Ordinary Wisdom: Sakya Pandita's Treasury of Good Advice - Softcover

"If you want to know, not how lamas learned their Buddhism, but how Tibetan peasants learned it, this is your book."--Huston Smith, author of The World's Religions

"Ordinary Wisdom is a sterling translation of one of the most loved books of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Sakya Pandita's masterpiece gives advice on the conduct of life suitable for the ordinary individual. Because many of the similes and metaphors used by the 13th century author are difficult to understand, John Davenport has used modern commentaries to clarify and explain the verses. Davenport opens timeless Tibetan wisdom to Western readers."--Gelek Rinpoche, Jewel Heart

"The English translation of Sakya Pandita's The Treasury of Good Advice is indeed welcome as it presents the ancient wisdom in ordinary life. By composing the verses in a clear and coherent fashion, the great author reinforced the then ongoing trend to refine the native culture and inspire the common people. It thus became one of the most popular classics throughout Tibet and its cultural sphere. In my childhood, I memorized its verses, and they brought me solace during difficult times. John Davenport translated both the verses and the commentary with accuracy and clarity, giving us a far better rendering than the previous one."--L.P. Lhalungpa

A guide to the art of living, the Sakya Legshe - or "Treasury of Good Advice" - has been fundamental to the development of Tibetan culture and character for a thousand years.
Sakya Pandita uses proverbs and stories to address the basic questions: "How are we to live peaceably with ourselves and with others?" he offers inspiration and advice relevant to human life in every era and in all cultures, addressing questions of achievement and failure, anger and kindness, deceit and desire, intelligence and foolishness, and wealth and wisdom.