Training Anthology of Śāntideva

The Training Anthology—or TŚikṣā-samuccaya—is a collection of quotations from Buddhist sutras with illuminating and insightful commentary by the eighth-century North Indian master Śāntideva. Best known for his philosophical poem, the Bodhicaryavatara, Śāntideva has been a vital source of spiritual guidance and literary inspiration to Tibetan teachers and students throughout the history of TibetanBuddhism. Charles Goodman offers a translation of this major work of religious literature, in which Śāntideva has extracted, from the vast ocean of the Buddha's teachings, a large number of passages of exceptional value, either for their practical relevance, philosophical illumination, or aesthetic beauty. The Training Anthology provides a comprehensive overview ofthe Mahayana path to Awakening and gives scholars an invaluable window into the religious doctrines, ethical commitments, and everyday life of Buddhist monks in India during the first millennium CE. This translation includes a detailed analysis of the philosophy of the Training Anthology, an introduction to Śāntideva's cultural and religious contexts, and informative footnotes. The translation conveys the teachings of this timeless classic in clear and accessible English, highlighting for the modern reader the intellectual sophistication, beauty, and spiritual grandeur of the original text.

Charles Goodman has taken on the important task of rendering this valuable text into readable twenty-first-century English - not an easy task, given the often abstract and passive prose in the texts composite Buddhist and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. That in itself would be a major contribution, but Goodman's effort goes considerably further ... This work easily surpasses Bendall and Rouse as the definitive English translation of the Śik'

Charles Goodman is a Buddhist scholar, philosopher, translator, and meditation teacher. He is an Associate Professor at Binghamton University. His academic interests include ethical theory, Buddhist philosophy, metaphysics, and applied ethics. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and is the author of Consequences of Compassion: An Interpretation and Defense of Buddhist Ethics.