Meaningful to Behold: A Commentary to the Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life PDF
Preview Meaningful to Behold: A Commentary to the Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life
Also by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Clear Light of Bliss Buddhism in the Tibetan Tradition Heart of Wisdom Universal Compassion Joyful Path of Good Fortune MEANINGF.UL TO BEHOLD A COMMENTARY TO SHANTIDEVA'S GUIDE TO THE BODHISATTVA'S WAY OF LIFE Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Tharpa Publications London First published in 1980 by Wisdom Publications Second edition totally reset and revised 1986 Third edition 1989 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, except for the quotation of brief passages for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review. Tharpa Publications 15 Bendemeer Road London SW15 1JX © Geshe Kelsang Gyatso and Manjushri Institute, 1980, 1985, 1989 Cover painting of the bodhisattva Shantideva by the Tibetan artist Chating Jamyang Lama Cover photo of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso by Robin Bath Line illustration of Manjushri on page xxii by Andy Weber British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Kelsang Gyatso, Geshe, 1932 - Meaningful to Behold: A commentary to Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life, - 3rd ed. 1. Mahayana Buddhism. Bodhisattva doctrine I. Title 294.3'422 ISBN 0 948006 11 0 Set in Palatino by Fingerprint Graphics, London. Printed on acid-free 250 year longlife paper and bound in Great Britain by Billing & Sons Ltd, Worcester Contents Foreword vi Preface to the First Edition xi Preface to the Second Edition xvi Preface to the Third Edition xvii Introduction 1 1 The Benefits of Bodhichitta 9 2 Disclosure of Evil 43 3 Full Acceptance of Bodhichitta 79 4 Conscientiousness 103 5 Guarding Alertness 131 6 Patience 166 7 Effort 200 8 Concentration 224 9 Wisdom 283 10 Dedication 359 Conclusion 368 Notes 371 Outline of the Text 389 English-Tibetan Glossary 407 Bibliography 413 Index 417 Foreword by Yongdzin Trijang Rinpoche, the late Tutor to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama The excellent expounder, the great spiritual master Kelsang Gyatso, who studied myriad Buddhist scriptures at the famous Je College of the great monastic university of Sera, Tegchen Ling, practised the !lleaning of the teachings he received and became a wise, serious and realized teacher. From the rain of profound and extensive dharma that he has bestowed upon his fortunate disciples, he has recently given comprehensive instruction on the great Bodhisattvacharyavatara. This has now been made available in English in the text Meaningful to Behold, compiled from transcripts of his teaching and known in Tibetan as mThong ba don Idan. This text is the heart essence of all the sugatas of the three times and is the unsurpassable practice of the great sons of the ·conquerors. It explains clearly the mind of bodhichitta which develops through the equality and exchange of self and others: the foundation of the bodhisattva's way of life. It also explains the benefits of this mind of the mahayana tradition, the way we should guard this mind and how we should practise the great waves of the six perfections once the bodhichitta mind has been cultivated. As a great gathering of the paths of the mahayana tradition, it is therefore worthy of receiving many flowers of praise bestowed with appreciation. vi I pray and dedicate that all sentient beings may practise sincerely the meaning of the instructions explained in this text and may thereby accomplish effortlessly the twin purposes of themselves and others. May they all speedily reach the enlightened state of the four kayas by traversing in their grad~d order all the spiritual grounds and paths. Yongdzin Trijang Rinpoche Tutor to His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama vii viii Dedication Dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama and all the other great lamas of the four Tibetan traditions. As a result of their unceasing efforts, may Buddha's flawless teachings of sutra and tantra flourish for a great length of time and prove a source of peace and happiness for all beings. ix X
The list of books you might like
