Buddhist Ethics and the Bodhisattva Path

Stephen Harris is University Lecturer at Leiden University’s Institute for Philosophy, the Netherlands.

[Buddhist Ethics and the Bodhisattva Path] is precisely cut, with careful attention to canonical and secondary literature and clean articulation of arguments underpinned by meticulous philology. It is deeply colored by attention to the larger ethical and moral psychological issues Santideva raises. It is beautifully clear, written in an accessible prose style that makes Santideva’s project accessible to any reader, presupposing no background in Buddhist philosophy. And it is comprehensive, addressing Santideva’s system in its entirety. This volume will hence be of enormous value to ethicists who want to learn something about Buddhist ethics, to Buddhist Studies scholars who want to talk to their philosopher colleagues, and to teachers who want to address Buddhist philosophy ... Those coming to Buddhist ethics, or to Santideva’s texts for the first time—whether as students or as philosophers new to this area—will find it a lucid and reliable guide to the Guide.

• Series Editor PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction 1. Selfless Character: Virtue without a Self 2. Giving as Abandoning 3. Three: Patience and the Irrationality of Anger4. Compassion and Desire 5. Joy 6. Wisdom and the Transformation of Experience 7. Dedication: Until the End of Space and Time Conclusion NotesWorks Cited Index