The Way of the Bodhisattva : A Translation of the Bodhicharyavatara

Rating:
Summary: Another translation of the Bodhicaryavatara
Review: Although being a good translation of the Bodhicaryavatara, my impression is that this English translation lacks behind the one from Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton. The reason is that the authors have tried to provide a more poetic version of the text, to the detriment of the accuracy in meaning. Although such an intent is laudable, the result is mitigated. The problem comes from the language with its too different cultural roots, English appears difficult for allowing a poetic translation of a text of this nature. For exanple, the French translation from Louis Finot achieves accuracy and poetry at the same time.

Nevertheless, the translation is still very good, and the comments are sufficiently detailed for the reader to grasp all the substance from this wonderful text.

Rating:
Summary: Shantideva's Guide
Review: Shatideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life is a very practical guide for those seeking to actualize the six perfections of Buddhism. It is a book that will reward your study over and over again, and is meant to be read and studied more than once. I have read three different translations of this work. The Shambala edition is the most poetic of the three and what it gains in poetry it slightly looses in meaning. My first choice is the version published by the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives. That is not to slight the Shambala edition though, for it merely presents another view of an immense landscape. If you have any interest in Buddhism and have some background in basic Buddhist ideas, read this book, and try your best to put it into practice.

Rating:
Summary: Such a treasure!
Review: This book means so much to me. It has changed my outlook on life, and has given me a lot of comfort. I was raised Baptist and maintain a lot of the Christian values. Mahayana Buddhist values fit quite nicely. I have found a new kind of happiness and learned, or at least I try, to appreciate every experience in my life, whether it is painful or not. I know this sounds cliche, but this book has changed my life, and I think anyone with an open mind will find comfort from the verses within this text.

Rating:
Summary: A Lovin' Spoonful
Review: This short book is the place to start if you genuinely aspire to understand and undertake Mahayana practice. (That in itself is a wonderful aspiration, and I sincerely thank you for it.) Why this translation, though?

The Padmakara Translation Committee does great work. They have chosen the tradition of practice and practical experience as the basis of their translation over scholarly adherance to the Sanskrit original, translating from the Tibetan text, informed also by many generations of disciplined practitioners including themselves. And the poetry is as good as it can be, which helps if you want to memorize parts of the text. This translation has at its back the energy and immediate relevance of living tradition and real practice, which is priceless.

As is sometimes the case with traditional Buddhism, though, some moments give the contemporary reader pause; Shantideva's comments on women, like Milarepa's, come immediately to mind. The reader would do well to ask his or her teacher about this, IMHO, or find a teacher and ask.

Finally, a special note for those involved in Chogyam Trungpa's Shambhala community: Shantideva relies heavily on warrior imagery and metaphors of spiritual warfare that you may find illuminating in the context of Shambhala Training, Trungpa Rinpoche's comments on the warrior's practice, and Kalachakra teachings generally.