Resuming: 2026 Dr Sonam Thakchoe Study Group ~ Suitable for all levels of interest - online only 
We are very happy to announce a new topic for this year's study forum
Shantideva's classic text "Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life."
Wednesday evenings 6.30 pm-8.30 pm AEST
April 29, May 27, June 24, July 29, and August 26.Sept TBC, October 28
To ensure that everyone interested remains informed of all details for this course, we are now requesting REGISTRATION to attend. Once registered, you will be added to the group mailing list to receive all updates, course resources, and information. Please Register here
Reading preparation: May 27 Session 2 - Chapter 2 June 24 Session 3 - Chapter 3
Who is Shantideva, and why should I study this classic text? :
According to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (HHDL), studying Shantideva’s 8th-century text, A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Bodhicharyavatara), is essential for cultivating compassion, wisdom, and the altruistic mind of enlightenment (bodhichitta). The Dalai Lama has frequently stated that his own understanding of compassion and the bodhisattva path is based entirely on this text
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join these sessions, which will utilize discourse, discussion, and contemplation together - each session commencing with a mindful breath meditation.
The translation we will use is by Vesna A Wallace and B Allen Wallace - see PDF provided in Google Drive link access once registered
Alternatively, a hard copy can be readily purchased online
We are extremely fortunate and deeply appreciative to have Sonam agree to the CTCT Program request to revisit this marvellous text once again for the 2026 Study Forum
" In the whole of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, there is no single treatise more deeply revered or widely practiced than A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life. Composed in the eighth century by the Indian Bodhisattva Santideva, it became an instant classic in the curricula of the Buddhist monastic universities of India, and its renown has grown ever since.
Santideva presents methods to harmonize one's life with the Bodhisattva ideal and inspires the reader to cultivate the perfections of the Bodhisattva: generosity, ethics, patience, zeal, meditative concentration, and wisdom."
Preparation recommended for the first session is to read Chapter 2 : The Benefit of the Spirit of Awakening
