Editing Shantideva (section)

==Philosophical views==

===Personal identity and free will===

Following the Buddha, Śāntideva believed that our innate investment in an inherent, personal, self or essence is not only groundless but toxic. Goodman suggests that Śāntideva also touches on the problem of [[free will]] in the ''Bodhicaryāvatāra'', writing that "whatever transgressions (aparādha) and vile actions (pāpa) there are, all arise through the power of conditioning factors, while there is nothing that arises independently."<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Goodman |first=Charles |title=Śāntideva |date=2016 |url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2016/entries/shantideva/ |encyclopedia=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy |editor-last=Zalta |editor-first=Edward N. |edition=Fall 2016 |publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University |access-date=2022-07-15}}</ref>

===Ethical views===

In line with his views on personal identity and the nature of the self, Śāntideva wrote that one ought to "stop all the present and future pain and suffering of all sentient beings, and to bring about all present and future pleasure and happiness", in what may have been "the very earliest clearly articulated statement of that view, preceding [[Jeremy Bentham]] by approximately a thousand years".<ref name=":0" />

His basis for preferring [[Altruism (ethics)|altruism]] over [[Egoism (ethical)|egoism]] is that "the continuum of consciousness, like a queue, and the combination of constituents, like an army, are not real. The person who experiences suffering does not exist." Similarly, he asks, "when happiness is dear to me and others equally, what is so special about me that I strive after happiness only for myself?"<ref name=":0" />

===Bodhicitta===
The [[Bodhisattva]] is the central focus for both of the texts attributed to Shantideva. [[Bodhicitta]] is the mind that is focused on attaining the status of bodhisattva. The early chapters of the [[Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra]] are focused on praising the virtuous qualities of bodhicitta and also on how to strengthen and maintain it.<ref name= Edelglass2022 />

Shantideva states:

{{quote|''Those who long to overcome the abundant miseries of mundane existence, those who wish to dispel the adversities of sentient beings, and those who yearn to experience a myriad of joys should never forsake bodhicitta.''|author=|title=|source=}}

Shantideva also argued that the development of Bodhicitta was beneficial not just to those who are following the path of the Bodhisattva but also to those who are pursuing their well-being and happiness. His view is that the mind of one who has developed Bodhicitta is the solution to countering mental afflictions ([[Kleshas (Buddhism)|klesas]]) such as cravings ([[Taṇhā]]) and anger ([[Krodha (Mental factor)|krodha]]).<ref name= Edelglass2022 />

===Generosity===
References to generosity (known as [[Dāna]] in the Indian tradition), can be found throughout both of Shantideva's extant works. Shantideva mainly views generosity as a specific mental state where an individual has renounced all of their possessions. It does not necessarily refer to the distribution of one's own possessions. The bodhisattva achieves the mental state of "generosity" by renouncing three things; the body, the possessions, and [[Merit (Buddhism)|karmic merit]]. This is viewed by Shantideva as an important requirement for one who is on the path of the Bodhisattva. Shantideva also states in the [[Bodhicaryāvatāra]] that he believes generosity to be beneficial by comparing it with [[nirvana]]:<ref name= Edelglass2022 />

{{quote|''Abandoning everything is [[nirvana]], and my mind seeks nirvana. If I must abandon it, it is better that I give it to sentient beings.''|author=|title=|source=}}

Hence from this passage, Shatideva believes the perfection of generosity to be liberation. This conception of generosity is therefore twofold with generosity benefiting oneself and benefiting others at the same time.<ref name= Edelglass2022 />