Across more than a millennium, Bodhicaryāvatāra has inspired a parade of commentaries—each one reflecting its own era’s needs and dilemmas. A few jewels stand out:

1. Gyaltsab Je (1354–1432)
   As one of Tsongkhapa’s foremost disciples, Gyaltsab Je delivered the first full Tibetan exegesis. Straightforward yet profound, his line-by-line unpacking still serves as the bedrock for monastic study.

2. Patrul Rinpoche (1808–1887)
   Emerging during the nineteenth-century Rime revival, Patrul’s poetic gloss interweaves vivid stories and practical pointers. It’s like being handed a lantern in a dark forest—every verse suddenly comes alive as food for the soul.

3. Pabongka Rinpoche (1878–1941)
   “Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand” carved out a new niche by combining scholastic rigor with heartfelt exhortation. Tailored to urban lay practitioners of early 20th-century Tibet, it hit the nail on the head for those balancing meditation with family life.

4. Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé (1813–1899)
   A true polymath of the Rime movement, Kongtrul’s commentary surveys Kadam, Kagyu and Nyingma viewpoints. Its encyclopedic sweep remains indispensable for anyone wanting to trace how compassion and wisdom dovetail across lineages.

5. His Holiness the Dalai Lama (1987)
   “A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night” brought Shantideva into living rooms around the globe. Marrying lucid translation with contemporary reflections—on conflict resolution or the environmental crisis—it stoked fresh interest in applying age-old ideals today.

6. Thupten Jinpa (2018)
   Building on decades as the Dalai Lama’s principal English translator, Jinpa centers the eighth chapter (altruistic joy) in “Compassion Cultivation.” Its blend of mindfulness exercises and scientific research has found a foothold in hospitals, schools and corporate boardrooms.

Each of these works turns Shantideva’s original text into something more than theory—transforming compassion into an everyday practice. Whether guiding a monk through solitary retreat or helping a CEO navigate burnout, they all speak to the same timeless aspiration: making kindness and wisdom one’s constant companions.