow]]
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*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Seven-Limb_Prayer|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Seven-Limb Prayer]]
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*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Actual_Taking_of_the_Bodhisattva_Vow|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Actual Taking of the Bodhisattva Vow]]
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*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Concluding_Procedures|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Concluding Procedures]]
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|text=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''. In the Derge edition of the Tibetan Tengyur collection, we find three works attributed to Śāntideva besides ''The Way of the Bodhisattva''. They are ''The Compendium of Training'', ''The Verses on the Compendium of Training'', and a short text entitled ''The Hundred Syllable Mantra Essence of the Buddhas for Protection and Purification of Sins''. The last two are short supplements to ''The Compendium of Training'', and we do not have any text entitled ''The Compendium of Sūtras'' by him. Thus, the two main works of Śāntideva available to us are ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' and ''The Compendium of Training''.
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|text=The ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'', or ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', is considered to be one of the most influential Buddhist classical writings. Combining highly inspirational exhortations and incisive philosophical arguments in an evocative poetic language, the book, it is safe to claim, has shaped the lives of millions throughout the centuries. "If studying ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' has not changed a person for the better, there is not much hope," goes a saying among Tibetan Buddhist readers of the book in order to illustrate the powerful impact it has on people's minds. "So simple an instruction which strikes the point, there is no other text like ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' in India or Tibet," goes another praise of the book, often attributed to Patrul Rinpoche, a nineteenth-century master who championed the promotion of ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' and its message. Due to its powerful and comprehensive presentation of the Mahāyāna path, it is perhaps the most widely read, studied, and commented upon text in the Tibetan tradition and one that is also used as a textbook for edification and as an instruction manual for contemplative practices.


''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' is a composition in verse made up of ten chapters and some 913 verses. It begins with a praise of bodhicitta, or the thought of awakening, in chapter 1. Chapters 2 and 3 contain the common Mahāyāna Buddhist practice of what is known as the seven-limb worship, which includes prostration, offering, confession, rejoicing, requesting to live long, requesting to teach Dharma, and dedication of merits, before it presents the actual ritual of taking the bodhisattva vow to save all sentient beings from suffering. Having taken the bodhisattva vow, chapter 4 deals with vigilance, and chapter 5 addresses the mindfulness and introspection needed in order to observe the precepts associated with Mahāyāna path. Chapters 2 and 3 are considered to cover the first perfection of giving, and chapters 4 and 5 are said to cover the second perfection of discipline, although these perfections are not explicitly mentioned. Chapter 6 explicitly deals with the perfection of patience, chapter 7 with diligence, chapter 8 with the perfection of meditation or concentration, and chapter 9 with the perfection of wisdom. In this way, ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' has the six perfections of the Mahāyāna system as its main content.
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|text=While ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' is an original work of Śāntideva in verse, albeit a digest of the bodhisattva ideal and ethics which are found dispersed in a wide range of Mahāyāna sūtras, ''The Compendium of Training'' is an anthology of excerpts from the Mahāyāna sūtras that discusses the bodhisattva path and principles in much greater length and detail. In ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', Śāntideva claims there is nothing he shall say that has not been said before and that he shall briefly describe the practice of the bodhisattvas according to the scriptures. ''The Compendium of Training'' provides exactly those scriptural sources which he succinctly summarizes. Citing important passages from many dozens of Mahāyāna sūtras, ''The Compendium of Training'' has 19 chapters and, like ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', treats the six perfections of the Mahāyāna path as its main topic, although not all six perfections are explicitly mentioned in the chapter headings. If ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' can be considered an original composition which is meant to be used as a core curricular treatise, ''The Compendium of Training'' is a crucial reference providing the scriptural basis for the exhortations and arguments in ''The Way of the Bodhisattva''. Śāntideva adeptly presents numerous important passages on bodhisattva ethics, thereby also exhibiting his expert knowledge of the scriptures.
|header=Protecting Bodhicitta - Training on the Path
|text=Once bodhicitta is generated and the practitioner takes the bodhisattva vow, this mind of awakening must be vigilantly protected through precise moral discipline. This commitment entails three interconnected practices: avoiding harmful actions that corrupt the awakened mind, actively cultivating virtue through the six perfections, and dedicating oneself completely to benefiting all beings. The bodhisattva navigates specific precepts—from fundamental prohibitions against deception and abandoning beings to detailed guidelines governing speech, conduct, and intention. When transgressions occur, immediate confession and remediation through powerful purification practices restore the practitioner's spiritual integrity, ensuring the precious bodhicitta remains luminous and effective in its compassionate mission.
 
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* [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Protecting_Bodhicitta:_The_Bodhisattva_Precepts|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Protecting Bodhicitta: The Bodhisattva Precepts]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Discipline_of_Abstaining_from_Misdeeds|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Discipline of Abstaining from Misdeeds]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Precepts_for_Aspiring_Bodhicitta|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Precepts for Aspiring Bodhicitta]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Precepts_for_Engaged_Bodhicitta|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Precepts for Engaged Bodhicitta]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Precepts_for_Both_Aspiring_and_Engaged_Bodhicitta|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Precepts for Both Aspiring and Engaged Bodhicitta]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Minor_Downfalls|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Minor Downfalls]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Making_Amends|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Making Amends]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Discipline_of_Gathering_Virtue|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Discipline of Gathering Virtue]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Discipline_of_Benefitting_Sentient_Beings|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Discipline of Benefitting Sentient Beings]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Gift_Giving|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Gift Giving]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Sweet_Words|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Sweet Words]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Purposeful_Practice|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Purposeful Practice]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Consistent_Engagement|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Consistent Engagement]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Four_Bodhisattva_Actions|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Four Bodhisattva Actions]]
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Yet, the main framework used for the exposition of ''The Compendium of Training'' includes the four actions of giving, protection, purification, and expansion of the three objects, including body, possessions, and virtues of the past, present, and future times. This is presented in  verse form in both the main text of ''The Compendium of Training'' and the summary as the crux of the matter to avoid any transgressions on the bodhisattva path:
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:The vows of a bodhisattva<br>Are taught in detail in the Mahāyāna sūtras.<br>Know these to be the essential points,<br>By which one can avoid transgressions.
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|text=Enhancing bodhicitta represents the crucial next phase in bodhisattva practice—transforming initial compassionate intention into unwavering spiritual power. This enhancement involves intensive practices that dissolve the artificial boundary between self and others. Through profound meditation techniques like ''tonglen'' (giving and taking), contemplating all beings as one's mother across countless lifetimes, and cultivating the four immeasurable thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, practitioners systematically dismantle self-centered thinking. The goal is radical: completely exchanging self-cherishing for other-cherishing, recognizing that genuine happiness emerges only through dedicating oneself entirely to alleviating universal suffering and nurturing the enlightenment of all sentient beings.


:One's body and possessions<br>And the virtues accrued in the three times,<br>Giving them to all sentient beings<br>Protecting, purifying, and expanding them.
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* [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Enhancing_Bodhicitta:_The_Bodhisattva_Practices|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Enhancing Bodhicitta: The Bodhisattva Practices]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Enhancing_Aspiring_Bodhicitta|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Enhancing Aspiring Bodhicitta]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Equality_between_Self_and_Others|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Equality between Self and Others]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Exchange_between_Self_and_Others|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Exchange between Self and Others]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Tonglen:_The_Practice_of_Exchange|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Tonglen: The Practice of Exchange]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Seven-Point_Instructions_of_Cause_and_Effect|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Seven-Point Instructions of Cause and Effect]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Four_Immeasurable_Thoughts|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Four Immeasurable Thoughts]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Compassion|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Compassion]]
** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#Enhancing_Engaged_Bodhicitta|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>Enhancing Engaged Bodhicitta]]
*** [[Practice/Bodhicitta_in_Practice#The_Practice_of_the_Six_Perfections|<i class="fa-sharp-duotone fa-solid fa-angle-right fa-xs align-baseline"></i>The Practice of the Six Perfections]]
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Though ''The Compendium of Training'' is mainly a collection of passages from the sūtras, it is still laden with Śāntideva's own inspirational words and advice, such as the following quotes:<br>
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"Take up any good project, but in everything know your limits."<br>
<h2 class="d-none">Living Traditions of Practice</h2>
"Beware of gain and veneration."<br>
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"Eschew arrogance at all times."<br>
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"A well-trained body becomes a beneficial wealth."<br>
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"Hold the welfare of sentient beings at all times."
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|text=Most scholars who have attempted to date Śāntideva estimate that he lived around the end of the seventh century and the middle of the eighth and place him in the middle period of the systematization of the Madhyamaka school of philosophy. The starting date is speculative and is based on the assumption that the Chinese monk travelers Xuanzang and Yijing, who were at Nalanda (Yijing left Nalanda in 685 CE), would have mentioned Śāntideva if he was well known by then. The end date, however, is more reliable, as Śāntarakṣita, who came to Tibet in 763 and died probably in 788 CE, quoted Śāntideva in his ''Attainment of Reality'' (Skt. ''Tattvasiddhi''). Also, around 800 CE, Śāntideva's two main works were translated into Tibetan. Thus, it is very likely that Śāntideva lived in the early part of the eighth century and that his works became well known in India by the middle of the eighth century.


While the exact dates for Śāntideva cannot be confirmed, it is quite clear that his writings became very popular among Buddhist circles in India in the subsequent centuries. This can be deduced from the many commentaries written on his works, mainly on ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', from the tenth century onwards. Later accounts claim a large number of commentaries written on Śāntideva's ''Way of the Bodhisattva'', but only ten such titles are preserved today in Tibetan translation. In addition, another anonymous commentary in Sanskrit was also found in Nepal. A few works related to his ''Compendium of Training'' were also composed from the tenth century and are available in Tibetan translation. From these, we can tell that both his works were available and perhaps widely read among Buddhist centers in India during the few centuries before Buddhism started to decline there.


We can also see the spread of Śāntideva's writings and the attention paid to them from the flurry of translations and revisions of translations taking place using Kashmiri or other recensions of his writings. Their prevalence in Nepal, which lay connected to the Indian Buddhist world and served as an avenue for the transmission of Buddhist ideas northward, is another indication. Some forty-one manuscripts associated with ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' alone were found in the Kathmandu Valley in a recent cataloging project, the earliest dated specimen being from 1180 CE. The only existing Sanskrit text of ''The Compendium of Training'' was also acquired from Nepal. From South Asia, Śāntideva's writings spread to China by the turn of the second millennium with ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' translated by Tiān Xīzāi 天息災 in 985 CE during the Northern Sòng dynasty, although the text did not gain much influence, most likely due to the difficult style of translation and the declining interests of Chinese Buddhists in new teachings from India. The translation of ''The Compendium of Training'' into Chinese was also completed between 1004 and 1058 CE, albeit with attribution to one Dharmayaśas.  
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|text=In nineteenth-century Tibet, the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' was largely confined to major monastic centers, known primarily to scholarly elites. Patrul Rinpoche Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo (དཔལ་སྤྲུལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཨོ་རྒྱན་འཇིགས་མེད་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་པོ། 1808–1887) transformed this reality, teaching Śāntideva's classic text over one hundred times throughout eastern Tibet and making it accessible to monastics and laypeople alike. So profound was his influence that contemporaries regarded him as an emanation of Śāntideva himself. Rather than composing a full commentary, Patrul created practical guides—including his ''Step-by-Step Practice Manual'' and distinctive "three opportunities" method—that emphasized direct application over scholarly analysis, with bodhicitta as the foundation of all practice. His revolutionary approach democratized access to these teachings, establishing networks of study centers and inspiring a remarkable lineage of disciples including Ju Mipham and Khenpo Kunpal, whose commentaries sparked important philosophical debates and preserved his oral tradition. Living with radical simplicity, carrying only the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' and one other text as his daily prayers, Patrul Rinpoche ensured that Śāntideva's words became not merely an object of study but a living practice tradition that continues to flourish today.


The most notable development for the works of Śāntideva, however, is their transmission to Tibet at the turn of the ninth century. Both his major works were translated in the early ninth century by the leading translators of the period. A version of the translation of ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' from this period can be seen today among the Dunhuang collection, although the text is attributed to Akṣayamati, which some scholars think is another name of Śāntideva. The earlier translations were further improved in the eleventh and twelfth centuries by leading translators of the time, and we also see around this time the translation of many commentaries on his works and other associated texts. These sufficiently indicate the importance and popular use of Śāntideva's works among Buddhist circles in Tibet as Tibet saw the resurgence of Buddhist teachings in the early part of the second millennium.
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The translations of Śāntideva's works and Indian commentaries on them were soon supplemented by Tibetan writings on Śāntideva's philosophical, ethical, and spiritual theories and practices. By the end of the twentieth century, over a hundred commentarial works, numerous synopses and outlines, and many practical instructions associated with Śāntideva's writings, particularly ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', were written in Tibetan, making Śāntideva one of the most celebrated classical Buddhist masters. In the Kadam school, which emerged as a leading new Buddhist tradition in the eleventh century, ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' and ''The Compendium of Training'' featured as two of six fundamental texts of the school. The Sakya school included The Way of the Bodhisattva in their set of eighteen great treatises and the Nyingma included it in the collection of thirteen great Indian treatises. The Kagyu and Geluk schools also highly regarded ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'', resulting in the composition of extensive commentaries by masters of these schools. Thus, his ''Way of the Bodhisattva'' became part of the core curriculum in most scholastic centers and an essential reading for Middle Way studies. Concurrently, the ninth chapter of ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' on wisdom and understanding the true nature of reality also became the crux of philosophical debates and controversies among Tibetan thinkers, leading to a rich tradition of polemical exchanges.
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Śāntideva's writings also became a cornerstone for the Tibetan Buddhist practices of mind training (''lojong'') and the preliminary practices (''ngöndro'') in the Vajrayāna tradition. His words came to be considered as the most powerful source of spiritual and ethical inspiration. The verses in the second and third chapters of his ''Way of the Bodhisattva'' are commonly used as the main liturgy for making offerings and for cultivating bodhicitta, or the altruistic thought of enlightenment, and taking the bodhisattva vow. Similarly, the tenth chapter is recited independently as an aspiration prayer. His works came to be seen as the epitome of the Mahāyāna teachings on wisdom and compassion.
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|text=In modern times, few people have been more influential in the spread of Buddhism and the teaching of bodhicitta than His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Yet the Dalai Lama points to Khunu Lama as the teacher who most profoundly shaped his understanding of bodhicitta and ''The Way of the Bodhisattva''. Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen (ཁུ་ནུ་བླ་མ་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱལ་མཚན་ 1894/1895—1977) stands as one of the most influential yet humble Buddhist masters of the modern era, whose profound teachings on bodhicitta—the compassionate aspiration for enlightenment—shaped an entire generation of practitioners. The Dalai Lama called him the "Shantideva of our time," recognizing his extraordinary embodiment of compassion and wisdom. A teacher of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, especially for the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', for which he held Patrul Rinpoche's lineage, Khunu Lama's teachings were particularly sought after by the young Dalai Lama for clarifying complex philosophical concepts. Revered by many as the very embodiment of altruism, his masterwork ''The Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta'' continues to inspire practitioners worldwide, cementing his legacy as a bridge between traditional wisdom and contemporary understanding.


In the nineteenth century, Śāntideva's ''Way of the Bodhisattva'' found an unprecedented popularity in Tibet through the efforts of Patrul Rinpoche, who championed the study and practice of Śāntideva's work in tandem with the Rimé nonsectarian movement of which he was a chief advocate. Promoting ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' as the ''tour de force'' for spiritual and ethical training and edification, Patrul Rinpoche and his disciples spread the study and practice of Śāntideva's works, which led to an outburst of vigorous scholarship and contemplative activities associated with Śāntideva's writings. Largely due to their effort and influence, such vigorous interest and engagement in Śāntideva's works continue in our times in all schools and traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
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From Tibet, the transmission of Śāntideva's works spread to many other countries which follow Tibetan Buddhism. ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' was first translated into Mongolian in 1305 by Čosgi Odser, who also wrote a commentary. Śāntideva's works also became an important part of Buddhist education in the Himalayan regions to the south of the Tibetan plateau, in places such as Bhutan, Sikkim, Ladakh, and Arunachal Pradesh. The exodus of Tibetans from Tibet in the twentieth century further enhanced the study and practice of Śāntideva's writings in these areas and also spurred a vibrant study and practice of Śāntideva's works in India through great advocates and teachers such as the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
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In more recent times, Śāntideva's writings have also begun to spread beyond the traditional Buddhist world, with the first publication of ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' by Ivan P. Minayev, a Russian Indologist, in 1889 and the first translation into a European language by Louis de La Vallée Poussin, a Belgian Indologist, over a century ago. Since then, ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' has seen many different translations in English, and ''The Compendium of Training'' has been translated into English twice. ''The Way of the Bodhisattva'' has also been translated into dozens of other languages, and Śāntideva's writings have seen both widespread religious adoption and academic study in many parts of the world, the latter even giving rise to heated debates among modern Western commentators and critics. Today, the profusion of engagement in Śāntideva's legacy continues unabated with an increasing range of interest in his philosophical arguments, ethical theory, spiritual mysticism, religious homilies, poetic styles, legendary life story, and social impact.
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|header=The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso <br> <small><em></em></small>
|text=His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ། born 1935), has done more than perhaps anyone else to spread the teachings of bodhicitta worldwide, carrying forward a precious lineage that flows from Patrul Rinpoche through Khunu Lama directly to him. As perhaps the most recognized Buddhist teacher in the modern world, he received the transmission of Śāntideva's ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' from Khunu Lama—who himself held Patrul Rinpoche's lineage—and has stated that "if I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text." Following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 and his escape to India, His Holiness has taught the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' extensively to audiences numbering in the tens of thousands across continents, making these profound teachings accessible to millions worldwide. He has also championed Khunu Lama's masterwork ''The Jewel Lamp'', teaching it repeatedly. His Holiness continues to demonstrate through his life and global teachings how bodhicitta offers humanity's most profound response to suffering and the surest path to genuine flourishing in our interconnected world.  


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<h2 class="pt-0 mt-0">More Resources</h2>
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Delve deeper here with more resources for your practice. 
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|header=Recitation Guide for The Way of the Bodhisattva
|text=A Method for Reciting the Text ''Engaging in Bodhisattva Conducts: A Stream of Blessings'', by Dam tshig rdo rje (Mkhan po chos rje)
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|page=Practice/Recitation Guide for The Way of the Bodhisattva
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|text=Stories for young and old from the tradition Buddhist texts.
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|image=Nyoirin-Kannon'1-2.jpg
|text=Śāntideva lived in the first half of the eighth century in Northern India. Accounts of his life are very scarce. According to the Buddhist tradition, he was born the son of King Kalyāṇavarman of Saurāṣṭra. After having a vision of the deity of wisdom, Mañjuśrī, he gave up his right to the throne and became a monk at the great monastic university of Nalanda in present day Bihar. Śāntideva was in appearance a lazy practitioner who did not spend much time studying. As he was about to be expelled from Nalanda, he was asked to give a public teaching by some monks who wanted to ridicule him, as they asked him to teach an original composition. Śāntideva spontaneously expounded the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', a poem of 913 verses, without any hesitation. As he reached the end of his recitation, he rose into the sky and disappeared. The ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' is a detailed presentation of the path of the bodhisattvas in which all aspects of practice are explained in detail. Śāntideva composed a companion work on the topic of the bodhisattva's training, the ''Śikṣāsamuccaya'', which is a compendium of Mahāyāna sūtras.
|header=The Practices of the Bodhisattva
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|text=Explore the practices of the bodhisattva expounded by Śāntideva.
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<div class="col-12"><div class="h5">Generating Bodhicitta</div></div>
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<div class="col-12"><div class="h5">Protecting Bodhicitta</div></div>
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|link=Explore/Cultivating Discipline
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<div class="col-12"><div class="h5">Dedication of Merit</div></div>
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|text=Explore the training of the Bodhisattva path as laid out by Śāntideva in the ''Śikṣāsamuccaya''.
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Latest revision as of 16:30, 9 March 2026


Practice
Practice wisdom and compassion as a way of life


Introduction

The application of bodhicitta in practice is central to the Mahāyāna pursuit of full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. According to Mahāyāna masters, bodhicitta is a prerequisite for a practice or path to qualify as a Mahāyāna path leading to the state of a fully awakened buddha. Only when the practice is motivated or informed by bodhicitta (byang chub sems kyi rtsis zin pa) can it be considered as a bona fide part of the Mahāyāna path. Thus, the masters strongly recommend the cultivation of the altruistic thought of bodhicitta before beginning any project or activity. This is because, in the Buddhist system, the moral value of an action is determined by the quality of intention or the state of the mind.

Buddhist masters teach that mind can be in any of the three states:

  1. A virtuous state with positive thoughts and emotions, such as thirst for knowledge, devotion, compassion, love, etc.
  2. A nonvirtuous state with negative thoughts and emotions, such as arrogance, hatred, jealousy, etc.
  3. A neutral state with neither positive nor negative states of mind.

Furthermore, the virtuous mind can be of three types:

  1. An inferior mind wishing happiness and well-being in this mundane world.
  2. A middling mind wishing a higher state of lasting happiness, fulfillment, and freedom beyond the ordinary world.
  3. A superior mind wishing a higher state of lasting happiness for all sentient beings.

This last superior mind is bodhicitta and the one recommended by the Mahāyāna masters before beginning any project or activity.

Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, a twentieth-century teacher of bodhicitta, thus writes in The Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta (Byang chub sems kyi bstod pa rin chen sgron ma):

Should one launch something, launch with bodhicitta. Should one think of something, think of bodhicitta. Should one analyze something, analyze with bodhicitta. Should one examine something, examine with bodhicitta. (v. 98)[1]

Patrul Rinpoche, a paragon of bodhicitta practice in nineteenth-century Tibet, also proclaimed in his Aspiration to Generate Bodhicitta (Bskal mang gong nas sogs):

If present, this alone is sufficient for reaching buddhahood. If this is absent, one is handicapped in reaching buddhahood. May I generate this pure thought of awakening, The unmistaken seed of buddhahood. (v. 6)[2]

In the beginning, a practitioner must cultivate the mind (cittotpāda) of awakening through a concerted effort by taking the bodhisattva vow repeatedly, engaging in the various contemplative techniques, receiving teachings on bodhicitta and bodhisattva practices, and utilizing other methods. Gradually, one would become accustomed to thinking of bodhicitta, which would also become stronger and constant. When bodhicitta naturally arises without effort, a person is said to have formally become a bodhisattva. Thus, Jigme Lingpa said:

It is more important to have the supreme mind naturally arise than to consciously cultivate it.[3]

However, a beginner must make a contrived effort to generate bodhicitta, firstly by cultivating the aspiring bodhicitta and then by engaging in the practice of engaged bodhicitta. Śāntideva presents the distinction between the two in the following verses from his text The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicaryāvatāra):

Bodhichitta, the awakened mind, Is known in brief to have two aspects: First, aspiring, bodhichitta in intention; Then active bodhichitta, practical engagement.

Verse 1.15
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 33
Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ toggle Tib. ]
[ tib / wyl ]

བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དེ་མདོར་བསྡུས་ན། །

རྣམ་པ་གཉིས་སུ་ཤེས་བྱ་སྟེ། ། བྱང་ཆུབ་སྨོན་པའི་སེམས་དང་ནི། །

བྱང་ཆུབ་འཇུག་པ་ཉིད་ཡིན་ནོ། །

byang chub sems de mdor bsdus na/_/

rnam pa gnyis su shes bya ste/_/ byang chub smon pa'i sems dang ni/_/

byang chub 'jug pa nyid yin no/_/

As corresponding to the wish to go And then to setting out, The wise should understand respectively The difference that divides these two.

Verse 1.16
[ src citation ]The Way of the Bodhisattva (2006)
Page(s) 33
Blankleder, Helena, and Wulstan Fletcher (Padmakara Translation Group), trans. The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra. By Śāntideva. Rev. ed. Shambhala Classics. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006.
[ toggle Tib. ]
[ tib / wyl ]

འགྲོ་བར་འདོད་དང་འགྲོ་བ་ཡི། །

བྱེ་བྲག་ཇི་ལྟར་ཤེས་པ་ལྟར། ། དེ་བཞིན་མཁས་པས་འདི་གཉིས་ཀྱི། །

བྱེ་བྲག་རིམ་བཞིན་ཤེས་པར་བྱ། །

gro bar 'dod dang 'gro ba yi/_/

bye brag ji ltar shes pa ltar/_/ de bzhin mkhas pas 'di gnyis kyi/_/

bye brag rim bzhin shes par bya/_/

One must first have the thought to take all sentient beings to the state of the Buddha just as one must first have the thought to go to Bodh Gaya before one starts the journey. Having generated the strong motivation to take all sentient beings to buddhahood, one must then engage in the actual paths and practices which lead them to the goal. The bodhisattva road consists of a long and arduous practice of the six perfections: giving, discipline, patience, effort, meditation and wisdom. These six topics cover the entire range of practices a person must take up as a bodhisattva to reach buddhahood. They also include the practice of both relative bodhicitta, or the moral mental resolve to take all sentient beings to the state of full awakening, and ultimate bodhicitta, which is the deep understanding and experience of the ultimate nature of all things.

  1. ↑ brtsam na byang chub sems las brtsam// bsam na byang chub sems nyid bsam// dpyad na byang chub sems su dpyad// brtag na byang chub sems la brtag//. Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen, Byang chub sems kyi bstod pa rin chen sgron ma (Dharamsala: Dga' ldan pho brang, 2018), 29, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW8LS66303.
  2. ↑ yod na sangs rgyas sgrub la des chog cing/ /med na sangs rgyas sgrub la thabs chags pa/ /sangs rgyas 'grub pa'i sa bon ma nor ba/ /rnam dag byang chub sems mchog bskyed par shog. See Patrul Rinpoche, Bskal mang gong nas sogs, in Gsung 'bum o rgyan 'jigs med chos kyi dbang po (Chengdu: Si khron mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 2003), 8: 356, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW24829_B101CB.
  3. ↑ Jigme Lingpa, Yon tan rin po che'i mdzod kyi rgya cher 'grel pa bden gnyis shing rta rgyu mtshan nyid kyi theg pa'i skor, in Gsung 'bum 'jigs med gling pa (Gangtok, Sikkim: Sonam T. Kazi, 1970–75), 1: 246b, http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW1KG10193_E90C9C.


 
Bodhicitta in Practice
Cultivating bodhicitta involves reflection, meditation, ethical conduct, and guidance from qualified teachers, and is formalized through the bodhisattva vow.
read more

Generating Bodhicitta - The Mind of Awakening

Generating bodhicitta—the awakening mind—forms the foundation of the bodhisattva path. This transformative practice begins with recognizing the precious rarity of human existence and cultivating unwavering faith in enlightenment's possibility. Through developing immeasurable compassion for all suffering beings and finding guidance from an authentic spiritual teacher, practitioners prepare to undertake the profound bodhisattva vow. The formal ceremony involves purification through the seven-limb prayer, mind training through the four immeasurables, and the actual taking of vows to dedicate one's life to liberating all sentient beings from suffering.

Start the Journey

Protecting Bodhicitta - Training on the Path

Once bodhicitta is generated and the practitioner takes the bodhisattva vow, this mind of awakening must be vigilantly protected through precise moral discipline. This commitment entails three interconnected practices: avoiding harmful actions that corrupt the awakened mind, actively cultivating virtue through the six perfections, and dedicating oneself completely to benefiting all beings. The bodhisattva navigates specific precepts—from fundamental prohibitions against deception and abandoning beings to detailed guidelines governing speech, conduct, and intention. When transgressions occur, immediate confession and remediation through powerful purification practices restore the practitioner's spiritual integrity, ensuring the precious bodhicitta remains luminous and effective in its compassionate mission.

Safeguard Your Awakened Heart

Enhancing Bodhicitta - Progressing on the Path

Enhancing bodhicitta represents the crucial next phase in bodhisattva practice—transforming initial compassionate intention into unwavering spiritual power. This enhancement involves intensive practices that dissolve the artificial boundary between self and others. Through profound meditation techniques like tonglen (giving and taking), contemplating all beings as one's mother across countless lifetimes, and cultivating the four immeasurable thoughts of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity, practitioners systematically dismantle self-centered thinking. The goal is radical: completely exchanging self-cherishing for other-cherishing, recognizing that genuine happiness emerges only through dedicating oneself entirely to alleviating universal suffering and nurturing the enlightenment of all sentient beings.

Expand Your Awakened Heart

Living Traditions of Practice

Living Traditions of Practice


Patrul Rinpoche

In nineteenth-century Tibet, the Bodhicaryāvatāra was largely confined to major monastic centers, known primarily to scholarly elites. Patrul Rinpoche Orgyen Jigme Chökyi Wangpo (དཔལ་སྤྲུལ་རིན་པོ་ཆེ་ཨོ་རྒྱན་འཇིགས་མེད་ཆོས་ཀྱི་དབང་པོ། 1808–1887) transformed this reality, teaching Śāntideva's classic text over one hundred times throughout eastern Tibet and making it accessible to monastics and laypeople alike. So profound was his influence that contemporaries regarded him as an emanation of Śāntideva himself. Rather than composing a full commentary, Patrul created practical guides—including his Step-by-Step Practice Manual and distinctive "three opportunities" method—that emphasized direct application over scholarly analysis, with bodhicitta as the foundation of all practice. His revolutionary approach democratized access to these teachings, establishing networks of study centers and inspiring a remarkable lineage of disciples including Ju Mipham and Khenpo Kunpal, whose commentaries sparked important philosophical debates and preserved his oral tradition. Living with radical simplicity, carrying only the Bodhicaryāvatāra and one other text as his daily prayers, Patrul Rinpoche ensured that Śāntideva's words became not merely an object of study but a living practice tradition that continues to flourish today.

Learn More about Patrul Rinpoche

Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen

In modern times, few people have been more influential in the spread of Buddhism and the teaching of bodhicitta than His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. Yet the Dalai Lama points to Khunu Lama as the teacher who most profoundly shaped his understanding of bodhicitta and The Way of the Bodhisattva. Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen (ཁུ་ནུ་བླ་མ་བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱལ་མཚན་ 1894/1895—1977) stands as one of the most influential yet humble Buddhist masters of the modern era, whose profound teachings on bodhicitta—the compassionate aspiration for enlightenment—shaped an entire generation of practitioners. The Dalai Lama called him the "Shantideva of our time," recognizing his extraordinary embodiment of compassion and wisdom. A teacher of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, especially for the Bodhicaryāvatāra, for which he held Patrul Rinpoche's lineage, Khunu Lama's teachings were particularly sought after by the young Dalai Lama for clarifying complex philosophical concepts. Revered by many as the very embodiment of altruism, his masterwork The Jewel Lamp: A Praise of Bodhicitta continues to inspire practitioners worldwide, cementing his legacy as a bridge between traditional wisdom and contemporary understanding.

Learn More about Khunu Lama Rinpoche

The Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (བསྟན་འཛིན་རྒྱ་མཚོ། born 1935), has done more than perhaps anyone else to spread the teachings of bodhicitta worldwide, carrying forward a precious lineage that flows from Patrul Rinpoche through Khunu Lama directly to him. As perhaps the most recognized Buddhist teacher in the modern world, he received the transmission of Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra from Khunu Lama—who himself held Patrul Rinpoche's lineage—and has stated that "if I have any understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path, it all comes from studying this text." Following the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 and his escape to India, His Holiness has taught the Bodhicaryāvatāra extensively to audiences numbering in the tens of thousands across continents, making these profound teachings accessible to millions worldwide. He has also championed Khunu Lama's masterwork The Jewel Lamp, teaching it repeatedly. His Holiness continues to demonstrate through his life and global teachings how bodhicitta offers humanity's most profound response to suffering and the surest path to genuine flourishing in our interconnected world.

Learn More about The 14th Dalai Lama

More Resources

Delve deeper here with more resources for your practice.

 
Recitation Guide for The Way of the Bodhisattva
A Method for Reciting the Text Engaging in Bodhisattva Conducts: A Stream of Blessings, by Dam tshig rdo rje (Mkhan po chos rje)
Guide
 
The Way of the Bodhisattva Illuminated: Stories The Way of the Bodhisattva
Stories for young and old from the tradition Buddhist texts.
Guide
 
The Practices of the Bodhisattva
Explore the practices of the bodhisattva expounded by Śāntideva.
Click to expand
Generating Bodhicitta
Preliminary Practices
The Bodhisattva Vow
Protecting Bodhicitta
Cultivating Discipline
Cultivating Patience
Perfecting Bodhicitta
Cultivating Diligence
Cultivating Concentration
Cultivating Wisdom
Dedication of Merit
Dedication of Merit
 
The Training of the Bodhisattva
Explore the training of the Bodhisattva path as laid out by Śāntideva in the Śikṣāsamuccaya.
Click to expand
Śāntideva's Approach to the Bodhisattva Training
Training: Giving
Training: Protecting
Training: Purifying
Training: Increasing

Śāntideva

Person

The Way of the Bodhisattva

Book

Bodhicaryâvatâra: La marche vers l'éveil (1992)

Book
The Other Doorways
Discover
Begin here. Discover the basics of bodhicitta, its meaning and purpose, and learn about the main concepts of the Mahayana path. Get to know the people and texts on this website, and find key resources for beginners.
step through
Explore
The understanding and practice of bodhicitta depends on the knowledge of the stories, key concepts, texts, and people associated with it. Explore bodhicitta, the desire to seek the ultimate happiness for all sentient beings.
step through
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.
step through

Karuṇā - Skt करुणा  Tib ཐུགས་རྗེ་  Ch 悲  

Go to the page with the definition of 'compassion'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'bodhicitta'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'bodhicitta'

Mahāyāna - Mahāyāna, or the Great Vehicle, refers to the system of Buddhist thought and practice which developed around the beginning of Common Era, focusing on the pursuit of the state of full enlightenment of the Buddha through the realization of the wisdom of emptiness and the cultivation of compassion. Skt महायान  Tib ཐེག་པ་ཆེན་པོ།  Ch 大乘  

Go to the page with the definition of 'Mahāyāna'

Stender, Daniel. "Bodhicitta." In Buddhism and Jainism, edited by K. T. S. Sarao and Jeffery D. Long, 252–54. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer, 2017.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Bodhicitta'

Ringu Tulku. "Bodhicitta." In Śāntidevas "Eintritt in das Leben zur Erleuchtung", transcribed and prepared by Gabriele Hollmann, 171–84. Vol. 3 of Buddhismus in Geschichte und Gegenwart. Hamburg: Universität Hamburg (Weiterbildendes Studium), 1999. https://www.buddhismuskunde.uni-hamburg.de/pdf/4-publikationen/buddhismus-in-geschichte-und-gegenwart/bd3-k10rinpoche.pdf.

Go to the page with the definition of 'Bodhicitta'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'Bodhicitta'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'Bodhicitta'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'thought of awakening'

Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

Go to the page with the definition of 'thought of awakening'

Bīja - A seed, commonly used figuratively in the sense of something which has the potential to develop or grow, and likewise as the basic cause for this development or growth. Skt बीज  Tib ས་བོན་  Ch 無漏種  

Go to the page with the definition of 'seed'

Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།  Ch 菩薩  

Go to the page with the definition of 'bodhisattva'

Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།  Ch 菩薩  

Go to the page with the definition of 'bodhisattva'

Potter, Karl H., David J. Kalupahana, and Michael J. Sweet. "Śāntideva." In Buddhist Philosophy from 600 to 750 A.D., edited by Karl H. Potter, 516–25. Vol. 21 of Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2017.

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Potter, Karl H. ed. "Śāntideva." In Bibliography: Part 1, Texts Whose Authors Can Be Dated; Authors Listed Chronologically, 5th through 9th Century. Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Online edition. Last updated Apr 15, 2020. https://faculty.washington.edu/kpotter/xtxt2.htm.

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Lele, Amod. "Śāntideva." In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by James Fieser and Bradley Dowden. Accessed Feb. 11, 2021. https://iep.utm.edu/santideva/.

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Tsukamoto, Keisho, Yukei Matsunaga, and Hirofumi Isoda, eds. "Śāntideva." In A Descriptive Bibliography of the Sanskrit Buddhist Literature. Vol. 3, Abhidharma, Madhyamaka, Yogācāra, Buddhist Epistemology and Logic, 250–69. Kyoto: Heirakuji-Shoten, 1990.

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Lang, Karen. "Śāntideva." In Buddhist Philosophy from 600 to 750 A.D., edited by Karl H. Potter, 137–39. Vol. 21 of Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 2017.

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Goodman, Charles. "Śāntideva." In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed March 15, 2021. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/shantideva/

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Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།  Ch 菩薩  

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Bodhisattva - A person who seeks enlightenment for the sake of others. In Mahāyāna Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is a compassionate being who is training on the path to Buddhahood and aspires to eliminate the suffering of all beings and take all sentient beings to the state of enlightenment. The Mahāyāna sūtras including those on buddha-nature generally have Bodhisattvas as the main audience or interlocutors for the Buddha's discourses. Skt बोधिसत्त्व  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའ།  Ch 菩薩  

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Śāntideva (ཞི་བ་ལྷ་). Bodhicaryāvatāra [बोधिचर्यावतार]. byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa [བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་དཔའི་སྤྱོད་པ་ལ་འཇུག་པ།]. [The Way of the Bodhisattva]. Tengyur, RKTST 3216 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=3216&typ=2.

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Weeraratne, D. Amarasiri. "Bodhicaryāvatāra." The Maha-Bodhi 79, nos. 2–3 (1971): 406–9.

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Gotra - Disposition, lineage, or class; an individual's gotra determines the type of enlightenment one is destined to attain. Skt गोत्र  Tib རིགས་  Ch 鍾姓,種性  

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Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

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Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

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Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

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Bodhicitta - The altruistic thought to seek enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. It is said to have two aspects: compassion aimed at sentient beings and their problems and the wisdom of enlightenment as the solution. Skt बोधिचित्त  Tib བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས།  Ch 菩提心  

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Prabhāsvaratā - In a general sense, that which clears away darkness, though it often appears in Buddhist literature in reference to the mind or its nature. It is a particularly salient feature of Tantric literature, especially in regard to the advanced meditation techniques of the completion-stage yogas. Skt प्रभास्वर  Tib འོད་གསལ་  Ch 光明  

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Nariman, Gushtaspshah Kaikhushro. "Shantideva." In Literary History of Sanskrit Buddhism: (From Winternitz, Sylvain Levi, Huber), 100-109. Bombay: Indian Book Depot, 1923. https://archive.org/details/literaryhistoryo00nariuoft/page/100/mode/2up.

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Gelek, Ngawang. Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life: An Oral Explanation of Chapter 6; Patience. Transcription of Teachings, 2000–2002. Ann Arbor: Jewel Heart, 2010.

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Gelek, Ngawang. Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life: An Oral Explanation of Chapter 8; Concentration. Transcription of Teachings, 2004. Ann Arbor: Jewel Heart, 2008.

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Śāntideva (ཞི་བ་ལྷ་). Śikṣāsamuccaya [शिक्षासमुच्चय]. bslab pa kun las btus pa [བསླབ་པ་ཀུན་ལས་བཏུས་པ།]. [The Compendium of Training]. Tengyur, RKTST 3281 http://www.rkts.org/cat.php?id=3281&typ=2.

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