The Way of the Bodhisattva

By: Shantideva, Padmakara Translation Group - translator

Narrated by: Wulstan Fletcher

Treasured by Buddhists of all traditions, The Way of the Bodhisattva (Bodhicharyavatara) is a guide to cultivating the mind of enlightenment, and to generating the qualities of love, compassion, generosity, and patience. This text has been studied, practiced, and expounded upon in an unbroken tradition for centuries, first in India, and later in Tibet. Presented in the form of a personal meditation in verse, it outlines the path of the Bodhisattvas--those who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake.

This version, translated from the Tibetan, is a revision by the translators of the 1997 edition. 

Cover art: Guanyin of the Southern Sea, Chinese, Liao (907-1125) or Jin Dynasty (1115-1234),  wood with polychrome, 95 by 65 inches, courtesy of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 34-10. Photo: Nelson-Atkins Media Services/Jamison Miller.

I am grateful to be studying this

May you too find peace and wisdom in this great work. Nothing makes more sense during this great world lockdown of crimes against humanity. May we all be boddhisatvas.

Mahayana buddhism gem.

This depiction of reality personas, archetypes and stories speaks to something deep in me, I understand sort of more complexly in opposite to science based categorical depiction of the world (which doesnt mean any of it is better, maybe after thousands of years we will understand this science language in the same way as those old naratives). I can only imagine that in the original text those verses are much more beautiful.

Spectacular!

The definitive treatise on how and why raising ones’ level of ‘loving kindness’ is so beneficial for all beings. Some of the terms/words used in this translation have fallen out of vogue (I am grateful for a thorough and lengthy education in the English language and diction) so some may benefit from having a dictionary or thesaurus at hand.
Choose times when you will be least distracted and the import of this work will land firmly.

El mejor libro en la historia de la humanidad

Una instrucción detallada para alcanzar el décimo Bumi del Bodhisattva 🙏🏽❤️🦚, aquel qué busca el despertar (iluminación) con el único motivo de ser de beneficio (servir) a todos los demás seres, a través de la Bodichita! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

Complete and Perfect Guide

19. And may the naked now be clothed, And all the hungry eat their fill. And may those parched with thirst receive Pure waters and delicious drink.
20. May the poor and destitute find wealth, The haggard and the careworn, joy. May those now in despair be whole in mind, Endowed with sterling constancy.
21. May every being ailing with disease Be freed at once from every malady. May every sickness that afflicts the living Be wholly and forever absent from the world.
22. May those who go in dread have no more fear. May captives be unchained and now set free. And may the weak receive their strength. May living beings help each other in kindness.
23. May travelers upon the road Find happiness no matter where they go, And may they gain, without the need of toil, The goals on which they set their hearts.
24. May those who put to sea in boat or ship, Attain the ports that they desire, And may they safely come to shore And sweet reunion with their kith and kin.
25. May those who lose their way and wander In the wild find fellow travelers. And safe from threat of thieves and savage beasts, May they be tireless and their journey light.
26. May children and the aged, and all those without protection Wandering in the fearful, pathless wastes, Who fall asleep unconscious of their peril, Have pure celestial beings as their guardians.
27. May all be freed from states of bondage, May they be possessed of wisdom, faith, and love. With perfect sustenance and conduct, May they always have remembrance of their former lives.
28. May everyone have unrestricted wealth Just like the treasury of space, Enjoying it according to their wish, Without a trace of harm or enmity.
29. May beings destitute of splendor, Be magnificent and bright. And those who suffer from deformity Acquire great beauty and perfection.
30. May all the women of the world Attain the strength of masculinity.117 And may the lowly come to excellence, The proud and haughty lose their arrogance.
31. And thus by all the merit I have gained, May every being, leaving none aside, Abandon all their evil ways Embracing goodness now and ever more.
32. From bodhichitta may they never separate, And constantly engage in Bodhisattva actions. May they be accepted as disciples by the Buddhas, Drawing back from what is demons’ work.
33. And may these beings, each and every one, Enjoy an unsurpassed longevity. Living always in contentment, May the very name of death be strange to them.
34. In all the ten directions and on every side May groves of wish-fulfilling trees abound, Resounding with the sweetness of the Teachings, Spoken by the Buddhas and their Bodhisattva heirs.
35. And may the earth be wholesome everywhere, Free from boulders, cliffs, and chasms, Flat and even like a level palm, And smooth like lapis lazuli.
36. For many circles of disciples, May multitudes of Bodhisattvas Live in every land, Adorning them with every excellence.
37. From birdsong and the sighing of the trees, From shafts of light and from the sky itself, May living beings, each and every one, Perceive the constant sound of Dharma.
38. And always may they come into the presence of the Buddhas, And meet with Bodhisattvas, offspring of the same. With clouds of offerings unbounded, May the teachers of the world be worshipped.
39. May kindly spirits bring the rains on time, For harvests to be rich and plentiful. May princes rule according to the Dharma; May the world be blessed with all prosperity.
40. May medicines be full of strength; May secret words of power be chanted with success. May spirits of the air that feed on flesh Be kind, their minds imbued with pity.
41. May beings never suffer anguish. Let them not be sick nor evilly behave. May they have no fear, nor suffer insults. Always may their minds be free from sorrow.