“The precious gem of bodhicitta, those who have not yet generated it should generate it.
What has already been born should not be lost; it should continue to grow and develop.”
The Way of the Bodhisattva
The necessity of learning
"The Bodhisattva's Way of Life" is an indispensable text for those studying Mahayana Buddhism. In all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, practitioners in every legitimate monastery will recite and study this text; moreover, it has become a widely held belief that to be a true practitioner, one must be well-versed in "The Bodhisattva's Way of Life."
Course Introduction
The "Introduction to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" program focuses on the "Bodhisattva's Way of Life" as the main course of study. Among the 84,000 teachings of Buddhism, its essence is the Mahayana Bodhicitta, and the arising of Bodhicitta relies on the key instructions of the lineage masters.
The "Bodhisattvacharyavatara" is universally recognized in both India and Tibet as the most systematic and complete treatise on cultivating bodhicitta. It is a required text in every formal monastery in Tibet, and Mahayana practitioners from all Tibetan schools regard it as a guiding principle.
If you have a strong aspiration for the study and contemplation of the Exoteric Mahayana teachings and a strong yearning for the essence of Mahayana Buddhism—the Bodhicitta—you can choose to specialize in the "Entering the Bodhisattva's Path" text.