Shantideva (late 7th to 8th century BCE) was a famous Buddhist monk, poet and philosopher. He authored the Bodhicharyavtara, guide to the Bodhisattva way of life. It is a text on compassion, ethics and enlightenment and was known as the Lazy Monk because he spent all his time eating and sleeping. He was known as Busuku, one who eats, sleeps and walks.
His fellow monks decided to insult him by asking him to speak. They thought that he would speak nonsense. He delivered profound verses from the Bodhicharyavtara. And then he levitated and vanished into the sky leaving only his voice to finish the lecture.
Shantideva wrote:
As long as space endures,
And for as long as living beings remain
Until then may I too abide,
To dispel the misery of the world.
This verse explains that personal liberation and entering nirvana was not the goal of the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva vows to remain in the cycle of existence for eons as long as a single suffering being exists. It is the ultimate compassion. It highlights selfless compassion to dedicate one’s life to driving away the sorrows of the world.
He quoted from the ‚Mysteries of the Tathagata Sutra‘.
For example, Santamati, if
The root of a tree is cut, all
The branches, leaves and flowers dry up.
In just the same way, Santamati if you
Pacify the false views of a real self,
All reactive emotions are pacified.
In Buddhism, Santamati is a Bodhisattva, who receives teachings from the Buddha.
We are looking at boundless compassion and love for all beings on this earth.
Aim Hrim Klim
Picture by Unknown author – http://earlytibet.com/2014/02/04/the-original-bodhicaryavatara/, Public Domain, Link