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 ...

In his external conduct, Śāntideva acted like someone who was chiefly interested in eating, sleeping, and strolling around.

For this reason he came to be called Bhusuku, ’one who just eats, sleeps, and strolls around’.

This description, meant to ridicule Śāntideva, became his nickname. In contrast to the Tibetan interpretation of this name, Vibhūticandra’s version of Śāntideva’s life story indicates that the name ’Bhusuku’ was meant to praise Śāntideva’s ability to remain in the meditative state of luminosity during all activities, such as eating, sleeping, and strolling around. Possibly, the Tibetan scholars may have misinterpreted this name as having a negative connotation.

Vibhūticandra’s commentary on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra says,[1]

“Regardless of whether he was eating, sleeping, or strolling around, he constantly meditated on luminosity. Since he was (actually) dwelling in a samādhi called Bhusuku, he became widely known as Bhusuku”

[za rung nyal rung ’chags rung rgyun tu ’od gsal bsgom pas bhu su ku zhes ting nge ’dzin la gnas pa’i phyir bhu su ku zhes ming yongs su grags so].

The corresponding Sanskrit version[2] of Vibhūticandra’s commentary reads:

“bhuñjāno ’pi prabhāsvaraṃ supto ’pi kuṭim gato ’pi tad eveti bhāsukusamādhisamāpannatvāt bhāsukunāmākhyātaṃ.”

The name Bhusuku is constructed from the first syllables of the Sanskrit words bhuñjāno, supto and kuṭiṃ gata. Khenpo Kunpal gives bhukta for skr. bhuñjāno, susta for skr. supto and kucchiva for skr. kuṭīṃ gata.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See vibhūti dgongs ’grel, page 236, folio 231a1-2.

[2]:

See Śāntideva mystique boudhiste, page 30; Légende de Śāntideva, pages 170-171 and Zum Leben des Śāntideva, page 11.

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