false 3228465 1899579842 9781899579846 1 1 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255610280m/3228465.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3228465.A_Guide_to_the_Bodhisattvas 1370741 Vessantara 3 2 4 0 false Sun Apr 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 22 06:32:47 -0700 2008 Sun Apr 27 13:39:08 -0700 2008
I thought this was better than 'A Guide to the Buddhas'; perhaps for personal reasons -- the figures in this book were more interesting to me than in the previous one -- though perhaps for more solid reasons, such as better consistency in the writing, more practical instruction, and a more universal message, covering some details of the Mahayana as a whole as well as detailing specific bodhisattvas.

Although it is shorter than 'A Guide to the Buddhas', this book does not have the initial explanatory section, so effectively it devotes more time to the figures detailed, though it is by no means comprehensive. One point I found particularly useful about this book was that it gives the Tibetan as well as the Sanskrit names of bodhisattvas, which are often quite different; as prayers and practices are often translated from the Tibetan, it is useful to know what figure is being dealt with instead of being confused over names.

Overall I found this more readable and relavent than the previous in the series, and I hope that the concluding volume will improve further on the formula.]]>