This is a study and the first complete English translation of the Mahayana Sutra, the Bodhi-sattva-gocara, which presents one of the only Buddhist teachings extant on what might be called a "Buddhist theory of war." The main body of the text takes the form of a dialogue between King Candapradyota and the Nirgrantha sage, Satyaka, who is later revealed by Sakyamuni Buddha to be a bodhisattva of high attainment.

The author's introductory essay traces the ways in which the later Indian and Tibetan commentarial traditions have drawn on this sutra in order to expound upon key themes in Buddhist ethics, law, and state policy, to highlight their positions in opposition to their non-Buddhist contemporaries. From the author's analysis, it is clear that this sutra has been seminal in the ethical reflections of generations of Indian and Tibetan Buddhists, though it appears that it was not well known in East Asia.