A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life

One of the most distinctive traits of Tibetan Buddhism is its embrace of the noble path of the bodhisattva, an enlightened one who refuses union with the bliss of nirvana until all sentient beings have achieved enlightenment. Consequently, in these writings, Santideva teaches the cultivation of the six perfections of the bodhisattva way of life--generosity, ethics, patience, zeal, meditative concentration and wisdom. Few texts are as central to Tibetan Buddhism as the Bodhicaryavatara, for it is the primary source of most of the Tibetan Buddhist literature on the cultivation of altruism and the Spirit of Awakening. The two translators of this new edition bring enormous skill and sensitivity to the complex process of delivering this text from its original Sanskrit and the canonical Tibetan translation into modern English. Their use of both the Sanskrit and the Tibetan commentaries on the Bodhicaryavatara ensures that this new translation is a faithful representation of Santideva's teachings. The Wallace and Wallace edition will thus stand for many years as the standard English translation of this key Tibetan Buddhist text. (Apr.)