This isn't a book I feel I'll ever 'finish', per se. It's a book that Buddhists and aspiring Bodhisattvas can return to time and time again for wisdom and inspiration. Ani Pema Chodron dissects Shantideva's cherished "The Way of the Bodhisattva". Shantideva's classic is written in verse, as a personal meditation, outlining the path of the Bodhisattvas—those who renounce the peace of individual enlightenment and vow to work for the liberation of all beings and to attain buddhahood for their sake. (I paraphrased that description from the book jacket of the original edition).

Pema Chodron takes each verse and breaks it down for us modern-day readers and practitioners. She puts it in less poetic, more relatable language so we have a more accessible relationship with the text, as well as the path itself.

There's a lot packed into the book, and thus, I foresee it being a book I reference frequently, perhaps reading sections of it again the way one might read the Bible over a year's time, sort of a devotional. But I wanted to make it through the book once before I dug into it on the level I need to truly appreciate it. I look forward to a long relationship with these teachings.
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Vital resource for anyone committing to a study of Shantideva’s landmark document but not really suited for a casual read. Maybe best taken in parts. ( )