A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva

Tibetan thangka painting of Manjushri, Shantideva, and Patrul Rinpoche painted by Khenpo Sherab Sangpo's nephew, Padma Chophel.

This thangka painting of the protector Mañjughoṣa, Śāntideva, and Patrül Rinpoché was painted by Khenpo Sherab Sangpo’s nephew for the occasion of our first group practice of The Bodhicaryāvatāra Offering during our May Retreat in 2023.

 

Homage to Śāntideva

Throughout all your lives, you took the protector Mañjughoṣa,
As the lord of your buddha family, and for the sake of all,
Illuminated the excellent path of the bodhisattva’s way of life,
To Śāntideva, son of the buddhas, I pay homage!

Teachings with Khenpo Sherab Sangpo

Khenpo Sherab Sangpo is offering a series of teachings on A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva. You can watch all of the videos on our YouTube channel’s Shantideva playlist.

 

In the video below from April 29, 2023, Khenpo Sherab Sangpo explains what bodhicitta is and how to practice it according to Shantideva, Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna, and Patrül Rinpoché’s teachings.

The Bodhicaryāvatāra Offering

མེ་ཏོག་དམ་པ་ཕྲེང་བ་དམ་པ་དང་། །
métok dampa trengwa dampa dang
To every buddha, I make offerings:

སིལ་སྙན་རྣམས་དང་བྱུག་པ་གདུགས་མཆོག་དང་། །
silnyen nam dang chukpa dukchok dang
Of the loveliest flowers, of beautiful garlands.

Study Resources on Shantideva and A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life

There are a number of translations into English of A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva. See some chapters of the root text on Lotsawa House or the entire Duhuang edition with side-by-side Tibetan and English here. We also recommend the English translation called The Way of the Bodhisattva by Padmakara Translation Group.

Study Resources on Khenpo Kunzang Palden and Drops of Nectar

Drops of Nectar: A Commentary on the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra According to the Words of My Mañjushri-like Teacher by Khenpo Kunzang Palden (Khenpo Kunpal) is based on the teachings of Patrül Rinpoché. Andreas Kretschmar has translated the first five chapters of the commentary of Drops of Nectar.

 

Please note that Khenpo Sherab Sangpo has received the personal permission of Andreas Kretschmar to post the PDFs of his translation-in-progress on our website to support our students in studying this material.

Study Resources on Patrül Rinpoché and The Brightly Shining Sun

The Brightly Shining Sun is a text by Patrül Rinpoché that offers a step-by-step guide to meditating on A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life by Shantideva.

Supplication Prayer to Patrül Rinpoché

Outwardly, you are the bodhisattva Śāntideva,
Inwardly, Śāvaripa, the lord of the mahāsiddhas,
Secretly, Avalokiteśvara, the supreme and noble Self-liberation of Suffering—in person:
Jigmé Chökyi Wangpo, to you I pray!

In a biographical hymn to Patrul, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892) also alludes to Patrul being an incarnation of Śāntideva (7th century), the Indian siddha Shabari, and Aro Yeshe Jungne (13th century), and to his being an emanation of Dukngel Rangdrol, a form of the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara.

—Excerpt of Patrül Rinpoché’s biography by Joshua Schapiro on The Treasury of Lives