ShantidevaShantideva was an 8th-century Indian Buddhist monk and philosopher who was one of the most influential scholars at Nalanda University, though stories say he was initially perceived as lazy and unengaged by his fellow monks. He is most famous for compsing the Bodhicaryavatara (The Way of the Bodhisattva), a seminal Mahayana Buddhist text that describes the path to enlightenment through the cultivation of bodhicitta (the wish to attain enlightenment for the benefit of all beings). His philosophical insights, particularly on altruism, emptiness, and the development of compassion, continue to be central to Tibetan Buddhist teachings and are widely studied across Buddhist traditions. After composing the Bodhicaryavatara in a dramatic public recitation during which he is said to have levitated, legend holds that he departed Nalanda and spent the rest of his life teaching Buddhism in South India. Read More Read Less