The Bodhicaryavatara Audiobook By Śāntideva cover art

The Bodhicaryavatara

A Guide to the Buddhist Path to Awakening

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The Bodhicaryavatara

By: Śāntideva
Narrated by: William Hope
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Written in India in the early eighth century CE, Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara takes as its subject the profound desire to become a Buddha and save all beings from suffering. The person who enacts such a desire is a Bodhisattva.

Santideva not only sets out what the Bodhisattva must do and become; he also invokes the intense feelings of aspiration which underlie such a commitment, using language which has inspired Buddhists in their religious lives from his time to the present.

Important as a manual of training among Mahayana Buddhists, especially in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, The Bodhicaryavatara continues to be used as a basis for teaching by modern Buddhist teachers. His Holiness the Dalai Lama frequently cites passages as his highest inspiration.

In this recording, William Hope first of all reads the work in its entirety so that the listener can gain an overall perspective and emotional engagement with the text and then embarks on the 'study' section, where the translators introduce each chapter, making crucial helpful points.

Translated with introductions and notes by Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton. With a general introduction by Paul Williams.

©1995 Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton (P)2016 Ukemi Productions Ltd Buddhism
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listened to it over and over. a Great book . hope it stays on my phone

Bodhisattva training

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A very deep and inspiring book portraying many of the Buddhist philosophies that would benefit the lay and well learned alike. Although not the best for beginners there is much to take away and meditate upon within this great Buddhist writing.

Excellent narration also.

Very Insightful

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I'm so grateful to the translators for their wonderful work and for making this text available

Nice

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This is a very good translation of a great Buddhist text, and I can feel the heart and soul of the reader in this audiobook.

I just have one suggestion: each line of the verse has an identifying number, the number obviously is added for reference. In reading the book, you don’t really need to read each number, which breaks the flow of the listening experience, and gets a little bit annoying. It will be much better to read the number for the first line, read several lines of the verse, break at a natural place, before you read the number for the next line of the verse.

Great reading on a great book. One suggestion.

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I'm not a good reader so I'm grateful that this Buddhist classic is made available in audio format. However I do struggle with the content being slightly dry and outdated (at times) and feel Shantideva's work would be much better understood with commentary. The narrator's style was rather off putting also. Nevertheless, I'm very grateful for this being made accessible.

Grateful

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The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva is an all time Mayahana Buddhist classic perfect for in depth study and contemplation. This audio version is a bit overdramatic and almost aggressive in it’s expression which will be great for some as it is likely to be engaging, but if your looking to do some quiet contemplation while listening, it’s not exactly mellow.

Amazing Text, Overdramatic Reading

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