The World of Jambudvipa

The world of Jambudvipa (Sanskrit:  Jambudvīpa; Tibetan: Dzambuling; English: (Rose-Apple Continent')) is one of the four continents, which is situated to the south of Mount Meru. Its shape is trapezoidal, resembling the shape of an axehead. It is the human world in which we live.

“Since this continent is adorned by [a jambu/Jambubriksha] tree, it is known as the 'Continent of Jambu', or Jambudvipa. The jambu tree is presumed by some to be the rose-apple tree (Eugenia jambolana). More recent scholarship suggests that it may be a variety of plum. However, legend says that only one jambu tree exists, which is not visible to ordinary people but only to enlightened beings. 

The Buddhist cosmology divides the bhūmaṇḍala (circle of the earth) into three separate levels: Kāmadhātu (Desire realm), Rūpadhātu (Form realm), and Ārūpyadhātu (Formless realm). In the Kāmadhātu is located Mount Meru (Sumeru), which is said to be surrounded by four island-continents. 

The southernmost island is called Jambudvipa. The other three continents of Buddhist accounts around Sumeru are not accessible to humans from Jambudvīpa. Jambudvīpa is shaped like a triangle with a blunted point facing south, somewhat like the Indian subcontinent. In its centre is a gigantic Jambu tree, from which the continent takes its name, meaning "Jambu Island." 

Jambudipa is one of the four Mahādīpas, or great continents, which are included in the Cakravāla "cosmos" and are ruled by a cakravartin. They are grouped around Mount Sumeru. In Jambudvīpa is Himavā with its eighty-four thousand peaks, its lakes, mountain ranges, etc.

This continent derives its name from the Jambu tree (also called Naga), which grows there; its trunk is fifteen yojanas in girth; its outspreading branches are fifty yojanas in length; its shade is one hundred yojanas in extent; and its height is one hundred yojanas (Vin.i.30; SNA.ii.443; Vsm.i.205f; Sp.i.119, etc.) On account of this tree, Jambudīpa is also known as Jambusanda (SN.vs.552; SNA.i.121). The continent is ten thousand yojanas in extent; of these ten thousand, four thousand are covered by the ocean, three thousand by the Himalayan mountains, and three thousand are inhabited by men (SNA.ii.437; UdA.300). 

Jambudvīpa is the region where humans live and is the only place where a being may become enlightened by being born as a human being. It is in Jambudvīpa that one may receive the gift of Dharma, come to understand the Four Noble Truths, the Noble Eightfold Path, and ultimately realise liberation from the cycle of life and death. Another reference is from the Buddhist text, the Mahāvaṃsa, where the emperor Ashoka's son Mahinda introduces himself to King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura as from Jambudvipa, referring to what is now the Indian subcontinent. This is described in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra in Mahayana Buddhism.

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Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in 2008, we have been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 14 years. We have exceptionally constrained support and do not receive subsidies or funding from people in general.

 

Please help us develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you but all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us enhance our work and accomplish more for a better and brighter future.

 

Thank you for reading. May you find peace and great bliss. With your support, it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turn the Dharma wheels in the world.

 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright on the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and/or studios

The picture(s) are intended for editorial use only.

Meditative concentration ( Dhyana )

 

Photo credit : Statue studio

Meditative concentration ( Dhyana ) - The fifth of the six paramitas is defined as the capacity to remain undistracted. It is the topic of the eighth chapter of the *Bodhicharyavatara.

* Bodhicharyavatara An Introduction to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is Shantideva's classic guide to the Mahayana path.  Tsoknyi Rinpoche said:

The Bodhicharyavatara teaches the complete Mahayana path to enlightenment, including all necessary preliminary, main, and concluding practices. A perfect path in itself, it is also, at the same time, a perfect support for all practitioners of the Vajrayana teachings in general. Practitioners learn how to develop the motivation of Bodhichitta as well as how to carry out the application of the six paramitas, or transcendental perfections. They learn how to fuse their practice of bodhichitta and the five first perfections with the sixth perfection, wisdom.

Patrul Rinpoche explains that there are two preliminaries to developing meditative concentration.  

1. Giving up mundane concerns

As regards renouncing mundane concerns, our mind will never settle into a state of one-pointed absorption as long as it is under the sway of attachment to parents, relatives, and friends or attendants. So we must give up all our habitual preoccupations and busyness and remain alone in an isolated place suitable for meditation.

Being attached to rewards and honours, praise or good reputation, or trifling necessities and then pursuing them will only obstruct the authentic path, so we must cut through any expectations and anxieties about such things and train ourselves to be content with whatever comes our way. 

2. Letting Go of Discursive Thought 

Even though we may be in an isolated place, not seeking possessions and such like to any great extent, if our mind falls under the power of desire, a genuine state of meditative concentration will not arise in our being, and our mind will be unable to rest in a state of absorption.

Therefore, thoughts of desire must be given up. To turn our thoughts away from attachment to desirable things is particularly important for gaining the special higher levels of concentration, so we should certainly turn the mind away from craving after members of the opposite sex by reflecting on the cause, the fact that they are not easy to obtain; their nature, which is impure; and the result, which involves a lot of harm, and so on.  

Moreover, we must understand that the eight worldly concerns and all thoughts of the present life are our real enemies. We must therefore reflect at some length on the problems caused by negative thoughts of desire and, generating a sense of inner dignity, make heartfelt efforts to abandon them, no matter how many may arise. 

Subdivisions - The Two Types of Dhyana:

• the causal meditative dhyanas
• the resultant Dhyana levels at which one is reborn

The causal meditative dhyanas are the states of meditation that are realised while still here in this world of Jambudvipa. For example, we might reach the meditation of the first or second dhyana. If we can maintain that state of meditation, then when we die, we will be reborn in the corresponding first or second dhyana level of the form realm.

The Three Types of Meditative Concentration

Chökyi Drakpa says:

"Meditative concentration includes the childish concentration of those who practice isolation away from distractions and busyness but are attached to the experiences of bliss, clarity, and absence of thought. There is also the clearly discerning concentration in which emptiness is clung to as an antidote and the concept-free samadhi of intrinsic reality, which is known as 'the concentration delighting the Tathagatas'. These should be practiced successively, in stages." 

The Four Dhyanas - Khenpo Pema Vajra says:

• The first Dhyana level, which is accomplished in this way, has five features: conception, discernment, joy, physical wellbeing, and samadhi.

• The second Dhyana, which is even more peaceful, has four features: the perfect clarity in which conception and discernment have been relinquished; joy; physical wellbeing; and samadhi.

• The third Dhyana, which is more peaceful still, has five features: equanimity, in which the concept of joy has been abandoned; mindfulness; watchful awareness; physical wellbeing; and samadhi.

• The fourth dhyana, which is called the ultimate dhyana because it is yet more peaceful, has four features: the neutral sensation, in which the sensation of physical wellbeing has been abandoned; mindfulness; the mental formation of equanimity; and samadhi.

Donations for our Buddhist research and development

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in 2008, we have been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 14 years. We have exceptionally constrained support and do not receive subsidies or funding from people in general.

 

Please help us develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you but all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us enhance our work and accomplish more for a better and brighter future.

 

Thank you for reading. May you find peace and great bliss. With your support, it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turn the Dharma wheels in the world.

 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright on the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and/or studios

The picture(s) are intended for editorial use only.

The Six Paramitas - Prajna Paramitas (6/6)

Paramita means perfection the noblest, most excellent, highest qualities. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article.

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions. 

What are the six Paramitas of Buddhism?

The six are generally translated as: 

1. Generosity, 
2. Discipline, 
3. Patience, 
4. Diligence, 
5. Meditative concentration,  
6. Wisdom.   

Some lists enumerate ten paramitas, the last four of which are aspects of the wisdom paramita and are skillful means, strength, aspiration, and primordial wisdom. These align with the ten stages of the Bodhisattva path. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article. 

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions.'  

Para in Sanskrit literally means the 'other shore.' Here, it means going beyond our own notion of the self. From the Buddhist point of view in general and from the Mahayana point of view in particular, if we want to progress properly on the path, we need to go beyond our conventional understanding of the self. 

When we say that paramita means 'transcendental action,' we mean it in the sense that actions or attitudes are performed in a non-egocentric manner. 'Transcendental' does not refer to some external reality but rather to the way in which we conduct our lives and perceive the world—either in an egocentric or a non-egocentric way. The six paramitas are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality.”     

What are the six paramitas in Buddhism? The six perfections are : 

6) Wisdom ( Prajna ) - The perfect discrimination of phenomena, all knowable things.

Wisdom translates two different Sanskrit and Tibetan terms:

1) in Sanskrit (Prajna) and Tibetan (Sherab), the sixth of the six paramitas is defined as the precise discernment of all things and events.

2) in Sanskrit (Jnana) and Tibetan (Yeshe), which is sometimes translated as primordial wisdom. one of the two accumulations.

Definition

Patrul Rinpoche says:
"Wisdom is identified as the recognition during the formal meditation session that all phenomena are empty and the knowledge during the post-meditation phase that all phenomena are unreal, like a magical illusion or a dream."

Donations for our Buddhist research and development

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in 2008, we have been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 14 years. We have exceptionally constrained support and do not receive subsidies or funding from people in general.

 

Please help us develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you but all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us enhance our work and accomplish more for a better and brighter future.

 

Thank you for reading. May you find peace and great bliss. With your support, it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turn the Dharma wheels in the world.

 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright on the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and/or studios

The picture(s) are intended for editorial use only.

The Six Paramitas - Dhyana Paramitas (5/6)

Paramita means perfection the noblest, most excellent, highest qualities. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article.

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions. 

What are the six Paramitas of Buddhism?

The six are generally translated as: 

1. Generosity, 
2. Discipline, 
3. Patience, 
4. Diligence, 
5. Meditative concentration,  
6. Wisdom.   

Some lists enumerate ten paramitas, the last four of which are aspects of the wisdom paramita and are skillful means, strength, aspiration, and primordial wisdom. These align with the ten stages of the Bodhisattva path. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article. 

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions.'  

Para in Sanskrit literally means the 'other shore.' Here, it means going beyond our own notion of the self. From the Buddhist point of view in general and from the Mahayana point of view in particular, if we want to progress properly on the path, we need to go beyond our conventional understanding of the self. 

When we say that paramita means 'transcendental action,' we mean it in the sense that actions or attitudes are performed in a non-egocentric manner. 'Transcendental' does not refer to some external reality but rather to the way in which we conduct our lives and perceive the world—either in an egocentric or a non-egocentric way. The six paramitas are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality.”     

What are the six paramitas in Buddhism? The six perfections are : 

5) Meditative concentration ( Dhyana ) - The fifth of the six paramitas is defined as the capacity to remain undistracted. It is the topic of the eighth chapter of the *Bodhicharyavatara.

* Bodhicharyavatara An Introduction to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is Shantideva's classic guide to the Mahayana path.  Tsoknyi Rinpoche said:

The Bodhicharyavatara teaches the complete Mahayana path to enlightenment, including all necessary preliminary, main, and concluding practices. A perfect path in itself, it is also, at the same time, a perfect support for all practitioners of the Vajrayana teachings in general. Practitioners learn how to develop the motivation of Bodhichitta as well as how to carry out the application of the six paramitas, or transcendental perfections. They learn how to fuse their practice of bodhichitta and the five first perfections with the sixth perfection, wisdom.

Patrul Rinpoche explains that there are two preliminaries to developing meditative concentration. 

1. Giving up mundane concerns

As regards renouncing mundane concerns, our mind will never settle into a state of one-pointed absorption as long as it is under the sway of attachment to parents, relatives, and friends or attendants. So we must give up all our habitual preoccupations and busyness and remain alone in an isolated place suitable for meditation.

Being attached to rewards and honours, praise or good reputation, or trifling necessities and then pursuing them will only obstruct the authentic path, so we must cut through any expectations and anxieties about such things and train ourselves to be content with whatever comes our way.  

2. Letting Go of Discursive Thought 

Even though we may be in an isolated place, not seeking possessions and such like to any great extent, if our mind falls under the power of desire, a genuine state of meditative concentration will not arise in our being, and our mind will be unable to rest in a state of absorption.

Therefore, thoughts of desire must be given up. To turn our thoughts away from attachment to desirable things is particularly important for gaining the special higher levels of concentration, so we should certainly turn the mind away from craving after members of the opposite sex by reflecting on the cause, the fact that they are not easy to obtain; their nature, which is impure; and the result, which involves a lot of harm, and so on.  

Moreover, we must understand that the eight worldly concerns and all thoughts of the present life are our real enemies. We must therefore reflect at some length on the problems caused by negative thoughts of desire and, generating a sense of inner dignity, make heartfelt efforts to abandon them, no matter how many may arise.

Donations for our Buddhist research and development

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in 2008, we have been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 14 years. We have exceptionally constrained support and do not receive subsidies or funding from people in general.

 

Please help us develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you but all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us enhance our work and accomplish more for a better and brighter future.

 

Thank you for reading. May you find peace and great bliss. With your support, it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turn the Dharma wheels in the world.

 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright on the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and/or studios

The picture(s) are intended for editorial use only.

The Six Paramitas - Virya Paramitas (4/6)

 

Paramita means perfection the noblest, most excellent, highest qualities. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article.

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions. 

What are the six Paramitas of Buddhism?

The six are generally translated as: 

1. Generosity, 
2. Discipline, 
3. Patience, 
4. Diligence, 
5. Meditative concentration,  
6. Wisdom.   

Some lists enumerate ten paramitas, the last four of which are aspects of the wisdom paramita and are skillful means, strength, aspiration, and primordial wisdom. These align with the ten stages of the Bodhisattva path. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article. 

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions.'  

Para in Sanskrit literally means the 'other shore.' Here, it means going beyond our own notion of the self. From the Buddhist point of view in general and from the Mahayana point of view in particular, if we want to progress properly on the path, we need to go beyond our conventional understanding of the self. 

When we say that paramita means 'transcendental action,' we mean it in the sense that actions or attitudes are performed in a non-egocentric manner. 'Transcendental' does not refer to some external reality but rather to the way in which we conduct our lives and perceive the world—either in an egocentric or a non-egocentric way. The six paramitas are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality.”

What are the six paramitas in Buddhism? The six perfections are : 

4) Diligence ( Virya ) - Virya is a Buddhist term commonly translated as "energy", "diligence", "enthusiasm", or "effort". It can be defined as an attitude of gladly engaging in wholesome activities, and it functions to cause one to accomplish wholesome or virtuous actions.

Virya In Buddhism, virya refers to a practitioner's "energy, "persistence, "persevering, "vigour", "effort", "diligence, or "exertion", and is repeatedly identified as a necessary prerequisite for achieving liberation.  

Mental factor

Within the Buddhist *Abhidharma teachings, virya is identified as:

• One of the six occasional mental factors within the Theravada Abhidharma

• One of the eleven virtuous mental factors within the Mahayana Abhidharma

In this context, virya is defined as the attitude of gladly engaging in what is wholesome; its function is to cause one to accomplish wholesome actions.

*Abhidharma - The Abhidharma are ancient (third century BCE and later) Buddhist texts that contain detailed scholastic presentations of doctrinal material appearing in the Buddhist sutras. It also refers to the scholastic method itself as well as the field of knowledge that this method is said to study. Translations of Abhidhamma.

The Abhidharma-samuccaya states:

What is virya? It is the mind intent on being ever active, devoted, unshaken, not turning back, and being indefatigable. It perfects and realises what is conducive to the positive. In the context of the Mahayana Abhidharma, virya is commonly translated as diligence. 

Donations for our Buddhist research and development

Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, we are delighted that you are finding our blog useful and valuable. Would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development?

We need your help to secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. Since our very first publication of Dharma works and activities in 2008, we have been effortlessly providing free distribution of Dharma posts and articles throughout the previous 14 years. We have exceptionally constrained support and do not receive subsidies or funding from people in general.

 

Please help us develop our Dharma activities that will not only benefit you but all Dharma readers on the planet. Please consider showing your support. Your generosity will certainly help us enhance our work and accomplish more for a better and brighter future.

 

Thank you for reading. May you find peace and great bliss. With your support, it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turn the Dharma wheels in the world.

 

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright on the picture(s).

Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and/or studios

The picture(s) are intended for editorial use only.

The Six Paramitas - Kṣanti Paramitas (3/6)

 

Paramita means perfection the noblest, most excellent, highest qualities. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article.

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions.' 

What are the six Paramitas of Buddhism?

The six are generally translated as: 

1. Generosity, 
2. Discipline, 
3. Patience, 
4. Diligence, 
5. Meditative concentration,  
6. Wisdom.   

Some lists enumerate ten paramitas, the last four of which are aspects of the wisdom paramita and are skillful means, strength, aspiration, and primordial wisdom. These align with the ten stages of the Bodhisattva path. 

It symbolises the crossing from the shore of confusion and suffering to the shore of liberation and enlightenment. It groups the six actions to be performed to reach a state of realisation.

The six paramitas, or transcendent perfections, are an essential concept in the practice of Mahayana Buddhism. They are so fundamental, in fact, that the “Vehicle of the Perfections” is a synonym for Mahayana itself. The Pali or Theravada tradition also includes perfections, referred to as paramis, but a discussion of these is out of the scope of this article.

“If we want to obtain enlightenment by becoming a Bodhisattva, it is necessary to actualize wisdom and compassion. This is done through the practice of what are called the six paramitas, or 'transcendental actions.'  

Para in Sanskrit literally means the 'other shore.' Here, it means going beyond our own notion of the self. From the Buddhist point of view in general and from the Mahayana point of view in particular, if we want to progress properly on the path, we need to go beyond our conventional understanding of the self. 

When we say that paramita means 'transcendental action,' we mean it in the sense that actions or attitudes are performed in a non-egocentric manner. 'Transcendental' does not refer to some external reality but rather to the way in which we conduct our lives and perceive the world—either in an egocentric or a non-egocentric way. The six paramitas are concerned with the effort to step out of the egocentric mentality.”

What are the six paramitas in Buddhism? The six perfections are : 

1) Generosity (Dana)  - Perfection of Generosity is about more than just charitable giving. It is generosity as an expression of selflessness and an acknowledgment that we all coexist with each other. Without attaching to possessions or to ourselves, we live to benefit all beings.  

Perfection of Generosity, the first of the six paramitas, is defined as an attitude of giving. Generosity is divided into :

• material giving,
• giving the Dharma, and
• giving protection from fear.

You should practice these three kinds of generosity according to your capacity. At the very least, you should offer sur (burnt offerings) and water tormas, since this offering incorporates all three kinds of giving. 

2) Ethical Self-Discipline (Sila) - Ethical self-discipline is where we refrain from destructive behaviour by realising its disadvantages. Its benefits are:

• It enables us to avoid all of the problems that arise from acting, speaking, and thinking harmfully. It creates a basis of trust with others, which is the foundation for true friendship.
• It helps us to overcome our compulsive negative behaviour and develop self-control, leading to a calmer, more stable mind.

It prevents us from hurting others. 

3) Patience (Ksanti) - Patience, the third of the six paramitas, is defined as the ability not to be perturbed by anything. It is the subject of the sixth *Bodhicharyavatara.

* Bodhicharyavatara An Introduction to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life is Shantideva's classic guide to the Mahayana path.  Tsoknyi Rinpoche said:

The Bodhicharyavatara teaches the complete Mahayana path to enlightenment, including all necessary preliminary, main, and concluding practices. A perfect path in itself, it is also, at the same time, a perfect support for all practitioners of the Vajrayana teachings in general. Practitioners learn how to develop the motivation of Bodhichitta as well as how to carry out the application of the six paramitas, or transcendental perfections. They learn how to fuse their practice of bodhichitta and the five first perfections with the sixth perfection, wisdom.

Opportunity for patience - "Patience consists of being patient when wronged, having the patience to bear hardships for the Dharma, and having the patience to bear the profound truth without fear."

"There are various situations that require our patience, beginning with the following four:

• When someone treats us with contempt,
• Addresses us with harsh words,
• Slanders us behind our backs,

Or causes us pain. 

And similarly, when these four are done to our teachers or our friends and relatives,

Or:

• When our enemies and those who oppose us find pleasure and wellbeing,
• When they receive honours and rewards,
• When they are offered praise,
• Or when people speak well of them.

In addition, there are also those situations in which their opposites, the twelve desirable circumstances, are prevented from occurring, making a total of twenty-four opportunities for us to practice patience.

When any of these occur, we must avoid becoming disheartened by the events themselves or the suffering they bring and instead accept the suffering. We must not become angry with those involved, but disregard the harm they do to us and settle the mind in meditation upon the reality of profound emptiness.

In this way, by multiplying each instance a further three times, we arrive at seventy-two types of patience in which to train." 

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Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease.

But increase further and further.

 

Dedication of Merit

By this merit, may we then obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrongdoings

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

 

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