Reddit reviews The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Library)
We found 5 Reddit comments about The Way of the Bodhisattva (Shambhala Library). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Used Book in Good Condition
Way of the Bodhisattva - Shantideva
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Bodhisattva-Shambhala-Library/dp/1590306147/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1312863050&sr=8-1
Not for absolute newbies, but [Shantideva's The Way of the Bodhisattva] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Way-Bodhisattva-Shambhala-Library/dp/1590306147)
"With this translation, gleaming in its clarity, a Buddhist classic becomes an English classic. Worthy of recitation and committing to memory, Shantideva's words on such topics as doing good, reading sutras, guarding the mind, keeping good company, and on the nature of the mind and reality can take on a life of their own, to grow and blossom in a new native tongue. The text booms, like the voice of a Shakespearean actor"
Been studying/practicing for over a decade now; don't know exactly but probably 12-13 years or so. Started by reading the Nikayas, and then decided I needed to find a teacher and ended up a Kagyu Tibetan Buddhist.
Best place to start on Mahayana Philosophy is with the Bodhicharyavatara. I started on that myself with teachings on The Nectar of Manjushri's Speech, which is an excellent commentary for explaining it. It gets very deep into the philosophy when you reach the section on wisdom (and everything before that is a great preparation for understanding it). In some ways I'd really recommend reading that before reading the actual Bodhicharyavatara, as that is in verse and can be pretty difficult to understand correctly, so the commentary is really invaluable.
Coping mechanism number one: Since life ends at a point, it´s probably good to know how the time here is used best. My personal search brought me to The way of the Bodhisattva and I find great comfort in it!
The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way is amazing if you have a background in philosophy, more of a metaphysical look at existence, and why things have to exist this certain way that they do (won't spoil it for you)
The Way of the Bodhisattva is also good, you can find a free online version (I think it's a better translation than the printed version I read) at www.shantideva.net
I know it's only anecdotally about Buddhism, but Coffinman is a great novel, it got made into the award-winning film Departures (Okuribito) a few years back.