Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva A New Translation and Contemporary Guide

This modern translation of an essential Mahayana Buddhist text captures the meaning and musicality of Shantideva's original verse and provides readers with an accessible guide to its profound depths.

This is a fresh translation of, and commentary on, Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva, perhaps the most renowned and thorough articulation of the bodhisattva path. Written by the eighth-century Indian monk Shantideva, Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva is a guide to becoming a bodhisattva, someone who is dedicated to achieving enlightenment in order to benefit all beings. Accomplished translator Khenpo David Karma Choephel communicates the power of Shantideva's insights through careful attention to both the meaning and the rhythmic pulse of each stanza, all the while providing necessary context and practical advice for modern readers.

After presenting the full translation, Khenpo David Karma Choephel then introduces readers to the text, explaining the key points of each chapter with clarity and wisdom. Combining a uniquely poetic translation with detailed analysis, this book is a comprehensive guide to developing oneself in service of others. Teachings that have been at the heart of Mahayana practice for centuries are given new life, and the supporting commentary makes the text accessible and applicable to practitioners. Readers interested in the bodhisattva path will find this a comprehensive resource filled with captivating verse and incisive interpretations.

SHANTIDEVA (8th c.) was a scholar from the monastic university Nalanda, one of the most celebrated centers of learning in ancient India. He is renowned as the author of Entering the Way of the Bodhisattva, which legend says is a teaching that he delivered as he rose into the sky and vanished.

KHENPO DAVID KARMA CHOEPHEL is Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche's main English-language translator as well as the translator of many books on Tibetan Buddhism. He studied Buddhist philosophy at the Vajra Vidya Institute in Namo Buddha, Nepal, and Sarnath, India, and earned the title of Khenpo, essentially a PhD in the Tibetan system.