His Holiness’ annual Monlam teaching on Shantideva’s Compendium of Precepts (Laptu) and A Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life (Chod-jug) started on 15 March and will end on 29 March 2006 at the Main Temple, Mcleod Ganj, Dharamsala HP India

His Holiness the Dalai Lama began his Spring teachings today, embarking on a reading of two works by the great Indian scholar and adept Shantideva, Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life (Bodhisattvacharyavatara) and Compendium of Trainings (Shiksha Samucchaya). The two texts complement each other well, the Guide being Shantideva’s own composition and the Compendium being an assembly of sources for the Bodhisattva’s training in the scriptures.

His Holiness began with the Compendium explaining the importance of generating a good motivation, pointing out that human beings’ intelligence allows for the real possibility of change. Turning to the Guide, he began to explain the benefits of the awakening mind, the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

Watch or listen to the teachings in Tibetan, English and Chinese.