Bodhisattvacharyavatara

by Andreas Kretschmar | 246,740 words

The English translation of the Bodhisattvacharyavatara (“entering the conduct of the bodhisattvas”), a Sanskrit text with Tibetan commentary. This book explains the bodhisattva concept and gives guidance to the Buddhist practitioner following the Mahāyāna path towards the attainment of enlightenment. The text was written in Sanskrit by Shantideva ...

Being ignorant about what actually causes our own states of happiness, we need to rely on a spiritual friend [dge ba’i bshes gnyen, skr. kalyāṇamitra] who educates us in the initial stages of the path, telling us what actions we should undertake and what we should avoid. Without a spiritual friend, we are like blind people lost in the desert. A blind person needs a guide to reach his destination, and likewise we need a spiritual friend to show us the path to happiness, liberation, and omniscience.

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