Tag Archives: 6paramitas

Six Perfections: The Morality of Compassion

This is the second day of Paramita Week

Buddhists have recognized that all of us begin the cultivation of morality from within whatever quality of self-understanding we happen to have. That means, of course, that our initial motives for moral action will be predominantly self-centered. But as moral practice matures and the accompanying mental transformation progresses, practitioners gradually recognize how the perfection of morality is grounded in compassion and sincere concern for others.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 60

800 Years: Keeping the Six Perfections in Mind through Faith

The Six Perfections – generosity, discipline, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom – help us to be honest about our practice. If our life no longer reflects the awakened way of the Six Perfections, then it is possible that our faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is fading; we may not be dedicating ourselves to its practice and keeping it in our hearts. If we find ourselves slipping into negative habits and qualities such as stinginess, lack of integrity, impatience, laziness, anxiety, and foolishness instead of manifesting the good qualities of the Six Perfections, we should examine our practice to ensure that we have not made it an empty routine or habit. By keeping the Six Perfections in mind, we will be able to honestly examine ourselves, recognize if we have turned from the world of Buddhahood to the lower worlds, and rededicate ourselves to Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. In this way, we do not depend upon the Six Perfections as the cause to attain Buddhahood; rather we take faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as the primary cause that will enable us to attain Buddhahood and thereby manifest the Six Perfections naturally and joyfully.

Lotus Seeds

Six Perfections: Wisdom

The right way of seeing things and the power of discerning the true aspect of all things is wisdom—the last of the Six Perfections. … [Wisdom is the ability both to discern the differences among all things and to see the truth common to them. In short, wisdom is the ability to realize that anybody can become a buddha. The Buddha’s teachings stress that we cannot discern all things in the world correctly until we are completely endowed with the ability to know both distinction and equality.]

We cannot save others without having wisdom. Let us suppose that there is an impoverished young man lying by the road. And suppose that we feel pity for him and give him some money without reflecting on the consequences. What if he is mildly addicted to some drug? He will grab the money given to him and use it to buy drugs. In this way he may become seriously, even hopelessly, addicted. If we had handed him over to the police instead of giving him money, he would have been sent to a hospital and could start life over again. This is the kind of error we may commit in performing donation without wisdom. Though this is an extreme case, similar cases on a smaller scale occur all the time. Thus, even though we may do something useful for others or practice good conduct in order to save them, none of our mercy or kindness is effective unless we have true wisdom. Far from being effective, our mercy may have a harmful effect. Therefore wisdom is an absolutely indispensable condition in practicing the bodhisattva-way.

Buddhism for Today, p38

800 Years: Joy

In the … chapter, “Variety of Merits,” the teaching called the Five Stages of the Future was presented. The five stages consisted of joyful acceptance of the Sutra, reading it and reciting it, passing it on to others, practicing the Six Perfections, and mastering the Six Perfections. The first of these was joy. In this chapter, [The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra] joy appears once again. It speaks about the joy which one experiences upon grasping for the first time the significance of the Sutra. That moment of joy is decisive for one’s faith, and has an immeasurable impact on all one’s future activities. This is the main point of this chapter.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

Six Perfections: Meditation

The fifth of the Six Perfections is meditation, dhyāna in Sanskrit and zenjō in Japanese. Zen means “a quiet mind” or “an unbending spirit,” and jō indicates the state of having a calm, unagitated mind. It is important for us not only to devote ourselves to the practice of the Buddha’s teachings but also to view things thoroughly with a calm mind and to think them over well. Then we can see the true aspect of all things and discover the right way to cope with them.

Buddhism for Today, p38

800 Years: The Benefits of Understanding by Faith

Sakyamuni describes the great merit to be gained from taking the first step, “Understanding by Faith in a Single Moment’s Thought.” He says that the merits which Bodhisattvas gain by practicing the five perfections (Paramitas), which consist of generosity, morality, patience, effort, and meditation, are indeed great. However, when compared to the benefits of Understanding by Faith in a Single Moment’s Thought, all those merits are not equal to a hundredth, a thousandth, a hundred thousand myriadth of a koti of the merits for Understanding by Faith in a Single Moment’s Thought. These five perfections are the same as the well-known “Six Perfections,” minus the sixth and culminating one, the Perfection of Wisdom. To have faith in a single moment’s thought when hearing the Buddha’s deepest teaching, even if it is just a tiny bit, is an incomparably precious venture of the heart. Its merit is equal to that of the Perfection Of Wisdom (which it achieves at one stroke). It is equal to the wisdom of the Buddha.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

Six Perfections: Assiduity

The fourth of the Six Perfections is assiduity. This means to proceed straight toward an important target without being distracted by trivial things. We cannot say we are assiduous when our ideas and conduct are impure, even if we devote ourselves to the study and practice of the Buddha’s teachings. Even when we devote ourselves to study and practice, we sometimes do not meet with good results or may even obtain adverse effects, or we may be hindered in our religious practice by others. But such matters are like waves rippling on the surface of the ocean; they are only phantoms, which will disappear when the wind dies down. Therefore, once we have determined to practice the bodhisattva-way, we should advance single-mindedly toward our destination without turning aside. This is assiduity.

Buddhism for Today, p37-38

Six Perfections: Perseverance

The third of the Six Perfections is perseverance, a quality that is especially important for people today. Śākyamuni Buddha was endowed with all the virtues and became the Buddha through his constant practice. Although it is a sin against him to emphasize only one of his virtues, the greatest virtue of the Buddha as a man seems to have been his generosity. No matter what biography of Śākyamuni Buddha we read or which of the sutras, we find that nowhere is it recorded that the Buddha ever became angry. However severely he was persecuted and however coldly his disciples turned against him and departed from him, he was always sympathetic and compassionate.

If I were asked to explain with a single phrase the character of Śākyamuni Buddha as a man, I would answer without hesitation, “A person of perfect generosity.” Therefore, I think that there is no action that makes Śākyamuni Buddha more sorrowful than when we become angry about something and reproach others or when we blame others for our own wrongs. Above all else, we should refrain from such actions toward each other. Perseverance is, in short, generosity. As we persevere in the practice of the bodhisattvas, we cease to become angry or reproachful toward others, or toward anything in the universe. We are apt to complain about the weather when it rains and to grumble about the dust when we have a spell of fine weather. However, when through perseverance we attain a calm and untroubled mind, we become thankful for both the rain and the sun. Then our minds become free from changes in our circumstances.

When we advance further, we come not only to have no feeling of anger and hatred toward those who hurt, insult, or betray us but even to wish actively to help them. On the other hand, we should not be swayed by flattery or praise of the good we may do but should quietly reflect on our conduct. We should not feel superior to others but should maintain a modest attitude when everything goes smoothly. All these attitudes come from perseverance. This mental state is the highest point of the practice of perseverance. Even though we cannot attain such a state of mind immediately, we can attain an attitude of compassion toward those who cause difficulties for us sooner than we expect. We ought to advance at least to this level. If this kind of perseverance were practiced by people throughout the world, this alone would establish peace and make mankind immeasurably happier.

Buddhism for Today, p36-37

Six Perfections: Precepts

The practice of keeping the precepts is the second of the Six Perfections. This teaches us that we cannot truly save others unless we remove our own illusions through the precepts given by the Buddha, and that we should perfect ourselves by living an upright life. However, we must not think that we cannot guide others just because we are not perfect ourselves. We cannot improve ourselves if we shut ourselves off from others in our efforts to live correctly. A major point of keeping the precepts is to render service to others. The more we do for others, the more we can elevate ourselves, and the more we elevate ourselves, the more we can render service to others. Each reinforces the other.

Buddhism for Today, p36

800 Years: Perfections in the Spinning Top

One way to illustrate the Nichiren practice is through the analogy of a top. Just as a top spins on a single point, when we take faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, it becomes the central point upon which our lives turn. If the point of the top remains steady, then the top will not wobble and can continue spinning. Similarly, if we consistently practice Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, our lives will manifest the Six Perfections – generosity, discipline, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom – which describe a way of life that is strong and centered.

Lotus Seeds