大象传媒

Shantideva was an Indian Buddhist. His great work, the Bodhicharyavatara, or Entrance to the Path of Awakening became a major text of Tibetan Buddhism long after it went out of circulation in its homeland.

Like the Old Testament's Book of Proverbs, the Bodhicharyavatara is a timeless work of wisdom.

Shantideva's words on topics such as doing good, keeping good company, and on the nature of the mind and reality, are to many worthy of recitation and committing to memory.

Born as Lhamo Dhondrub on 6 July 1935, he was recognised at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the 13th Dalai Lama. Dalai Lama literally translates as 'Ocean of Wisdom'.

The Dalai Lama follows the life of a Buddhist monk - living in a small cottage in Dharamsala and rising at 4am to meditate. He then pursues an ongoing schedule of administrative meetings, private audiences and religious teachings - concluding each day with further prayer before retiring.

He says "I always believe that it is much better to have a variety of religions, a variety of philosophies, rather than one single religion or philosophy. This is necessary because of the different mental dispositions of each human being. Each religion has certain unique ideas or techniques, and learning about them can only enrich one's own faith."

The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.