Bodhisattva Awakening

“As one of the greatest exponents of the Kadam mind-training tradition, Gyalsé Thokmé Sangpo is revered by all schools of Tibetan Buddhism. His commentary on the Guide to the Bodhisattva Way was especially prized by the great nineteenth-century master Paltrul Rinpoché, who often taught it in his tireless propagation of Santideva’s teaching. As a result, Thokmé Sangpo has exerted a lasting and pervasive influence on the nonsectarian commentarial tradition that subsequently developed into the present age. Previously inaccessible to Western readers, this wonderful commentary is now at last available. And we are fortunate to have it in such a fine translation.”–Wulstan Fletcher, Padmakara Translation Group
“Santideva’s universally beloved Guide to the Bodhisattva Way (Bodhicaryavatara) has received over a hundred Tibetan commentaries, few of them as inspiring or influential as The Ocean of Excellent Discourses of Thokmé Sangpo (1295-1369), which is distinctive for its incorporation of the Indian commentators and its unusually lucid presentation of the chapter on wisdom. Julia Stenzel and Thupten Jinpa’s fine translation and analysis of Thokmé Sangpo’s text is a vital contribution to our understanding of the reception of Santideva’s classic in Tibet, and will be appreciated equally by scholars of Indian and Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism and by practitioners intent on unlocking the greatest single exposition of the path of the wise and compassionate bodhisattva.”–Roger R. Jackson, John W. Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion, emeritus, Carleton College

Thokme Sangpo (1295-1369) was trained and ordained in the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was also an important custodian and transmitter of the instructions of the Kadam school, with his writings focusing on the Indian treatises on the bodhisattva ideal and on the Tibetan tradition of mind training (lojong). He is said to have composed 115 works, served as abbot of Bodong E Monastery for nine years, and his masters included Buton. He trained figures such as Rendawa. Much of his later life was spent in seclusion.

Thupten Jinpa Langri was educated in classical Tibetan monastic academia and received the highest academic degree of Geshe Lharam, equivalent to a doctorate in divinity. Jinpa also holds a BA in philosophy and a PhD in religious studies, both from the University of Cambridge, England. Since 1985, he has been the principal English-language translator to the Dalai Lama. He has translated and edited many books by the Dalai Lama, including The World of Tibetan Buddhism, Essence of the Heart Sutra, and Ethics for the New Millennium. Jinpa has published scholarly articles on various aspects of Tibetan culture, Buddhism, and philosophy, and books such as Songs of Spiritual Experience (co-authored) and Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Thought. He serves on the advisory board of numerous educational and cultural organizations in North America, Europe, and India. He is currently the president and the editor-in-chief of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to translating key Tibetan classics into contemporary languages. He also currently chairs the Mind and Life Institute.

Julia Stenzel is an assistant professor at Rangjung Yeshe Institute, Centre for Buddhist Studies of Kathmandu University, Nepal. She received her PhD from McGill University, Montreal. Her research focuses on cross-cultural transformation processes of Buddhist contemplative traditions and their relevance in today’s world. Julia examined compassion meditations in Indian and Tibetan contexts and their secular application in contemporary secular settings. Her publications include The Sciencization of Compassion (2020) and Buddhist Monasteries of the Thai Forest Tradition in Ontario (2015).

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