The Six Perfections of

Mahayana Buddhism
The Six Perfections, or paramitas, are
guides for Mahayana Buddhist
practice. They are virtues to be
cultivated to strengthen practice and
bring one to enlightenment.
The Six Perfections describe the true
nature of an enlightened being, which, in
Mahayana practice, is to say they are our
own true buddha-nature. If they don't
seem to be our true nature, it is because
the perfections are obscured by our
delusion, anger, greed, and fear. By
cultivating these perfections, we bring
this true nature into expression.
 Origins of the Paramitas
There are 3 different lists of paramitas in
Buddhism.
Ten Paramitas of Theravada Buddhism.
Mahayana Buddhism, on the other hand,
took a list of Six Paramitas from several
Mahayana Sutras, including the
Lotus Sutra and the Large Sutra on the
Perfection of Wisdom (Astasahasrika
Prajnaparamita).
 The Six Perfections in Practice

• Perfection of • Perfection of
Generosity Energy
• Perfection of • Perfection of
Morality Meditation
• Perfection of • Perfection of
Patience Wisdom
Each of the Six Perfections
supports the other five,
but the order of the
perfections is significant
also.
For example:
The first three perfections--
generosity, morality, and
patience--are virtuous practices
for anyone.
The remaining three--energy or
zeal, meditation, and wisdom--
are more specifically about
spiritual practice.
 Dana Paramita: Perfection of Generosity

• In many commentaries on the Six

Perfections, generosity is said to be an
entry way to the dharma. Generosity is
the beginning of bodhicitta, the
aspiration to realize enlightenment for
all beings, which is critically important
in Mahayana.
• Dana Paramita is a true generosity
of spirit. It is giving from sincere
desire to benefit others, without
expectation of reward or
recognition. There must be no
selfishness attached. Charity work
done to "feel good about myself" is
not true dana paramita.
 Sila Paramita: Perfection of
Morality
• Buddhist morality is not about
unquestioning obedience to a list of rules.
Yes, there are precepts, but the precepts
are something like training wheels. They
guide us until we find our own balance.
An enlightened being is said to respond
correctly to all situations without having
to consult a list of rules.
In the practice of sila
paramita, we develop selfless
compassion. Along the way,
we practice renunciation and
gain an appreciation for
karma.
 Ksanti Paramita: Perfection of
Patience
• Ksanti is patience, tolerance,
forbearance, endurance, or
composure. It literally means "able to
withstand." It is said there are three
dimensions to ksanti: the ability to
endure personal hardship; patience
with others; and acceptance of truth.
• The perfection of ksanti begins with
acceptance of the Four Noble Truths,
including the truth of suffering (dukkha).
Through practice, our attention turns away
from our own suffering and toward the
suffering of others.
• Accepting truth refers to accepting difficult
truths about ourselves--that we are greedy,
that we are mortal--and also accepting the
truth of the illusory nature of our
existence.
 Virya Paramita: Perfection of
Energy
• Virya is energy or zeal. It comes from
an ancient Indian-Iranian word that
means "hero," and it is also the root
of the English word "virile." So virya
paramita is about making a
courageous, heroic effort to realize
enlightenment.
To practice virya paramita, we
first develop our own
character and courage. We
engage in spiritual training,
and then we dedicate our
fearless efforts to the benefit
of others.
 Dhyana Paramita: Perfection of
Meditation
• Dhyana, Buddhist meditation is a
discipline intended to cultivate the
mind. Dhyana also means
"concentration," and in this case,
great concentration is applied to
achieve clarity and insight.
A word closely related to dhyana is
samadhi, which also means
"concentration." Samadhi refers to a
single-pointed concentration in
which all sense of self falls away.
Dhyana and samadhi are said to be
the foundations of wisdom, which is
the next perfection.
 Prajna Paramta: Perfection of
Wisdom
• In Mahayana Buddhism, wisdom is the
direct and intimate realization of
sunyata, or emptiness. Very simply,
this is the teaching that all
phenomena are without self-essence
or independent existence.
Prajna is the ultimate perfection that
includes all other perfections. The late
Robert Aitken Roshi wrote:
"The Sixth Paramita is Prajna, the raison
d'être of the Buddha Way. If Dana is the
entry to the Dharma, then Prajna is its
realization and the other Paramitas are
Prajna in alternate form." (The Practice
of Perfection, p. 107)
That all phenomena are without self-
essence may not strike you as especially
wise, but as you work with prajna
teachings the significance of sunyata
becomes more and more evident, and
the importance of sunyata to Mahayana
Buddhism cannot be overstated. The
sixth paramata represents transcendent
knowledge, in which there is no subject-
object, self-other dualism at all.
Wisdom cannot be understood
by intellect alone. So how do we
understand it? Through the
practice of the other
perfections--generosity, morality,
patience, energy. and meditation.
 So how do we understand it?

• Through the practice of the

other perfections--generosity,
morality, patience, energy. and
meditation.