The Bodhicaryavatara (Oxford World's Classics)

Rating:
Summary: Point One: a hierarchical rating is dispensable.
Review: Clarification: the book is not as bad as it can be, neither is it as good as there can possibly be. It just is. It is truth/Truth. It has helped many find the path, it can help everyone and anyone if it is read conscientously. Let us put an end to suffering not for our own pityful selves, but for the sake of every other embodied being. Peace.

Rating:
Summary: A truly bad translation
Review: I'm at a loss to understand why anyone would recommend this translation of the Bodhicharyavatara, versus any of the other choices available on the market. It completely lacks the poetic quality of the Padmakara translation, and the straightforwardness of the Batchelor translation. I don't even understand why academics would want it--the notes are self-obvious.

The most readable translation I've come across is the Padmakara translation, published by Shambhala, and it includes a good introduction and substantial notes.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent translation and analytical comments
Review: On one hand the notes and comments are very useful for novice readers lacking the historical context as well as the cultural aspects of the writing of the Bodhicaryavatara. On the other hand, placing comments before each chapter makes the book more analytical, and this impacts on the depth and beauty of the verses of the Bodhicaryavatara itself. It is probably a good idea to read it once for understanding the why's and who's and then go back through it without reading the comments at all.

Since it has been written after or partly at the same time as the Siksa Samuccaya, interested readers should also get the Siksa Samuccaya and read both books. It is also probably easier to first read this book and only after having been taught the context of the "story" go to the Siksa Samuccaya which is difficult to understand without a consequent knowledge of the Buddhist culture.

Anyway, this is a high quality translation as well as a very good commented version of the Bodhicaryavatara. Recommended for all types of readers, novice as well as more advanced in the Buddhist thought.

If you really want to understand the Bodhicaryavatara this is one of the best books you can get.

Rating:
Summary: A good guide to the life of the Bodhisattva
Review: This book is about the Buddhist path to enlightenment, but contains many things applicable to improving anyone's life. It deals a lot with human suffering, and the need for people to help remove the suffering of others, as through this one's own life may be improved.
Although it is presented from a Buddhist perspective, much of the teaching is a good guide to self development, the principles that it teaches are hard to fault, and it remains centered on these things throughout the book.
The commentary deals with the Buddhist philosphies that Santideva uses, and explains the Buddhist principles involved, rather than explaining the teachings.

It gets pretty involved, but you can take quite a lot out of it.

"When the mental attitude of anger is slain, then slain is every enemy"......