Martine Batchelor, an experienced Buddhist practitioner, has produced a fine translation of the portion of the Mahayana Brahmajala (Brahma's Net) Sutra that deals with the Bodhisattva Precepts. This Sutra looks in detail at the 10 major and 48 minor precepts of a Bodhisattva and is an extremely important text, not only for Chinese, Korean and Japanese Buddhists but for practitioners all over the world whose practice traditions originate in these countries. This Sutra will also be of interest to anyone with an interest in the world's sacred literature.
This work also includes a foreword by the Dalai Lama and a useful introduction.
H. H. The Dalai Lama says in the forword to this text "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."