Bodhicaryāvatāra
Śāntideva's 10 chapters on bodhisattva conduct.
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An Exposition of the Bodhicaryāvatāra
Background
The Bodhicaryāvatāra is an excellent work by the great master Śāntideva, the renowned eighth-century Buddhist teacher of the Madhyamaka school of the Mahāyāna. This work was composed at Nālandā in India, an eminent center of Buddhist learning, and was later transmitted to Tibet, becoming a foundational classic of the Northern Tibetan Mahāyāna tradition.
Śāntideva did not write this work in order to disclose supernatural secrets, but to clearly indicate the concrete path of practice that a bodhisattva must walk. He refers to himself as a beginner bodhisattva with defects; therefore his teaching is deeply practical and close to those who truly wish to train in the bodhisattva path.
Main Content
The Bodhicaryāvatāra consists of ten chapters forming a unified whole. The first chapter discusses the benefits of bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings. This is the foundation of the entire bodhisattva vow and conduct. The following chapters present in sequence the six pāramitās: generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration, and wisdom.
Generosity (dāna) is not only the giving of possessions, but also service and the development of compassion. Discipline (śīla) is the moral foundation, protecting the winds of greed, hatred, and delusion from toppling the other practices. Patience (kṣānti) is the ability to face suffering and insult without giving rise to resentment. Diligence (vīrya) is steadfast strength in practice. Meditative concentration (dhyāna) is the settling of the mind in the light of emptiness.
Finally, the tenth chapter discusses the wisdom of emptiness (śūnyatā-prajñapti). This is the most profound chapter, setting in motion the whole doctrinal learning of Madhyamaka. Wisdom of true reality is not nihilism, but the realization that all dharmas lack independent self-nature and are always mutually dependent.
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