Śāntideva

Śāntideva

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 Śāntideva?

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 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.

Śāntideva's Life and Works

there is no evil like anger and fortitude like tolerance

there is nothing whatsoever which does not become easy with practice

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 about him can be said with complete 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.

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 ridicule 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 text, 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 the 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.

 

Bodhicaryāvatāra
The Way of the Bodhisattva

The Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra 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.

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Śikṣāsamuccaya
The Compendium of Training

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.

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Śāntideva's 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. 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.

The Way of the Bodhisattva

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 the 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.

The Compendium of Training

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.

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:

The vows of a bodhisattva Are taught in detail in the Mahāyāna sūtras. Know these to be the essential points, By which one can avoid transgressions.

One's body and possessions And the virtues accrued in the three times, Giving them to all sentient beings Protecting, purifying, and expanding them.

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:

"Take up any good project, but in everything know your limits." "Beware of gain and veneration." "Eschew arrogance at all times." "A well-trained body becomes a beneficial wealth." "Hold the welfare of sentient beings at all times."

Wulstan Fletcher: The Way of the Bodhisattva Workshop

Śāntideva's Legacy through the Centuries

You can learn more about Śāntideva's legacy in the Explore and Study sections of this website, where several articles detail the influence and development of these teachings in India, Tibet, and beyond.

 

Śāntideva's Life and Cultural World

Śāntideva's life is shrouded in legend, as most of what we know about him comes from the various hagiographies written in the centuries after his time. But much can be understood about his life based on his religious and cultural environment and the education he received at the famed Buddhist university of Nalanda, in northern India.

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Patrul Rinpoche's Way of Teaching the Bodhicaryāvatāra

Alak Zenkar Rinpoche explains Patrul Rinpoche's extraordinary approach in the way he teaches Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra. This excerpt has been translated by Adam Pearcey for Lotsawa House.

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Influence and Reception of Śāntideva's Works in India and Beyond

The Bodhicaryāvatāra and the Śikṣāsamuccaya were composed in India in Sanskrit and made a significant impact on the understanding of Mahāyāna Buddhism and the bodhisattva path there. Both works spread beyond the Indian subcontinent and became especially important in Tibet, inspiring commentaries as well as other works by famous teachers. While it has been the Bodhicaryāvatāra that has received more adoration and attention historically, both texts continue to inspire scholars and practitioners around the globe.

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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 Rime 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. 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.