"What is so special about me?" - Shantideva's Perfection of Meditation In the penultimate talk in his series devoted to the Bodhicaryavatara, Padmavajra explores chapter eight, the Perfection of Meditation (dhyana paramita). In this chapter, Shantideva tells us that in order to go deeply into meditation, we need to go into the solitude of body and mind, renouncing all worldly attachments and the usual way in which we relate to others. Having doing that, he shows how to develop an entirely new mind and heart, with a completely different way of being with others. This is achieved through the realisation of the sameness of self and others and the exchange of self and others. "Why say many words. Fools do things for themselves, the Buddha works for the welfare of others. Just look at the difference".