Q: In cultivating the Six Perfections, is there a specific time when this practice is perfected?

A: There is a time of perfection when one has no obstacles in giving alms. For example, charity was perfected when King Sivi gave his body [to be eaten by a hawk] on behalf of a dove. The keeping of the precepts was perfected when King Sutasoma, though losing his throne, still wrote a verse praising the moral life and did not indulge in slander. Patience was perfected when the hermit Kṣānti bore no resentment as his limbs were severed by King Kali, and his body was restored. Diligence was perfected when Prince Mahātyāgavat entered the sea to search for a [wish-fulfilling] jewel for the sake of all the people. He finally obtained the jewel [from the hair of the Dragon King] to help the poor. However, the sea god hid the treasure while he was sleeping. When the Prince awoke he vowed to scoop out the entire ocean with his own body. Indra was moved by this sight and all the heavenly deities helped him until it was half done. Also, for seven days Śākyamuni stood on one foot and praised the Buddha Puṣya. Concentration was perfected when a bird built a nest in the hair of the hermit Śaṅkhācārya while he was in a concentrative state. He did not emerge from his concentrative state until the chicks could fly away. Wisdom was perfected when the Prime Minister Govinda divided the land of Jambudvipa into seven parts, which put an end to the bitter fighting between [the seven] countries.