Guide to the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva

A fresh translation and commentary to Tibet's most famous text on living like a bodhisattva

What are bodhisattvas and what do they practice? In the fourteenth century, the Tibetan Buddhist master Gyalse Tokme Zangpo answered these questions in a classic teaching on mind training (lojong) called the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva. This text consists of short slogans outlining the core of the Buddhist path of compassion that continues to inspire modern-day Buddhist masters, including the Dalai Lama and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

The most well-known commentary to the Thirty-Seven Practices is by the twentieth-century master Dzatrul Ngawang Tenzin, which is translated here along with a meditation instruction for the first time. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, who commissioned this translation, provides an informative overview to the history of the text and commentary, introducing the reader to the world of Tibet's most widely studied text.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DZATRUL NGAWANG TENZIN NORBU (1867-1940/2) was an accomplished Tibetan Buddhist master who founded a monastery on the northern slopes of Mount Everest where he lived. He was the primary teacher of Trulshik Rinpoche, a teacher of the fourteenth Dalai Lama and the former head of the Tibetan Nyingma lineage. He is especially remembered for his commentaries on the Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva.

CHRISTOPHER STAGG (1977-2018) trained under the guidance of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche and was a beloved translator and Buddhist teacher for Nalandabodhi International. He previously translated The Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa. Christopher tragically passed away just as he finalized this translation.