The Path of Light ~ The Bodhi-Charyavatara of Shantideva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life

Описание: The Path of Light ~ The Bodhi-Charyavatara of Shantideva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (audiobook)

Abridged English Translation

Translated by Lionel David Barnett (1871 - 1960)

Shantideva is particularly renowned as the author of the Bodhicaryavatara (sometimes also called the Bodhisattvacaryavatara). An English translation of the Sanskrit version of the Bodhicaryavatara, sometimes glossed as "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way Of Life" or "Entering the Path of Enlightenment." It is a long poem describing the process of enlightenment from the first thought to full buddhahood and is still studied by Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists today.

It has ten chapters dedicated to the development of bodhicitta (the mind of enlightenment) through the practice of the six perfections (Skt. Pāramitās). The text begins with a chapter describing the benefits of the wish to reach enlightenment. The sixth chapter on the Pāramitā of patience (Skt. Kṣānti, kshanti) is considered by many Buddhists to be the pinnacle of writing on this subject and is the source of numerous quotations attributed to Śāntideva. Tibetan scholars consider the ninth "Wisdom" chapter to be one of the most succinct expositions of the Madhyamaka view. The tenth chapter is used as one of the most popular Mahāyāna prayers.

The Path of Light, also known by its original Sanskrit title Bodhicaryāvatāra or A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, is an influential Mahayana Buddhist text by the 8th-century Indian monk and philosopher, Shantideva. It's a long poem that serves as a practical guide to the path of a bodhisattva, an individual who forgoes their own liberation to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

The text is organized into ten chapters, each dedicated to a different aspect of this path. It begins with the praise of bodhichitta, the mind of awakening, and emphasizes its importance as the foundation for all spiritual practice. The book then guides the reader through the six perfections (Pāramitās), which are the core practices of a bodhisattva:

Generosity (Dāna): Cultivating a mindset of giving and renouncing attachment.

Morality (Śīla): Maintaining ethical conduct and discipline.

Patience (Kṣānti): Enduring hardship and opposition without anger.

Heroic Perseverance (Vīrya): Cultivating unwavering effort and enthusiasm.

Meditation (Dhyāna): Developing concentration and mental stability.

Wisdom (Prajñā): The profound understanding of reality, particularly the concept of emptiness (śūnyatā).

The ninth chapter on wisdom is considered one of the most succinct and profound expositions of the Madhyamaka philosophical view of emptiness, a central tenet of Mahayana Buddhism. Shantideva's work also provides practical advice on how to transform daily life's obstacles into opportunities for spiritual growth and how to cultivate compassion and selflessness. It concludes with a chapter on the dedication of merit, where the practitioner dedicates the positive energy from their practice for the benefit of all beings. The text is highly revered and is still studied and practiced by Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists today.

Madhyamaka, or the "Middle Way" school of thought, is a major branch of Mahayana Buddhism founded by the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna in the 2nd century CE. Its central tenet is the concept of shunyata (emptiness), which is not a nihilistic belief that things don't exist, but rather the understanding that all phenomena lack an inherent, independent existence (svabhava).

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For the benefit of all beings.