New Books in Intellectual History Stephen Harris, "Buddhist Ethics and the Bodhisattva Path: Santideva on Virtue and Well-Being" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
4 snips
Jul 20, 2024 
Stephen Harris, an expert in Buddhist Ethics, discusses Śāntideva’s Guide to the Practices of Awakening, focusing on virtues like compassion and wisdom. He explores how the bodhisattva path benefits individuals and the connection between ethical virtues and emptiness in Buddhism.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Shantideva's Virtue Theory
- Shantideva's ethics centers on virtue theory, not right action, unlike Western philosophy.
- His focus is cultivating virtuous mental states like generosity, patience, and compassion.
Altruism and No-Self
- Shantideva believes altruism benefits oneself, despite the Buddhist concept of no-self.
- Persons exist conventionally as collections of mental and physical states, not a metaphysical essence.
Shantideva's Generosity
- Generosity for Shantideva involves eliminating craving and appropriation, not just giving.
- It extends to physical items, karmic merit, and even one's body and experiences.