Many times Thrangu Rinpoche has said that Buddhist practitioners often concentrate on meditation and that is, of course, good. But if they don't match their meditation with compassion, unselfish behavior and engaging in virtuous actions, their meditation will never go well. To encourage his students to engage in these positive behaviors, he recommends that they study the Bodhisattva Path.

Rinpoche has published a translation of Shantideva's Bodhisattva's Way of Life (available on this website) which covers compassion, bodhichitta, and each of the six paramitas in a very detailed manner. So some of his students asked him if there were something a little shorter.

In this book the great practitioner, Tokme Zangpo, condensed these teachings on the Bodhisattva's way into 37 profound verses. Each verse is short and many monks have memorized these verses to remind them when they have strayed from the path of compassion and bodhichitta. This teaching covers relative and ultimate bodhichitta, meditation and practice, abandoning the disturbing emotions, and the practice of the six paramitas.

The Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa has said, "The 37 practices of a Bodhisattva is considered both deep and broad, comprehensive and concise. It includes all the necessary points for understanding the practices of a bodhisattva.

For example, verse 9 says:

All suffering begins with wanting happiness for yourself.
Perfect Buddhas arise with the intention to help others
Therefore to fully exchange your happiness
For the suffering of others is the practice of Bodhisattvas.

Available also is an exact copy of this book as a PDF for $ 1.25 in the PDF section of this website.