I have found that the power the message has to engage my imagination is enhanced by presenting the message in relatively simple ways in rhyming verse. My own failure in imagination-not the power of Shantideva’s messages themselves-has led to my writing the verses in this work, Ocean of Compassion, A Guide to the Life of Universal Loving. Although I have long depended upon the inspiration I have drawn from Shantideva’s verses, I have found that the verses themselves-at least in their English translations, and to which in this form alone I have access-do not engage my imagination fully. Although I may or may not be correct about the purposes Shantideva undertook when he wrote Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, these are definitely the purposes for which I have written my verses. I will explain what I mean by analytical meditation in Parts II and III of this introduction. I imagine that the verses Shantideva wrote served as starting points for analytical meditation as well as guideposts for his thoughts, words, and actions. A mystical saint is someone who is motivated by universal, unbiased love and who has overcome separation from God. Within the monotheistic religions, I would use the name Mystical Saint to talk about what Buddhists call a Buddha. In Part III of this introduction, I will explain what the name Emptiness means within the context of Buddhist practice and how to understand and use the skills developed in Mahayana practice in any religion that accepts that there is an Ultimate Ground of All Things and that separation from this is the Problem of Living to be overcome. The purpose of this book is to aid anyone who sincerely wants to overcome his or her separation from the Ultimate Ground of All Things, which has been named using a variety words, including God. Everyone can become a Buddha all that one needs to do in order to become one is to cultivate universal, unbiased love and then engage in the practices that eventually overcome one’s separation from the Ultimate Ground of All Things however, this is more easily said than done. He produced a work intended to explain Mahayana Buddhist practices, which are engaged with the goal of achieving full Buddhahood for the benefit of all. Shantideva (687-763 CE), by his own admission, created his masterpiece, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, as an aid to his own spiritual practice. Is the finest chance to progress we can have ĭon’t waste this cherished time. Library of Congress Control Number: 2012902870Ĭhapter 2 The Engaging Bodhichitta of EffortĬhapter 3 The Engaging Bodhichitta of GenerosityĬhapter 4 The Engaging Bodhichitta of PatienceĬhapter 5 The Engaging Bodhichitta of Moral DisciplineĬhapter 6 The Engaging Bodhichitta of ConcentrationĬhapter 7 The Engaging Bodhichitta of Wisdom The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. WestBow Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:īecause of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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