Shantideva
Eighth-century Indian Mahayana Buddhist monk-scholar at the great university of Nalanda and author of the Bodhicaryavatara (The Way of the Bodhisattva), the most widely-studied text on the bodhisattva path in Tibetan Buddhism. The traditional account holds that Shantideva appeared lazy and ordinary at Nalanda — eating, sleeping, defecating, and seeming to do little else — until challenged to recite teachings before the assembly, at which point he composed the Bodhicaryavatara extemporaneously, rising into the air as he reached the final chapter on emptiness, his voice growing more distant until it could no longer be heard. The Dalai Lama has called the Bodhicaryavatara the most important book on the bodhisattva path ever written.
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Quotes by Shantideva
107 quotes“Wisdom is the eye of the bodhisattva. Without it, all other paramitas are blind.”
“Even the smallest virtue, dedicated to all beings, becomes inexhaustible.”
“To repay the kindness of one's mother, one must work for the welfare of all sentient beings.”
“Aspiration without action is like a cloud without rain.”
“Action without wisdom is like a drum without a drummer.”
“The bodhisattva's vow: until samsara is empty, I will work for beings.”
“To one who possesses bodhichitta, every situation is an opportunity for awakening.”
“This precious human birth is rare. Do not waste it.”
“The mind is the master. Train it well.”
“In one moment of forgetting bodhichitta, eons of merit can be lost.”
“The body is borrowed. Why be vain about borrowed clothing?”
“Even those who hate you are teaching you patience.”
“To be angry at one who has harmed you is to drink poison and expect them to die.”
“In the open hand, no anger can stay.”
“Practice in solitude when possible. Practice in society when necessary.”
“The greatest enemy is one's own afflictive emotions.”
“To one who has trained in patience, no provocation can shake the mind.”
“Death is certain. The hour of death is uncertain. Practice now.”
“All the joy the world contains has come through wishing happiness for others.”
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