Bodhicaryavatara
BODHICARY?VAT?RA
Bodhicary?vat?ra (Introduction to the Conduct That Leads to Enlightenment; Byang chub sems dpa'i spyod pa la 'jug pa) is, with Candrak?rti's seventh-century Madhyamak?vat?ra (Introduction to Madhyamaka), the most important text integrating Madhyamaka philosophy into the bodhisattva path. The text is structured around meditation on the altruistic "awakening mind" or bodhicitta (thought of awakening) and its development through p?ramit? (perfection). The longest chapter is on prajÑ? (wisdom) and treats philosophical analysis. Written by ?antideva (ca. 685–763), the poem was popular in late Indian Buddhism and has been enormously important in Tibet.
See also:Bodhisattva(s); Madhyamaka School
Bibliography
Brassard, Francis. The Concept of Bodhicitta in ? ?ntideva's Bodhicary?vat?ra. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000.
Crosby, Kate, and Skilton, Andrew, trans. ? ?ntideva: The Bodhicary?vat?ra. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Gyatso, Geshe Kelsang. Meaningful to Behold, tr. Tenzin Norbu. London: Wisdom, 1986.
Wallace, Visna A., and Wallace, B. Allan, trans. A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life (Bodhicary?vat?ra). New York: Snow Lion, 1997.
Williams, Paul. Altruism and Reality: Studies in the Philosophy of the Bodhicary?vat?ra. Richmond, UK: Curzon, 1998.
