Dharma Deep Dive | Course Two
Living the Bodhisattva Path: Bringing the Journey to Fruition
Chapters 7–10 of Shantideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra
Sundays | October 18, 25 & November 1, 8, 15, 22
In-person at Wisdom River Meditation Center or Online via Zoom.
Led by Lama Döndrup Drolma
11:30 AM - 1:45 PM Pacific
Shantideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra (The Way of the Bodhisattva) offers a profound vision of what it means to shape a human life around wisdom and compassion. Having established the aspiration to awaken for the benefit of all beings and explored the inner qualities that allow us to remain faithful to that aspiration, the final chapters turn toward bringing the bodhisattva path to fruition.
In this six-week course, we will explore Chapters 7–10, which guide us through four essential dimensions of the path:
Joyous Effort — cultivating the energy, confidence, and perseverance needed to continue on the path without becoming discouraged or overwhelmed
Meditative Concentration — learning to gather and stabilize the mind, creating the inner conditions in which compassion and wisdom can deepen
Wisdom — investigating the nature of self and phenomena and discovering how insight into emptiness transforms the way we relate to ourselves, others, and the world
Dedication — offering the goodness of our practice for the welfare of all beings and allowing the vast motivation of bodhicitta to encompass every aspect of our lives
Together, these chapters ask us to move beyond simply aspiring to live with wisdom and compassion. They show us how the bodhisattva path becomes increasingly embodied: through the energy we bring to practice, the stability of our attention, the depth of our understanding, and the widening of our concern beyond ourselves.
Shantideva’s teachings on wisdom are among the most profound passages of the Bodhicaryāvatāra, yet they are inseparable from his teachings on compassion. As our understanding of the fluid and interdependent nature of experience deepens, our habitual ways of separating self from other can begin to loosen. Wisdom and compassion reveal themselves not as separate aspects of the path, but as mutually supporting dimensions of awakening.
Through teaching, meditation, reflection, discussion, and contemplative practice, we will explore how these final chapters can help us cultivate a mind that is more stable, a heart that is more courageous, and a way of being that is increasingly available to the needs of the world.
No prior study of the Bodhicaryāvatāra is required, and students are welcome to join the exploration at this point in the text.
The deadline to register is Saturday, October 17 at 12 PM (Pacific).
**Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is included in the Bodhi Program as part of the curriculum. If you are already enrolled in Bodhi, you do not need to register separately for this series. **Please Note: This Dharma Deep Dive class series is NOT included in the Dharma Training Program. If you are enrolled in DTP and are interested in this series, you will need to register separately.