The Training Anthology--or TSiksa-samuccaya--is a collection of quotations from Buddhist sutras with illuminating and insightful commentary by the eighth-century North Indian master Santideva. Best known for his philosophical poem, the Bodhicaryavatara, Santideva has been a vital source of spiritual guidance and literary inspiration to Tibetan teachers and students throughout the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Charles Goodman offers a translation of this major work of religious literature, in which Santideva 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 of the 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 Santideva'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.
About the AuthorCharles 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.
ReviewsCharles 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 Sik * a, and I expect it to be used, cited, and treasured for decades if not centuries. It will enable new generations of students to appreciate both of Santideva's known works rather than just one.Journal of the American Oriental Society *
Book InformationISBN 9780199391356
Author Charles GoodmanFormat Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Oxford University Press IncPublisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 724g
Dimensions(mm) 234mm * 157mm * 32mm