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This article, part of the translators' introduction from the translation of ''The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech'' by the Padmakara Translation Group, provides a concise overview of the commentarial tradition surrounding Śāntideva's ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' in Tibet. It traces the text's introduction to Tibet in the eighth century, highlighting its rapid translation and subsequent revisions. The study outlines the development of Tibetan commentaries on the text, noting two periods of particular scholarly interest: the thirteenth–fourteenth centuries and the nineteenth–early twentieth centuries. It also touches on the text's importance across different Tibetan Buddhist schools and its role in the Rime movement, which sought to revive interest in diverse Buddhist traditions.
This chronological framework proves valuable for understanding how the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' was received, studied, and commented upon in Tibet over more than a millennium. By highlighting key figures and schools involved in its transmission and interpretation, the article provides a starting point to explore the many commentators and traditions involved in the diffusion of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' in Tibet. Moreover, it contextualizes the text's importance within broader historical and cultural developments in Tibet, such as the early diffusion of Buddhism into Tibet, the development of Tibetan scholastic traditions, and the arising of the nonsectarian Rime movement in Eastern Tibet. This broader perspective allows readers to appreciate the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' not just as a philosophical text but as a living tradition that has played a significant role in shaping Tibetan Buddhist thought and practice. +
A short essay about the life of Śāntideva and the history and structure of the BCA, introducing and discussing the significance its main themes and ideas. +
A Structuralist Examination of the Origins of the Māra Mytheme and Its Function in the Narrative of the Dàoxíng Bōrě Jīng, the Earliest Complete Recension of the Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñā-pāramitā-sūtra +
By comparing the instances of the Māra mytheme in the narratives of the ''prajñā-pāramitā-sūtras'' with those found in non-Mahayana texts, this thesis explores how this vitally important persona, one central to the narrative account of the bodhisattva quest for awakening, developed from earlier mythic prototypes. Pali sources identify a number of alternative identities for Māra the most significant of which being Namuci, an ''asura'' who took control over the mind of Indra. Using linguistic ideas originally developed by Saussure, the storylines of the Māra and Namuci myths can be reduced to a simple, common narrative statement or syntagm. Adopting this approach demonstrates how apparently new narratives can be derived through the application of paradigmatic changes within that syntagm. Furthermore, drawing upon the findings of historical linguistics, it was possible to interpolate potential Proto-Indian-European origins for the Māra mytheme. Rather than supporting the traditionally accepted view of Māra as an allegory for death, this enabled the signification of the actual name Māra to be seen as pointing towards a 'grinding-away' or oppression of the mind. This was achieved by relating the Māra of Buddhist mythology with the mare-hag common to a number of IndoEuropean folklores. Support for this argument is also found in Pali narratives which depict Māra entering the thoughts of others engaged in meditation during the night in order to induce feelings of fear and uncertainty. Finally, based upon these findings, it was possible to scrutinize the narrative and nested tales of the ''Aṣṭasāhasrikā-prajñā-pāramitā-sūtra'' in its earliest recension, the ''Dàoxíng Bōrě Jīng'', and identify how the original Māra myth underwent structured, paradigmatic modifications that reflect a bodhisattva's progress towards final awakening. +
A Study of Akṣayamati (Śāntideva)'s Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra as Found in the Tibetan Manuscripts From Tun-huang +
Akira Saitō's study of a version of the ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra'' as found in the Tibetan manuscripts from Tun-huang +
Watanabe, Shinji. "A Study of Bodhicitta in Esoteric Buddhism." ''Journal of Indian and Buddhist Studies'' (''Indogaku Bukkyogaku Kenkyu'') 33, no. 2 (1985): 631-34. +
Through a close examination on three Sanskrit compounds — i.e., tathāgatanairātmyagarbha, tathāgatagarbhālayavijñāna and pariniṣpannasvabhāvas tathāgatagarbhahṛdayam — in the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'', this thesis will demonstrate how the tathāgatagarbha thought in the ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' is significantly enriched by Yogācāric influence.
First, in regard to tathāgata-nairātmya-garbha, a doctrinal review of the term "nairātmya" is necessary, because its definition differs according to different traditions. In primitive Buddhism, the term "nairātmya" is a synonym of the term "anātman" (non-existence of a substantial self), which indicates that in the realm of suffering and the impermanence of life phenomena that arise according to the principle of co-dependent origination/ pratītyasamutpāda, no eternal and dependent ātman can be found. According to the Madhyamaka School, the term "nairātmya" is a synonym of the term "niḥsvabhāva" (no intrinsic-nature) which implies that all beings, whether conditioned or unconditioned, are all devoid of an ever-abiding intrinsic nature. For the Yogācāra School, the reality of nairātmya is said to be grasped under the principle of mind-only. That is to say, the imagined self /kalpitātman that is the presentation of mind is unreal, while the indescribable self/ anabhilāpyātman that is the genuine mind itself is real. Finally, it can be said that the tathāgata-nairātmya-garbha in ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' accords well with the Yogācāra teaching. In other words, it is the Yogācāric sense of nairātmya that sheds an influence upon the tathāgatagarbha doctrine.
Secondly, in regard to tathāgatagarbhālayavijñāna, a doctrinal development is promoted owing to the identification of tathāgatagarbha with ālayavijñāna, which according to the Yogācāra School is also named "sarvabīljavijñāna" (cognition as the seed of everything). This latter synonym references its function of bringing forth all beings just as a giant tree originates from a seed. As a result of its identification with the ālayavijñāna, the tathāgatagarbha is said to be endowed with the function of bringing forth all forms of existence and thus becomes the "producing cause" of all. This interpretation is not seen in earlier scriptures wherein the tathāgatagarbha is described simply as a static substance supporting all beings.
Thirdly, in regard to pariniṣpannasvabhāvastathāgata-garbhahṛdayam, the implication of the tathāgatagarbha was expanded substantially by declaring that pariniṣpannasvabhāva is the very essence of tathāgatagarbha. The term "pariniṣpannasvabhāva" according to some important Yogācāra texts is defined as tathatā (ultimate realm of suchness). The combining of pariniṣpannasvabhāva with tathāgatagarbha that had formerly focused on the subjective potential of realizing wisdom, shifts the doctrinal emphasis toward the objective realm of realized perfection.
This thesis reveals that, having assimilated the Yogācāric doctrine of dharmanairātmya, ālayavijñāna and pariniṣpannasvabhāva, the tathāgatagarbha thinking in ''Laṅkāvatārasūtra'' presents the comprehensive and distinctive features in comparison to the scriptures that preceded it.
Transliterated text of the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' of A. Stein No. 628 (Chaps 1, 2, 6, 7, 8) and a Japanese translation of Chap 8 of ''BCA-1'' and ''Bodhisattvacaryāvatāravyākhyāna'' +
A Study of the Wisdom Chapter (Prajñāpāramitā Pariccheda) of the Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā of Prajñākaramati +
This PhD thesis by Peter Oldmeadow is an annotated translation of the Prajñāpāramitā Pariccheda (Wisdom Chapter) of the ''Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā'' by Prajñākaramati. +
A BA Honors thesis by P. G. Johnston, carried out as a College Year in India Program Fieldwork Project, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975. +
This article presents a critical examination of Hirakawa Akira's influential theory that Mahāyāna Buddhism originated among lay Buddhist practitioners engaged in stūpa worship, rather than from ordained monastic communities. Hirakawa's 1968 work ''Shoki Daijō Bukkyō no Kenkyū'' (''A Study of Early Mahāyāna Buddhism'') argued that early Mahāyāna bodhisattvas were lay people who adopted the Ten Good Precepts (''daśakuśalakarmapatha'') instead of the ''prātimokṣa'' monastic rules, that Mahāyāna texts criticized sectarian ''bhikṣu''s, that bodhisattvas lived in stūpas rather than monasteries, and that doctrinal differences prevented ordained and Mahāyāna practitioners from cohabiting.
Through detailed textual analysis, this study identifies fundamental logical contradictions in Hirakawa's argument, particularly his assumption that śrāvakas of the Śrāvakayāna were synonymous with sectarian bhikṣus. The author demonstrates that Hirakawa's evidence can equally support an alternative hypothesis: that Mahāyāna Buddhism emerged from within monastic communities, with both ordained ''bhikṣu''s and lay supporters contributing to its development. The study challenges Hirakawa's interpretation of key texts and argues for the possibility that ordained bodhisattvas and Śrāvakayāna practitioners coexisted within sectarian communities during the formative period of Mahāyāna Buddhism. +
A Suggestion of the Buddhist View of Life and Death for Contemporary Thanatology: From Conviction of Death to Awakening Bodhicitta (Yang 2020) +
생사학에서 죽음의 논의는 자신과 타인의 죽음을 모두 포함하는 것이다. 죽음은 다양한 인간 관계에서 이뤄지는 사건이기 때문에, 생사학에서 죽음의 문제는 내세(來世)보다 현세(現世)에 관심을 두고 논의되는 것이어야 한다. 본 논문은 이러한 문제를 대승의 보살 사상을 통하여 검토하고자 한다. 죽음을 개인적인 영역으로 끌어들일 때, 죽음에 대한 성찰은 나의 자율성에 근거하여 이뤄진다. 한국과 타이완에서 생사학의 활동으로 이뤄지고 있는 연명의료 중단에 대한논의와 일본에서 이뤄지는 삶의 마무리 활동인 '슈카츠'에서도 이러한 태도가 잘 나타난다. 그러나 이러한 인식과 태도는 죽음에 대한 성찰이 개체 차원에서 이뤄지고 있다는 점에서 검토할 필요가 있다. 생사학은 타인의 죽음 인식에 대한고통의 문제를 근본적으로 포함하고 있다는 점에서, 대승 보살의 생사관을 검토하는 것은 생사학에 대한 이해의 범위를 확대하는 데 도움이 될 것이다.
In Thanatology, the discussion of death includes both the death of oneself and others. Since death is an event that takes place in various human relationships, the problem of death in Thanatology should be discussed with interest in this world rather than in the after life. This article aims to examine these issues through the thoughts of Mahayana Bodhisattva. When death was brought into individual sphere, the reflection on death is based on personal autonomy. This thought is evident in the discussions about the cessation of life-sustaining treatment in Korea and Taiwan, and the ‘Syukatsu’ activity in Japan which is held towards the end of one’s life. However, these perceptions and attitudes need to be reviewed in the point that the reflections on death are practiced at the individual level. Since Thanatology fundamentally deals with the sufferings for others' perceptions of death, examining Mahayana Bodhisattva's view of life and death will help to broaden our understanding of Thanatology. +
This is a BA Honors thesis by Anthony Abraham Jack carried out at Amherst College, 2007. +
Joshi, Lal Mani. "A Survey of the Conception of Bodhicitta." ''Journal of Religious Studies'' 3, no. 1 (1971): 71–79. +
This article by Gregory Forgues provides a comprehensive overview of the Indian commentaries on the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' (BCA). It details thirteen commentaries composed by Indian authors, highlighting how the BCA was used both as a Mahāyāna practice manual and a debate manual. The article traces the evolution of the BCA from its earliest known version in Dunhuang manuscripts to later Sanskrit recensions and Tibetan translations. It explores the various commentators, their approaches, and the historical context of their works. The article also discusses the two main traditions of the BCA transmission to Tibet, emphasizing the influence of Candrakīrti's thought on later scholars. It concludes by examining the continuous evolution of the root text and its Tibetan translations in relation to the various Indian commentaries, illustrating the complex history of the BCA's transmission from India to Tibet.
This article is invaluable for researchers, scholars, and students interested in Buddhist philosophy and in the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' as well as its commentarial tradition. It provides a detailed historical and textual analysis that offers insights into the development and interpretation of this central Buddhist text. The article's exploration of different versions and translations of the BCA, along with its examination of various commentaries, allows readers to understand the nuances and evolving interpretations of the text over time. Furthermore, the article's discussion of the two waves of transmission to Tibet helps contextualize the BCA within broader historical and cultural frameworks. By offering this comprehensive overview, the article serves as an excellent starting point for further research into the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', its commentaries, and its significance in Buddhist thought and practice. +
Teaching in New York, NY, USA on October 4: His Holiness gives a half-day afternoon teaching on Nagarjuna’s ''Commentary on Bodhicitta'' (''Jangchup Semdrel'') organized by a Vietnamese group at the Manhattan Center. +
In Wang et al. (2022), we presented a philological analysis and introduction of a newly-identified palm-leaf manuscript (ZX0617-ZB20) containing Prajñākaramati's ''Bodhicaryāvatārapañjikā'' (hereafter BCAP). Through systematic collation with the standard edition established by de la Vallée Poussin (1901-1914), we reconstructed BCAP’s commentaries on ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'' (BCA) 1.1, 3.28-33, and 4.1-14 passages conspicuously absent from the aforementioned critical edition. Building upon this foundation, Wang et al. (2023) extended this reconstruction to encompass the commentary on BCA 4.15-48, similarly omitted from de la Vallée Poussin (1901-1914). These successive publications have rendered publicly accessible all lacunae in the standard edition that our manuscript evidence permits to supplement. Given that these reconstructed passages constitute the manuscript's principal scholarly contribution, our initial research prioritization focused on their transliteration and analysis. Consequently, even though our team had nearly completed transliterating the entire BCAP manuscript, we temporarily deferred further verification and comparative work (involving the Tibetan translation of BCAP and various cited works) on the remaining, less critical portions. Subsequent to disseminating these findings, however, we received communications from several scholars engaged in producing the first complete modern-language translation of BCAP. This development is particularly significant, as BCAP, despite its century-long status as a critically edited text, has only been partially translated and remains without a full translation to this day. Recognizing that our ongoing transliteration and textual comparisons might benefit this translation effort, we have decided to present here a transliteration of the remaining portion of Chapter 1 of our BCAP manuscript, along with a comparative analysis against the Tibetan version of BCAP, relevant cited works, the ''Bhāvanākrama'', and the ''Śikṣāsamuccaya''.
Contains 22 of the 49 Sūtras of the Mahāratnakūṭa (or "Treasury") Sūtra, many translated for the first time in a Western language +
Patrul Rinpoche’s seminal work, ''The Words of My Perfect Teacher'' has won respect throughout all parts of Buddhist communities East and West. Though his accomplishments as a teacher and practitioner are beyond comprehension, at his core we find a humility, devotion, and commitment to simplicity that is universally inspiring.
Compiled by Patrul Rinpoche’s beloved disciple Khenpo Kunpal, the biography opens with a poetic tribute by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Then, combining numerous firsthand sources with his own experiences, Khenpo weaves an intimate account of compassion, dedication, selfless service, and joyful practice. [https://www.berotsana.org/products/a-vase-of-nectar-to-inspire-the-faithful-a-biography-of-patrul-rinpoche (Source: Berotsana Publications)] +
Despite its title, this short text includes four different stories, or rather allusions to them. One is, of course, the story of the ugly mendicant: the second is an allusion to the story of an elderly couple who, when robbed, fail to take countermeasures; the third is Atiśas frequent meeting with a person of evil character; and finally is an allusion to the story of Langri Thangpa being falsely accused of transgressing the cardinal monastic precept of celibacy. Rather than being a coherent single text, the work is more like several extracts loosely compiled as a resource for teaching. (Thupten Jinpa, ''Mind Training: The Great Collection'', 615n451) +
Read the full text of this work here on our website. +
