Concept of Bodhicitta in Śāntideva's Bodhicaryāvatāra

Francis Brassard is Assistant Professor of Religion at Berry College, Georgia.

• List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. Bodhicitta and the spiritual path of the Bodhisattva 1. Methodological considerations2. Santideva’s Bodhicaryavatara i. The textii. Santidevaiii. Prajñakaramati 3. Review of literature i. Daisetz Teitaro Suzukiii. Sangharakshita 2. Bodhicitta as a desire for enlightenment 1. The idea of desire2. Criticism of bodhicitta as an act of will i. Citta (mind)ii. Citta-utpada (arising of the mind)iii. The two types of bodhicittaiv. The ethical aspect of bodhicitta 3. Conclusion3. Bodhicitta as an object of concentration 1. Arguments in favor of bodhicitta as an object of concentration i. Derivatives of the Sanskrit verbal roots √grah (to take) and √dhr (to hold)ii. The practice of meditationiii. Implications related to the idea of bodhicitta as an object of concentration 2. Criticism of bodhicitta as an object of concentration 4. Bodhicitta as cultivation of awareness 1. The nature of religious language i. The functional aspect of religious languageii. The metaphysical aspect of religious languageiii. The ethical aspect of religious language 2. The cultivation of awareness i. Examples of the cultivation of awarenessii. The feeling of detachmentiii. The breaking up of distinctions 3. The practice of devotion i. Saddha/sraddha 4. Conclusion 5. The aspect of renunciation i. The klesas (mental afflictions) and the cultivation of awarenessii. Ksantiparamita (the Perfection of patience)iii. The workings of the mind 6. The aspect of conversion i. Viryaparamita (the Perfection of endeavor) 7. The aspect of contemplation Conclusion NotesBibliographyIndex

"Brassard deals clearly and intelligently with key issues involved in this crucial topic." — Taigen Dan Leighton, cotranslator of Dogen's Pure Standards for the Zen Community: A Translation of Eihei Shingi"This is a thorough and careful exploration of the psychology and soteriology of a particular medieval Indian Buddhist work, Santideva's Bodhicaryavatara, with occasional reference to its only surviving Indian commentary (by Prajnakaramati)." — Paul J. Griffiths, author of On Being Buddha: The Classical Doctrine of Buddhahood