Shantideva Guides

Indian Mahayana Masters of the 2nd-8th Centuries

Indian Mahayana Masters of the 2nd-8th Centuries

The Indian Masters Learn More Reader Guides to the Indian masters especially Important to Tibetan Buddhism See Also:  Profiles of early Indian Mahayana figures | Tibetan Masters of the 8th Century | Tibetan Masters of the 10th-11th Centuries Indian Mahayana Masters from the 2nd-8th Centuries The Tibetan traditions all look back to India as the [...]
Continue Reading >>
A Reader’s Guide to Shantideva and the Way of the Bodhisattva

A Reader’s Guide to Shantideva and the Way of the Bodhisattva

Shantideva and The Way of the Bodhisattva Learn More A Reader's Guide to the Essential Work on the Bodhisattva Path A Reader's Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva See Also:  Profiles of early Indian Mahayana figures | Tibetan Masters of the 8th Century | Tibetan Masters of the 10th-11th Centuries Nagarjuna | Aryadeva | Asanga | Shantideva | Xuanzang | The Seventeen Pandits of Nalanda The great nineteenth-century [...]
Continue Reading >>
Patrul Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide

Patrul Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide

Patrul Rinpoche See Our Reader's Guide Patrul Rinpoche (1808–1887) was one of the greatest Tibetan teachers of the nineteenth century. Famous for his precise and direct style, he shunned high monastic office and lived the life of a homeless wanderer, writing his book in a rustic hermitage under an overhanging rock. Praise to Patrul Rinpoche [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Teachers of Pema Chodron: A Reader’s Guide

The Teachers of Pema Chodron: A Reader’s Guide

Pema Chödrön refers to many of her teachers and friends in her latest book Welcoming the Unwelcome. For fans of Ani Pema who might be less familiar with some of these figures but want to hear more from her main inspirations, teachers, and role models, this is for you! For those who listened to the [...]
Continue Reading >>

“Beyond Anger” Free eBook

the Mahabodhi temple that marks the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In July 2013, multiple bombs exploded in Bodh Gaya, India, in and around the holiest Buddhist pilgrimage site, the Mahabodhi temple that marks the spot where the Buddha attained enlightenment. In response, Shambhala Publications offers this free eBook consisting of excerpts from some [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Six Paramitas: A Reader’s Guide

The Six Paramitas: A Reader’s Guide

The Six Paramitas Learn More The Six Paramitas, or "Perfections," are a fundamental set of teachings for Mahayahana Buddhism Statue of Bodhisattva Guan Yin (Avalokiteshvara) The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental in fact that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Thirteen Core Indian Buddhist Texts: A Reader’s Guide

The Thirteen Core Indian Buddhist Texts: A Reader’s Guide

Khenpo Shenga (1871–1927) There are thirteen classics of Indian Mahayana philosophy, still used in Tibetan centers of education throughout Asia and beyond, particularly the Nyngma tradition, with overlap with the others.  They cover the subjects of vinaya, abhidharma, Yogacara, Madhyamika, and the path of the Bodhisattva.  They are some of the most frequently quoted texts [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Dalai Lama’s Teaching on Stages of Meditation

The Dalai Lama’s Teaching on Stages of Meditation

His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Boston His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave an excellent teaching on Kamalashila's Stages of Meditation at MIT. Below are the texts mentioned by His Holiness in his talk. For those interested in going deeper, you will find them complementary to the teaching: Stages of Meditation - A commentary [...]
Continue Reading >>
Kawa Peltsek – The Fully Accomplished Translator of Shantideva

Kawa Peltsek – The Fully Accomplished Translator of Shantideva

Kawa Peltsek Learn More A Reader's Guide to one of Guru Rinpoche's 25 disciples See Also:  Profiles of early Indian Mahayana figures | Tibetan Masters of the 8th Century | Tibetan Masters of the 10th-11th Centuries Guru Rinpoche | Yeshe Tsogyal | Mandarava| Kawa Peltsek | More of Guru Rinpoche's 25 Disciples Kawa Peltsek was [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Seventeen Panditas of Indian Buddhism

The Seventeen Panditas of Indian Buddhism

Image from http://www.rigpashedra.org/   His Holiness the Dalai Lama has often said that Tibetan Buddhism is none other than the Buddhism of India in the tradition of Nalanda, the great center of Buddhist learning that was located in present-day Bihar, India. Many of the greatest masters and scholars in Indian Buddhism resided-and often presided-at this [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Way of the Bodhisattva: An Immersive Workshop in Boulder May 18-22, 2016

The Way of the Bodhisattva: An Immersive Workshop in Boulder May 18-22, 2016

[Note, this event occurred in the past and the videos are all available on this site for free.] Few texts are more frequently taught and quoted, have as colorful a history, and as much relevance to Buddhists today more than the eighth-century Indian Buddhist monk Shantideva's The  Way of the Bodhisattva.  The Dalai Lama has said [...]
Continue Reading >>
Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide

Jamgon Mipham Rinpoche: A Reader’s Guide

Mipham Rinpoche A Guide to His Works Related Topics Nyingma Lineages: Dudjom Tersar | Longchen Nyingtig | Namcho & Palyul Nyingma Masters: Rongzompa | Longchenpa | Jigme Lingpa | Patrul Rinpoche | Mipham Rinpoche Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912) Mipham Rinpoche is a celebrated Nyingma scholar and practitioner. He is revered for being a prolific writer and [...]
Continue Reading >>
Pema Chodron on Remaining Like a Log

Pema Chodron on Remaining Like a Log

The practice of "remaining like a log " is based on refraining, not repressing. When you realize you're thinking, just acknowledge that. Then turn your attention to your breath flowing in and out, to your body, to the immediacy of your experience. Doing this allows you to be present and alert, and thoughts have a [...]
Continue Reading >>
The Story behind the Bodhicharyavatara

The Story behind the Bodhicharyavatara

by Nikko Odiseos   The text with the Sanskrit title Bodhicharyavatara (shortened from the longer Bodhisattvacharyavatara) - usually known in English as either The Way of the Bodhisattva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life - is by far the best-known work attributed to the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva. It would be impossible [...]
Continue Reading >>
A Reader’s Guide on Tibetan Buddhist Essentials: An Exploration of the Nyingma Lineage with Tulku Thondup

A Reader’s Guide on Tibetan Buddhist Essentials: An Exploration of the Nyingma Lineage with Tulku Thondup

Tulku Thondup Rinpoche's Tibetan Buddhist Essentials A recommendation list for the essential teachings of the tradition. Tulku Thondup Rinpoche was born in East Tibet and was recognized to be a tulku at age five. He studied at Tibet’s famed Dodrupchen Monastery, settling in India in 1958, and teaching for many years in its universities. He [...]
Continue Reading >>

Way of the Bodhisattva Resource Page

A Resource Guide for The Way of the Bodhisattva* We are pleased to share the following resources for the Bodhicharyavatara, or The Way of the Bodhisattva. Readers Guide - A guide to the many translations, commentaries, and deep dives into specific chapters published by Shambhala Publications and others. A Brief History - A very brief history of this [...]
Continue Reading >>
A Brief History of the Way of the Bodhisattva

A Brief History of the Way of the Bodhisattva

The Story Behind the Bodhicharyavatara The text with the Sanskrit title Bodhicharyavatara (shortened from the longer Bodhisattvacharyavatara)—usually known in English as either The Way of the Bodhisattva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life—is by far the best-known work attributed to the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva. It would be impossible to adequately summarize its importance and impact in [...]
Continue Reading >>
Translating the Way of the Bodhisattva

Translating the Way of the Bodhisattva

This talk with Wulstan Fletcher of the Padmakara Translation Group, facilitated by CU Professor Holly Gayley, will be of great interest not just for translators—for whom it will be invaluable—fbut for any practitioners or scholars interested in the transmission of Buddhism in the west. The talk focuses on the translation of the text itself and [...]
Continue Reading >>