Bodhisattvas Way of Life, Sunday, May 20th 3:30pm to 5pm Open to all!

Open to all!

The Bodhisattvacharyāvatāra or Bodhicaryāvatāra, sometimes translated into English as A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s[1] Way of Life, is a famous Mahāyāna Buddhist text written c. 700 AD in Sanskrit verse by Shantideva (Śāntideva), a Buddhist monk at Nālandā Monastic University in India.
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 o ne of the most popular Mahāyāna prayers.

Wilson will provide commentary on this well-known text as well as use guided meditations during the class times. We will not be providing the text/book. It is encouraged that you purchase your own book. There are various translations available and any would do for the class. Alternatively you can also google the text and find the files of the text online. A Bodhisattva’s Way of Life