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 ...

A qualified master [mtshan ldan gyi bla ma] refers to a master who is endowed with genuine bodhicitta [bcos ma ma yin pa’i byang chub sems], who has received the empowerments and keeps the samāyas; who has mastered view, meditation and conduct; who has gained the signs of recitation and freed his mind through realization.

A qualified master is peaceful and compassionate. From such a qualified master one should receive the profound instructions [zab mo gdams ngag], the teachings on how to realize profound emptiness [zab mo stong pa nyid], the essence of one’s mind. The profound instructions on how to realize the view of emptiness are taught in sūtra as well as in tantra.

This human body is difficult to gain but easy to lose through disease, famine and weapons [nad mug mtshon gsum]. Therefore, one should give up all worldly activities. As practictioners we must give up the major jobs [che bzhag] in life and drop the minor duties [chung bskyur], simply leaving them unfinished.

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