Like the bestselling A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of the Night, Practicing Wisdom focuses on Shantideva''s Way of the Bodhisattva. While the former includes only a brief introduction to Shantideva''s complex and crucial ninth chapter on insight, Practicing Wisdom is a full and detailed follow-up commentary, making it an invaluable statement on the fundamental concept behind Buddhist thought and practice.

Shantideva says at the beginning of the final chapter of his Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life: "All branches of the Buddha''s teachings are taught for the sake of wisdom. If you wish to bring an end to suffering, you must develop wisdom." Shantideva''s ninth chapter is revered in Tibetan Buddhist circles as one of the most authoritative expositions of the Buddha''s core insight, and all other Buddhist practices are means to support the generation of this wisdom within the practitioner. In Practicing Wisdom, the Dalai Lama reaffirms his reputation as a great scholar, communicator, and embodiment of the Buddha''s Way by illuminating Shantideva''s verses, drawing on contrasting commentaries from the Nyingma and Gelug lineages, and leading the reader through the stages of insight up to the highest view of emptiness. These teachings, delivered in southern France in 1993, have been masterfully translated, edited, and annotated by Geshe Thupten Jinpa, the Dalai Lama''s primary translator and founder of the Institute of Tibetan Classics.


Practicing Wisdom: The Perfection of Shantideva's Bodhisattva Way, Dalai Lama, Geshe Thupten Jinpa, translator, Wisdom Publications, Paperback, 192 Pages, $20.95

Tenzin Gyamtso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born on July 6, 1935 in a small village called Takster in northeastern Tibet. At the age of two, His Holiness was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalaia Lama. He was enthroned at the age of five and assumed full political power in 1950. In 1959, His Holiness was forced into exile and has striven ever since for a peaceful solution to the the Sino-Tibetan crisis. He continually promotes his compassionate approach to life struggles, whether personal or global, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Editor's Preface	vii
1. Introduction	1
2. The Buddhist Context	5
3. The Two Truths Verses 1-4ab	16
4. Critiquing the Buddhist Realists Verses 4cd-15ab	31
5. The Mind-Only Viewpoint Verses 15cd-39	46
6. The Authenticity of the Mahayana Verses 40-43	62
7. Emptiness According to the Middle Way School Verses 44-59	75
8. The Nature and Existence of Self Verses 60-77	93
9. The Nature of Phenomena Verses 78-105	109
10. Countering Objections Verses 106-115	127
11. Key Arguments Refuting Intrinsic Existence Verses 116-167	142
12. Generating the Awakening Mind	161
Notes	167
Bibliography of Texts Cited	169
Index	173