The Way of the Bodhisattva

Snoopy said:
The seminal text The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva has had a commentary on it written by the Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön. It is called No Time To Lose and I am putting an brief outline of her book here http://www.interfaith.org/forum/book-pema-ch-dr-n-9706.html ..if anyone is interested.
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Thanks!

Pema Chödrön is a very clear writer who has linked Buddhism to our situation in the West.

There is another commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva:
"The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech" by Kunzang Pelden, a Tibetan Buddhist. Also very readable and inspiring.
 
Netti-Netti said:
Thanks!

Pema Chödrön is a very clear writer who has linked Buddhism to our situation in the West.

There is another commentary on Shantideva's Way of the Bodhisattva:
"The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech" by Kunzang Pelden, a Tibetan Buddhist. Also very readable and inspiring.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the thanks :D

Jump in, I know you've got stuff to bring to the party. :)

s.
 
Namaste all,

i have found this text to be remarkable and inspiring for my own daily practice. the life of Shantideva is extraordinary even by Tibetan standards of accomplished Lamas.

the entire text was spoken in verse during a religious debate that was designed to get Shantideva expelled from the monestary!

most of the test is quite comprehensible without commentary, in my view, however some sections require certain knowledge which is common amongst the group to whom this teaching was given but not so common outside of it, and it is these sections wherein the commentaries are indispensable.

my favorite of the commentaries is "A Flash of Lightning in The Dark of Night" written by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. i find his explication to be extraordinary.

metta,

~v
 
Well feel free to increase the book group by 50%!:)

s.
 
Vajradhara said:
the entire text was spoken in verse during a religious debate that was designed to get Shantideva expelled from the monestary!
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Of course no one can determine the absolute truth of this story. As well as the notion that he’d leave the university in shame, Chödrön also presents a somewhat more sympathetic view in which the monks hoped the embarrassment would cause Shantideva to “pull his socks up”. It’s also said that the throne that he had to sit on was made higher and no stairs up to it provided, thus increasing the humiliation. Whatever the exact truth it could make one wonder about behaviour of the other monks (well, it did me!)

s.
 
It's a great book; keep in mind that a discussion of the Wisdom chapter is not included though. (Although I'm kind of grateful for that. Madyamika makes my head spin.)

I'm rather fond of the version by the Padmakara Translation Group.
 
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