The Training Anthology of Santideva: A Translation of the Siksa-samuccaya

by Charles Goodman

Overview

The Training Anthology—or Siksa-samuccaya--is a collection of quotations from Buddhist sutras with illuminating and insightful commentary by the eighth-century North Indian master Santideva. Best known for his philosophical poem, the Bodhicaryāvatāra, Santideva (or Shantideva) has been a vital source of spiritual guidance and literary inspiration to Tibetan teachers and students throughout the history of Tibetan Buddhism. Charles Goodman offers a translation of this major work of religious literature, in which Santideva has extracted, from the vast ocean of the Buddha's teachings, a large number of passages of exceptional value, either for their practical relevance, philosophical illumination, or aesthetic beauty. The Training Anthology provides a comprehensive overview of the Mahayana path to Awakening and gives scholars an invaluable window into the religious doctrines, ethical commitments, and everyday life of Buddhist monks in India during the first millennium CE.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199391356
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/14/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Charles Goodman is a Buddhist scholar, philosopher, translator, and meditation teacher. He is an Associate Professor at Binghamton University.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations
The Training Anthology in its Cultural and Religious Contexts
The Philosophy of the Training Anthology
Notes on the Translation
Root Verses of the Training Anthology

1. The Perfection of Generosity
2. Upholding the Holy Dharma
3. Protecting the Dharma Teacher and so on
4. Giving Up What is Harmful
5. Giving Up What is Harmful through the Perfection of Moral Discipline
6. Protecting the Body
7. Protecting Possessions and Goodness
8. Clearing Away Vile Actions
9. The Perfection of Patient Endurance
10. The Perfection of Perseverance
11. Praise of the Wilderness
12. Preparing the Mind
13. The Applications of Mindfulness
14. Purifying the Body
15. Purifying Possessions and Goodness
16. The Ritual of Good Conduct
17. Benefits of Reverential Actions
18. Recollection of the Three Jewels
19. Enhancing Goodness

Appendix A: Training Anthology Ch. 18, B. 344-347, Tibetan Version
Appendix B: Partial List of Translation Choices
Appendix C: Texts Quoted in the Training Anthology

Notes
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

"Charles Goodman has taken on the important task of rendering this valuable text into readable twenty-first-century English - not an easy task, given the often abstract and passive prose in the text's composite Buddhist and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit. That in itself would be a major contribution, but Goodman's effort goes considerably further ... This work easily surpasses Bendall and Rouse as the definitive English translation of the Śi ksā, and I expect it to be used, cited, and treasured for decades if not centuries. It will enable new generations of students to appreciate both of Śāntideva's known works rather than just one." —Amod Lele, Journal of the American Oriental Society

"The Training Anthology provides a comprehensive overview of the Mahayana path to Awakening and gives scholars an invaluable window into the religious doctrines, ethical commitments, and everyday life of Buddhist monks in India during the first millennium CE."—Reading Religion

"For all the many admirers of Santideva, scholars and practitioners, Buddhist and non-Buddhist alike, this book is a treat and an education. It rewards readers with Goodman's eminently readable introduction and deeply informed synopsis of the text, all contextualizing his smooth and skillful translation from the Sanskrit and Tibetan of Santideva's 'other' great work, the Training Anthology. This is a must-read for everyone interested in further background to Santideva's thinking and practical advice, and for thoughtful persons from any tradition who reflect on the place of rational thought in the life and heart of compassionate, philosophically astute, practitioners."-Anne C. Klein, author of Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse

"Goodman has done a valuable service in not only bringing out a new translation of Santideva's Siksa-samuccaya, but also, and more importantly, breathing new life into the meaning of the text through his deliberate translation choices, apparent right away from the title. He succeeds not only in conveying the ideas and thoughts in modern English, but also evoking the emotions and sensibilities that the original audience might have experienced."-Geshe Dadul Namgyal, Senior Resident Teacher, Drepung Loseling Monastery, Atlanta; Interpreter/Translator, Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, Emory University

From the Publisher