The 8th century Indian master Shantideva's classic guide to the Buddhist path, the Bodhicaryavatara or 'Entering the Bodhisattva Conduct', is to this day one of the most popular and important works of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. Presented here in a new English translation, it is supplemented with a detailed commentary composed by Sonam Tsemo (1142-1182), one of the most celebrated masters of the Sakya school in Tibet. The commentary shines a brilliant light on Shantideva's great work, clarifying every detail and resolving every difficult point. Translated into English from Tibetan for the first time, the commentary is an invaluable aid for all who wish for a full and deep understanding of the Bodhicaryavatara.Translated by Adrian O'Sullivan, a student of Lama Jampa Thaye for over two decades and a director of Sakya Samten Ling in Santa Monica, California. His previous translations include Tsarchen Losal Gyamtso's Opening the Door to Precious Accomplishments (2005), Telescope of Wisdom (2009) and The Lamp that Dispels Darkness (2013), the latter two being translations of commentaries composed by the great Sakya and Karma Kagyu master Karma Thinley Rinpoche.

Bodhicaryavatara With Commentary, Shantideva and Sonam Tsemo, Dechen Foundation, Paperback, 2020, 538 pages, $29.99

Shantideva was an 8th-century CE Indian philosopher, Buddhist monk, poet, and scholar at the mahavihara of Nalanda. He was an adherent of the Madhyamaka philosophy of Nagarjuna. He is also considered to be one of the 84 mahasiddhas and is known as Bhusuku Pa.

Sonam Tsemo, an important Tibetan sprirtitual leader and Buddhist scholar, was the second of the so-called Five Venerable Supreme Sakya Masters of Tibet, the founding fathers of the Sakya tradition.