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“In the meeting of wisdom and compassion, the bodhisattva is born.”
“Do not measure your practice. Just continue.”
“The mind that aspires to awaken is itself the seed of awakening.”
“Even one moment of bodhichitta arising in a sentient being is rare and precious.”
“In the recognition of emptiness, all clinging dissolves.”
“To grasp at self is the root of all suffering.”
“In the absence of self, what room is there for anger?”
“Every being who has ever been kind to you is asking for liberation through your practice.”
“In the practice of giving, the giver is the greatest beneficiary.”
“Discipline is not constraint. Discipline is the freedom from afflictive habits.”
“In the moment of recognizing emptiness, all dualities collapse.”
“The bodhisattva does not abandon samsara. The bodhisattva transforms it.”
“In the open hand of generosity, no enemy can rest.”
“Concentrate on emptiness in the morning. Practice compassion in the afternoon. Both meet at night.”
“The view of emptiness is the door. Compassion is the path through.”
“In the body of a bodhisattva, suffering is alchemized into wisdom.”
“The breath is the loom. Patience is the thread.”
“Whatever befalls you, make it a step toward awakening.”
“The bodhisattva's joy is not for self. The bodhisattva's joy is for the welfare of all.”
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