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The Buddha gave clear instructions about how a boddhisattva should preserve and nurture the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment that are contained in the scriptures of the various Mahayana traditions. The Boddhisattva Precepts found in the Brahma's Net Sutra of the Chinese and Korean traditions have laid the foundation of an ethical way of life and the essential ground to a life of compassion for many Buddhists in East Asia since ancient times. We live in an era in which I believe it is extremely important to foster harmony and respect among all religious traditions. Therefore, I believe it is significant that such a seminal text be made more widely available in an English translation and I congratulate the translator, the International Sacred Literature Trust and AltaMira Press for making this book, The Path of Compassion, available. Readers, whether or not they are Buddhist, will find that these precepts encourage us, in a very practical way, to protect life in all its forms and work towards a more peaceful and understanding world; goals that we all can admire.--from the Foreword by H. H. The Dalai Lama Martine Batchelor's new translation of the Brahma Net Sutra offers timely commentary on the core guiding principles for Buddhist ethics. Batchelor's detailed and helpful introduction sets the sutra in historical context, showing its central role in the development of the boddhisattva precepts as Buddhism took root in China. Her careful analysis is based on mature professional practice and teaching experience that emphasizes compassion as a foundation for ethical action. The work reflects Batchelor's profound respect for the precepts as a 'brilliant lamp' lighting the way toward clarity and insight. But tracing Confucian and Taoist streams of thought, Martine Batchelor shows how Chinese Buddhists incorporated filial piety as a practice of compassion and as basis for harmonious monastic relations. As an additional reference, Batchelor includes a full translation of the Tibetan boddhisatva vows as a further evolution of the precepts. This new version of the treasure store Brahma Net Sutra is a beautiful, clear vehicle for 'always teaching sentient beings' wherever boddhisattvas travel.--Stephanie Kaza, University of Vermont

The Buddha gave clear instructions about how a boddhisattva should preserve and nurture the altruistic aspiration to enlightenment that are contained in the scriptures of the various Mahayana traditions. The Boddhisattva Precepts found in the Brahma's Net Sutra of the Chinese and Korean traditions have laid the foundation of an ethical way of life and the essential ground to a life of compassion for many Buddhists in East Asia since ancient times. We live in an era in which I believe it is extremely important to foster harmony and respect among all religious traditions. Therefore, I believe it is significant that such a seminal text be made more widely available in an English translation and I congratulate the translator, the International Sacred Literature Trust and AltaMira Press for making this book, The Path of Compassion, available. Readers, whether or not they are Buddhist, will find that these precepts encourage us, in a very practical way, to protect life in all its forms and w

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Martine Batchelor published in 1992, as co-editor, Buddhism and Ecology. In 1996 she published, as editor Walking on Lotus Flowers which in 2001 will be reissued under the title A Women's Guide to Buddhism. She is the author of Principles of Zen and her most recent publication is Meditation for Life, an illustrated book on meditation. With her husband, Stephen Batchelor, she co-leads meditation retreats worldwide. They currently live in France.

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