< Overview of The Paramitas >
Buddhism in Plain Terms Vol. 11 Chapter 11 (An Excerpt)
Let me explain to you what the “Six Paramitas” (六波罗蜜) is. If you wish to be a Tathagata, Bodhisattva, or attain Nirvana, the Six Paramitas are what you ought to practise. The same goes with all of the Bodhisattvas who aspire to be Buddha. The Six Paramitas are the six codes of conduct.
First, the Perfection of Giving.
Second, the Perfection of Morality.
Third, the Perfection of Patience.
Fourth, the Perfection of Diligence.
Fifth, the Perfection of Meditative Concentration – it means the ability to stay calm. To be well-mannered, be it during sitting or standing. A person who can’t sit or stand still or is fidgety. Do you think a person like this can be a Buddha? Do you think such a person has meditative concentration?
Sixth, the Perfection of Prajna. That is wisdom.
What does Paramita mean? It means “To Reach The Other Shore”.
That is to say, your Practice of Giving has reached a state of self- lessness – an entirely liberated spiritual state completely detached from yourself. This practice allows beings who are in the sea of suffering, reinstates their innate awareness.
< What does “The Other Shore” means? >
Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse in Sydney Guan Yin Hall – 14 July 2018
What is “The Other Shore”?
- It is the other side of a pure and untainted world.
- From the perspective of Mahayana Buddhism, “The Other Shore” means to be awakened to the truth.
- Where there is purity of mind and when one discovers a balanced spiritual state.
- To put it plainly, when a person is able to, maintain this balanced spiritual state and see through all things in life,this person is said to have reach “The Other Shore”.
< The Path to the Attainment of Buddhahood >
Sharing by a Venerable Shi Hsin Hui – 29 April 2019
The constant application of the Six Paramitas (Six Perfections) to overcome our deep-rooted bad habits is the ingenious way towards liberation from suffering in Buddhism.
1. Practise Giving to transform greed (布施度化贪婪)
- Learn to let go and there shall be no obstructions.
2. Keep to our Morality so that we won’t be heedless (持戒度化放逸)
- Be disciplined to accomplish our quest on this Buddha’s Path.
3. Apply Forbearance, to avoid hatred (忍辱度化瞋恨)
- Be compassionate and form good ties with all.
4. Be Diligent to overcome laziness (精进度化懈怠)
- Penetrate deep in our studies through practising single- mindedly with diligence.
5. Apply Meditative Concentration to overcome our disarray mind (禅定度化散乱)
- Be focused and practise unmoving suchness.
6. Apply Wisdom to overcome ignorance (智慧度化愚痴)
- Adjust our state-of-mind so that we “enter the sagely and transcend the ordinary”.
In practising the Six Paramitas, we will come to realize that our greed, hatred and delusion are quenched while our discipline, power of concentration and wisdom are strengthened.
The practice of the Six Paramitas will help us accomplish and perfect our journey on this Path. Master Lu once mentioned “We need to manifest the Six Perfections in our every action in this human realm – only then we are able to attain the state of Bodhisattva”.
The Six Paramitas is the path to the attainment of Buddhahood. No matter which one of the “perfections” you are cultivating, you will definitely be accomplished on this Path. However, if we can tirelessly cultivate a few of the perfections, it will even be more remarkable!
How is it that we will be able to accomplish our spiritual cultivation by only practising a few of the six perfections?
It is because when we are practising any one of the perfections, we are actually practising other perfections at the same time. For example, practising the Perfection of Giving also encompasses the practice of the Perfection of Diligence, Patience and Wisdom. Hence, all the perfections will be cultivated for sure.
< 6 Methods to Help Us Ascend to Heaven >
Master Jun Hong Lu’s
Buddhism In Plain Terms (Audio)
Episode 21
(An Excerpt)
THE SIX PARAMITAS
Please remember, how do you make it to heaven? How do you ascend? Those who manage to make their way up cultivate The Ten Good Deeds. And, there are six other methods to liberate themselves from cyclical rebirth. Out of these six methods, if you specialise in just one of them, you will be liberated from the six realms of rebirth and enter the path of Arhat and Bodhisattva. These six methods are known as the Six Paramitas.
These six perfections progress in stages, that is, practise Giving to reach the other shore, practise Morality to reach the other shore, practise Patience to reach the other shore, practise Diligence to reach the other shore, practise the Power of Concentration to reach the other shore and practise Wisdom to reach the other shore. Do you understand? Think about it.
Let me give you a tip. If you practise any one of these six methods with all your might, the one that you can excel in, with the condition that you do not make mistakes with the other methods, that is major mistakes. With that, very soon, you will “reach the other shore”.
You all know about the Practice of Giving, right? All of you know that you should practise Morality. How did it feel when your child lied to you? You felt sad, didn’t you? The child you love so much and here he is telling you lies.
Tolerance is the basic survival criteria of humans. In order to live on in this society, everyone should learn to be tolerant, otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to survive. People are very selfish nowadays, it is impossible to survive without forbearance. You can’t even find a friend, without this quality. Is there anyone who is not selfish at your workplace? You know well that this person is selfish, if you do not learn to be tolerant, if you don’t adopt the “I don’t care” attitude, you may end up having depression. Do you understand?
You know how important Diligence is, don’t you?
What does Meditative Concentration mean? Well-cultivated people possess the power of concentration. They are never hasty. When their flight is delayed, they will go, “I can recite one Little House.” It’s true. The power of concentration will calm you down. You see people around you complaining, “Why is the train late?“, “What’s wrong with the bus? It’s not here again!” They are so stressed up. Look at us, we just carry on with our chanting and waste no time.
Others may make a fuss, but not you. That makes you a better cultivated person, doesn’t it? When your parents scold you, they are not well-cultivated. When your parents quarrel, as their child, you keep quiet as you are well-cultivated. Right? What is the Power of Concentration? The moment you are calmed, you will be able to differentiate the well-cultivated ones from those who aren’t.
Lastly, in the Six Paramitas, there is Wisdom. Think about this, a person with wisdom is able to find the solution to every problem. There are some who are very wise, no matter what they encounter, For example, they go, “You should go over there.”, “You should move this here”, “Push this over slightly”. These are also wisdom.
For example, you are someone who is extremely generous but not so good in the other aspects of the Six Paramitas (Patience, Calmness, Discipline and Diligence). If you continue with your Practice of Giving and avoid all unwholesome deeds, you will surely become a Bodhisattva. When you make it to heaven in the future, you will become Bodhisattva of Giving. Do you understand?
If you are someone without much money neither are you diligent, but, you have one strength! You have been practising patience endurance your entire life, in the end, you become the Bodhisattva of Great Endurance.You may pick one out of these six methods, take a look, which is the one that resonates with you. So, do you feel more confident now?
Read more about the Six Paramitas here:
Buddhism in Plain Terms | The Six Paramitas | Perfections of Giving & Morality | 22 Aug 2020
Buddhism in Plain Terms | The Six Paramitas | Perfections of Forbearance | 29 Aug 2020
Buddhism in Plain Terms | The Six Paramitas | Perfections of Diligence | 5 Sep 2020
< Buddhism: Your Questions Answered
