Who Is Master Shantideva?
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The Buddhist master Shantideva lived from approximately 685 to 763 CE. A scholar, realized meditation master, teacher and poet, Shantideva’s most well-known work is the Bodhicaryavatara, also known as a guide to the bodhisattva’s way of life.
Master Shantideva: A Legendary Buddhist Master, Teacher and Poet
Shantideva is a legendary Buddhist master. As is common with stories of realized beings, it’s not always clear which parts of their biography are historically accurate and which are not literal. Scholars agree, however, that Shantideva lived in the late 7th and early 8th century. He was born on the Saurashtra peninsula in the south of India and was perhaps the son of a king. Similar to the story of the Buddha Shakyamuni, he did not ascend to the throne when his father passed away, but chose to become a monk instead.
Some accounts say it was his mother who encouraged him to run from the kingdom and follow the monastic path. Others tell of a dream Shantideva had the night before he was to take his father’s throne. In the dream, the bodhisattva Manjushri appeared to Shantideva, confirming he was destined for greater spiritual work.
At the monastic university of Nalanda, Shantideva kept to himself, studying alone in his room. From the point of view of his fellow monks, he did nothing but eat, sleep and walk to the bathroom. The monks thus referred to him as Bhusuku, a Sanskrit play on the words for eating, sleeping and defecating. Frustrated with their seemingly lazy colleague, the monks hatched a plan to embarrass Shantideva and drive him to leave the monastery.
They built a large throne, impossibly high and decorated with lions. Claiming there was a new rule in which all monks were to give a public teaching, they invited him to speak. To the monks’ surprise, Shantideva agreed, and asked if they would like to hear a traditional teaching, or something new. He easily ascended to the top of the lion throne and addressed the audience with the spectacularly profound and poetic Bodhicaryavatara, also known as the Bodhisattvacaryavatara.
Upon reaching the 34th verse of the ninth chapter on emptiness, Shantideva began to levitate, rising up into the sky. In some accounts, he was accompanied by Manjushri. No longer visible, his voice continued to teach, completing the work.
Although some monks that day did their best to write down the teaching, so profound was the transmission, that they had trouble remembering exactly what was said. Upon later exploring Shantideva’s room, the monks found three works written by him, the Bodhicaryavatara, the Shikshasamucchaya, an influential and extensive commentary on sutra practices, and the Sutrasamucchaya, a summary of the main points of the sutra teachings.
Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara
Frequently translated as The Way Of The Bodhisattva, or Engaging In The Activity Of A Bodhisattva, Shantideva’s 10-chapter masterpiece describes how to give rise to bodhicitta, how to prevent it from dissipating, and how to further increase it throughout one’s life.
The first chapter describes the benefits of bodhicitta, the desire to reach enlightenment for the sake of all beings. The guide then guides us to take refuge in the three jewels, followed by Shantideva’s 7-branch prayer. This prayer is widely used today by Mahayana Buddhists as a preliminary to meditation practice. Subsequent chapters walk us through the 6 perfections of a bodhisattva. The verses conclude with another of Shantideva’s famous prayers, the dedication prayer.
Shantideva’s 10-chapter teaching in verse is a conversation with himself in which he logically addresses his own mental afflictions, convincing himself to choose compassion. From it, we get many much-beloved Shantideva quotes, including the following:
“If a problem can be solved, what reason is there to be upset? If there is no possible solution, what use is there in being sad?”
“All the joy the world contains comes through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains comes through wanting pleasure for oneself.”
“When the urge arises in your mind to feelings of desire or angry hate, Do not act! Be silent, do not speak! And like a bump on a log be sure to stay.”
With its emphasis on practice, Shantideva reminds us we need no special powers to live for the benefit of all beings. We need only to behave ethically, practice meditation and develop wisdom.
The ‘idle monk,’ it turns out, was not lazy at all, but quietly devoting himself to practice. In the 12th century, Shantideva was named among the 84 mahasiddhas, or great perfected beings of Buddhism, under the name Bhusuku. His work is revered by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism and continues to be praised by Buddhist scholars and teachers as a definitive description of how to practice the bodhisattva path.
