This page will include a short introduction to preliminary practices as expounded by Śāntideva in Chapters 2 & 3 of the BCA. The purpose of this page is to provide a general overview of what these practices are about in terms of meaning (i.e., what are they?) and purpose (i.e., what's their point?). In this context, it will be important to contextualize them with regard to the notion of bodhisattva practice and path.
Providing a short list of preliminary practices taught by Śāntideva would be ideal. The concept of preliminary practice should be illustrated by selecting a specific practice taken as an example. To this end, quotes from the BCA should be provided.
The titles listed in the bibliography below are useful sources to develop this page. Even if their main focus is on different subject, they have been selected because they include valuable information on the topic of this page.
