The Concept of Bodhicitta in Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra

Chapter One: Bodhicitta and the spiritual path of the Bodhisattva: Discusses methodological considerations, introduces Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra, and reviews scholarship, especially D. T. Suzuki and Sangharakshita. Chapter Two: Bodhicitta as a desire for enlightenment: Examines and critiques the view that bodhicitta is primarily desire, will, or intentional aspiration toward enlightenment. Chapter Three: Bodhicitta as an object of concentration: Evaluates the interpretation of bodhicitta as an object of meditative concentration and identifies its limitations. Chapter Four: Bodhicitta as cultivation of awareness: Develops the author’s main thesis: bodhicitta functions as a basis for cultivating awareness through religious language, detachment, devotion, and ethical transformation. Chapter Five: The aspect of renunciation: Analyzes mental afflictions (kleśas), patience (kṣāntipāramitā), and the workings of the mind as dimensions of renunciation. Chapter Six: The aspect of conversion: Explores the turning of the mind toward bodhicitta, especially through the Perfection of endeavor (vīryapāramitā). Chapter Seven: The aspect of contemplation: Discusses contemplation as the sustained awareness of the reality described by bodhicitta. Conclusion: Reaffirms that bodhicitta should be understood as a transformative cultivation of awareness in Śāntideva’s spiritual framework.