The Bodhicaryavatara: A Guide to the Buddhist Path of Awakening

The Bodhicaryavatara is one of the best-loved Buddhist texts. It tells of a noble ideal: a compassionate life lived for the well-being of the world. Through his uplifting verses, Santideva, the eighth-century monk and poet, outlines the training undertaken by one wishing to follow his vision - a path of selflessness which is much needed today. This is the translation by Kate Crosby and Andrew Skilton, with clear explanatory notes and an introduction by Paul Williams.

About the Author :
Kate Crosby studied Sanskrit, Pali and other Buddhist languages, Indian religions and Buddhism at Oxford (MA and D.Phil., St. Hugh's and St. Peter's). She also studied at the universities of Hamburg and Kelaniya (Sri Lanka), as a Commonwealth Scholar, and with traditional teachers in Pune, Varanasi and Kathmandu. In addition to textual work using mainly classical languages, as well as some in mixed Pali-Sinhala, she has conducted fieldwork in most Theravada countries. She is co-editor of the international peer-review journal Contemporary Buddhism and a member of the Theravada Civilizations Project. Kate is currently Professor of Buddhist Studies at King's College London. She has previously held posts in Buddhism, Pali and Sanskrit at the universities of SOAS, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Cardiff and SOAS, London, as well visiting posts at McGill, Dongkuk and at the Buddhist Institute, Phnom Penh. Born in 1957 in Croydon, Surrey, Andrew Skilton began to develop an interest in Buddhism for a number of years before he was ordained as a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order in 1979, and given the Buddhist name 'Sthiramati'. He worked for several years in the development of a Buddhist centre in Croydon, England, before moving to Bristol and initiating the activities of the Bristol Buddhist Centre in 1980. Increasingly drawn to the study of Buddhist doctrine and history, he studied for his first degree in Theology and Religious Studies, which he was awarded in 1988, at the University of Bristol. Having begun a study of the Sanskrit and Pali languages there, he spent three years studying privately, translating and writing, before moving to Oxford in 1991 where he wrote his doctorial thesis on the Samadhiraja Sutra. He is currently Lecturer in Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Cardiff University.