Six Perfections – Mahayana Buddhism
The word Paramita means ‘perfection’. Buddhists aim to develop the Six Perfections of character and other attributes. means ‘perfection’ or ‘completeness’. The One of the major schools of Buddhism, it includes Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. texts contain many references to six paramitas (or perfections) of the character and understanding (here, ‘understanding’ refers to intellect).
The Meaning ‘teachings of the elders'. It is primarily focused on the Arhat path to enlightenment. This branch of Buddhism can be found in Sri Lanka and South East Asia. path seeks a total of ten perfections, including the six found in Mahayana teaching.
What are the Six Perfections (paramitas)?
To gain A Buddhist’s ultimate goal is to attain Buddhahood, or become a Buddha. A Buddha is an enlightened being. , a Buddhist must achieve both perfect compassion and perfect understanding. The Six Perfections offer a clear method of practising these perfections. The Six Perfections are:
- generosity
- morality
- patience
- energy
- meditation
- wisdom
Developing the Six Perfections
Each perfection develops a particular aspect of a Buddhist’s character or understanding. The table below sets out what the Six Perfections mean in practice.
| Generosity (Dana paramita) | Willingness to give to others what they need, whether that be time, possessions or skills. Willingness to give without regret and with joy, and to give without expectation of reward. |
| Morality (Sila paramita) | Following the Dhamma (or Dharma) in all aspects, but not without thinking. Working the Dhamma into one’s daily life with intelligence and understanding. |
| Patience (Ksanti paramita) | Also translated as ‘tolerance’ or ‘endurance’. Being patient with others, enduring hardship and accepting the truth of life’s unsatisfactoriness (or dukkha). |
| Energy (Virya paramita) | Dedication to attaining Buddhahood. |
| Meditation (Dhyana paramita) | Meditation is the foundation of wisdom. Inner focus and calm are essential for the deep understanding required for Buddhahood. |
| Wisdom (Prajna paramita) | Wisdom consists of understanding that all of existence is emptiness (sunyata). This idea is the foundation of all of the paramitas. Wisdom, which means awareness of sunyata, is achieved through the previous five paramitas. |
| Generosity (Dana paramita) |
| Willingness to give to others what they need, whether that be time, possessions or skills. Willingness to give without regret and with joy, and to give without expectation of reward. |
| Morality (Sila paramita) |
| Following the Dhamma (or Dharma) in all aspects, but not without thinking. Working the Dhamma into one’s daily life with intelligence and understanding. |
| Patience (Ksanti paramita) |
| Also translated as ‘tolerance’ or ‘endurance’. Being patient with others, enduring hardship and accepting the truth of life’s unsatisfactoriness (or dukkha). |
| Energy (Virya paramita) |
| Dedication to attaining Buddhahood. |
| Meditation (Dhyana paramita) |
| Meditation is the foundation of wisdom. Inner focus and calm are essential for the deep understanding required for Buddhahood. |
| Wisdom (Prajna paramita) |
| Wisdom consists of understanding that all of existence is emptiness (sunyata). This idea is the foundation of all of the paramitas. Wisdom, which means awareness of sunyata, is achieved through the previous five paramitas. |
Question
Which paramita underpins or unlocks all of the others?
Wisdom, the awareness of sunyata.