C23-Bodhisattvacharyavatara (A Guide to The Bodhisattva’s Way of Life)

The Bodhisattvacharyavatara or The Way of the Bodhisattva or A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Indian Mahasiddha Shantideva (650-750) was composed while he was at Nalanda University. It is one of the classic works describing how to follow the path of a Bodhisattva.

Shantideva was believed to be an emanation of Manjushri Bodhisattva or at the very least, received direct guidance from this holy being. The account of how he gave this as a discourse while a student at Nalanda, the great ancient Indian Buddhist University, is interesting. The other students thought he was a very poor student and not qualified to study with them. He never appeared to study or participate in classes or anything. They conspired to embarrass him so that he would leave in humiliation. They asked him to give a discourse, thinking he would not be able to do so. They invited everyone and erected a dias or high platform upon which he would deliver his talk. When he arrived, he saw what they had done and asked them which they would prefer to hear: a commentary on something they were studying or something original?  They snickered and said the latter, thinking it would be even more impossible for him to do. They didn’t provide stairs to get up on the dias either. However, that did not upset Santideva in the least. He merely flew up to his seat and proceeded to give this classic and profound teaching on the “Six Paramitas.” It did not take the other students long to realize they had made a major mistake. This was the work of a great holy being, not an ordinary person like themselves. When he got to the chapter on the sixth Paramita of wisdom or prajna, Santideva disappeared into the clouds, but they could continue to hear him. He flew away and never went back to the university no matter how much the students begged him to do so.

This course requires that “G02-Spiritual Biography,” “G03(A)-Evolution of Buddhism & The Five Vidyas,” and “D35(A)-The 128 Evil and Erroneous Views” be completed as a prerequisite to taking this course.   There are many English translations of this short text, including some on-line. Image is statue of Kuan Yin Bodhisattva of the Southern Seas, Nelson-Atkins Art Museum, Kansas City, Missouri.