Wisdom: Chapter Nine of Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara
This class will take a slow, grounded journey into the world of madhyamaka. We will address such basic questions as "What are we talking about when we talk about existence? How do we actually think things exist? What do we find when we look closer and closer at things? Why is causation so important? What is empty of what? How does all this help us?"
Using the framework and content of the famous "Wisdom" chapter from Shantideva’s Bodhicaryavatara as the main reference point, we will make the text more accessible by branching off into the background and details of various major topics which arise throughout the chapter, and with which Shantideva assumes his readers are familiar. These topics include the Buddhist tenet systems, the schema of the 75 or 100 dharmas, the classification of phenomena into existents and non-existents, and the way cognition works with different types of objects.
We will use the version of the Bodhicharyavatara translated by Padmakara Translation Group, called The Way of the Bodhisattva, for the root text of the ninth chapter, and two supporting texts. Participants should purchase the book Practicing Wisdom by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.