Shantidevas

Shantidevas is a name that can refer to several Buddhist figures bearing the Sanskrit given name Śāntideva, meaning “peaceful deity.” The best-known bearer is Śāntideva (c. 685–750 CE), an Indian Buddhist monk and scholar associated with the Nalanda area of ancient India. He is traditionally credited as the author of the Bodhicaryavatāra (The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life), a foundational text in Mahayana Buddhism.

Śāntideva was a monk of the Indian Buddhist scholastic tradition active in the 8th century. The Bodhicaryavatāra is his most influential work, presenting a practical and ethical program for cultivating bodhicitta—the wish to attain enlightenment for the sake of all beings—and for practicing the six perfections: generosity, ethical discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom. The text balances philosophical analysis with accessible ethical guidance and remains central in many Mahayana and Vajrayana lineages.

The Bodhicaryavatāra was originally written in Sanskrit and subsequently translated into Tibetan, Chinese, and other languages. Its enduring influence extends through Tibetan Buddhist monastic education, East Asian Mahayana thought, and contemporary contemplative practice, where its emphasis on compassion, humility, and sustained practice is widely studied and cited.

In modern usage, the name Shantidevas may refer to individuals who bear Śāntideva as a given name. The historical reception and scholarly emphasis, however, center on the Nalanda monk and his Bodhicaryavatāra, which continues to shape discussions of the bodhisattva path.