May he free the kind ones immersed in misery’s ocean
So that all may come to resemble Mañjughoṣa himself.

A hymn of praise to the great Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, written by the 12th century Tibetan monk, philosopher, and yogi Je Tsongkhapa.

Milarepa spent the rest of his adult life practicing meditation in seclusion and teaching groups of disciples mainly through spontaneous songs of realization (mgur).

The life of the great Tibetan yogi Milarepa, beginning with the story of his parents and birth, then tracing his journey from sorcery to spiritual awakening, highlighting his devotion to Marpa, solitary meditation, and legendary songs.

I want to go through these points with the idea of giving you a Western approach to understanding them. You might take more extensive teachings from some of the Tibetan lamas later on, and if I am able to at least introduce you to some of those topics through the Westernized approach, then when you hear the standard Tibetan approach, it will go in more smoothly for you.

A series of lectures delivered in Seattle from 1991 to 1994 going systematically through Atiśa’s presentation of the gradual path of training.

Pray to your master and to the Three Jewels,
and strive to be wholesome – physically, verbally and mentally.

In this brief poem, the great Tulku and Yogini, Sera Khandro, exhorts readers to wholeheartedly practice the Dharma. Khandro points out the importance of impermanence and karma to help practitioners overcome attachments and develop wholesome behavior. Other pieces of advice are to remain in solitude, establish mindfulness, and develop bodhicitta.

First I redirected my hearing inward in order to enter the current of the sages. Then external sounds disappeared. With the direction of my hearing reversed and with sounds stilled, both sounds and silence ceased to arise. So it was that I gradually progressed…

A complete, annotated translation of the classic Chinese Sūtra covering the Bodhisattvas’ practice of meditation and attainment of wisdom.

Up until the middle of the first millennium, Avalokiteshvara consistently appeared in a magnificent, idealized body, yet one in accord with human norms. But sometime around the 6th century, an iconographic revolution occurred in Indian art, and he began to acquire additional arms, heads, and eyes.

An introduction to the history of Avalokiteshvara through Buddhist art.

Kannon has taken many forms in Japan and is probably the most venerated of Buddhist divinities.

A short introduction to Guanyin.

You can also hear a reading of this essay on YouTube.

I’m giving advice as a remedy.
This will help you long, so listen!

Armed with the attitude of loving-kindness and compassion, we naturally no longer have any external enemies.

A commentary on the classic, Tibetan summary of Bodhisattva practices explaining how they transform our mind and character.

Bodhisattvas who genuinely take the bodhisattva vow of ethical discipline do nothing but act for the benefit of beings, either directly or indirectly, but unless one is skilful in benefiting these beings, no matter how much one does, it might not benefit beings, but could actually be a direct or indirect cause of harm.

An excellent summary of what to take into account in ethical decisions: useful for any serious practitioner.

They feel safe around you, and because you, out of genuine compassion, never intend to harm them but only try to be of help, they also feel a sort of joy in your presence.

A short introduction to the Bodhisattva Precepts and on seeing the positive side of the familiar five.

… whenever we practise the bodhisattva’s actions–the trainings in generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom–it will cause this bodhicitta that is the union of emptiness and compassion to increase further and further.

A transcript of a short talk on how the Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra is taught in the Tibetan tradition.

‘I smiled at the guards standing at my cell,’ he writes. ‘Being thrown in the Hole was worth the pleasure of seeing them still alive.’

A review of Jarvis Masters’ spiritual memoir Finding Freedom analyzing the work as a critque of toxicity in an American prison and the presentation of an alternate “Bodhisattva” masculinity possible even among killers.

Here I have set down for those who wish to follow the bodhisattva path,
Thirty-seven practices to be adopted by all the buddhas’ heirs

A list of practices which all renunciants would do well to reflect upon again and again.

There are a few English translations of this classic of world literature. Steven Bachelor has a free translation (linked above), but I strongly prefer the Padmakara translation published by Shambhala in 1999 for its unparalleled accuracy and force.

I would say that the Nikāyas and Āgamas give us a “historical-realistic perspective” on the Buddha, while the Mahāyāna sūtras give us a “cosmic-metaphysical perspective.”

Bhikkhu Bodhi explores the Bodhisattva ideal from the perspective of the both the Theravāda and Mahayana, with a brief summary of its history. An excellent introduction to this vital topic.