Introduction to the Six Perfections
The Six Perfections are the core practical teachings within the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism
The Six Perfections or the Six Paramitas (Tibetan: Parol Tu Chinpa Drug, Sanskrit: Satparamita) form the core of the practical teachings in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. The Theravada tradition focuses on liberation from samsara, and therefore freedom from suffering, for oneself. On the other hand, the Mahayana tradition focuses on achieving enlightenment with the goal of helping all other sentient beings transcend their own suffering and reach the same exalted state of enlightenment.
The Mahayana path is not just about the ultimate goal of helping others when we become enlightened, but also stresses the importance of the spiritual journey itself. Hence, those on the Mahayana path place specific emphasis on helping all sentient beings right now, according to our current means. As we focus out and help others in our daily practice, we enact tremendous spiritual transformation. And as we transform, we become capable of helping more and more sentient beings, until we reach enlightenment. The Six Perfections are one of the ways through which we practise this transformational path.
In April 2020, Kechara’s pastors and senior students decided to go online to share our knowledge of the Dharma and our personal experiences. Our sharings had, up until that point, been mainly carried out through physical classes, but with the global situation we decided to intensify our activities to share the Dharma online. One of the topics that I spoke about during my sharing sessions was the Six Perfections.
This post includes the videos recorded for the online sharing, but at the same time, since I have the liberty here to elaborate further in writing, I have expanded upon each of the Six Perfections to be a little more informative. Even so, this article is only an introduction to the Six Perfections, as the practice is an advanced one. What is provided here is but a simple guide.
Positive Quality Vs. Perfection
When we think about developing a positive quality, we generally have the wish not to do harm and to be a genuinely kind and caring person. Some people may even practise positive qualities such as being generous, simply because they believe it will make them a better person.
These types of positive qualities are not ‘perfections’. Positive qualities are only ‘perfections’ when the motivation behind the practice of those qualities is a Mahayana motivation, which is to reach enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. That motivation is also called ‘bodhicitta’. When you practise a positive quality motivated by bodhicitta, it becomes the ‘perfection’ of that quality.
All Mahayana practices strive towards the ‘perfection’ of various good qualities
What is Bodhicitta?
According to the Mahayana teachings, we should make the most use of our current human rebirth. And the best use of our current life is to strive to gain enlightenment. In order to do this, we need to develop bodhicitta. This is a mind motivated by great compassion to help all sentient beings gain enlightenment. At first, we need to cultivate this type of motivation through various meditational practices. It is not a type of mind that arises naturally but requires a lot of training.
Eventually, through familiarising ourselves with it, bodhicitta arises spontaneously without effort. When that occurs, we are said to become true bodhisattvas, beings bound to achieve enlightenment following the Mahayana path. A central practice of bodhisattvas is the Six Perfections.
According to the teachings of the Lamrim, however, in order to engage in the correct meditational methods to develop bodhicitta in your mindstream, you need a firm enough foundational knowledge and practice of other aspects of the Dharma. These are topics covered in the Lower and Medium Scopes of the Lamrim, and include such things as impermanence and death; understanding of the sufferings of the various realms of existence; the Four Noble Truths; and the 12 Links of Dependent Arising. Once you have a firm grounding in these practices, you progress to the Higher Scope of the Lamrim teachings, which include the generation of bodhicitta and the Six Perfections.
The Lamrim gives two main methods of meditational practices which give rise to bodhicitta. These are (1) The Cause and Effect Instruction and (2) The Seven-Point Mind Training. These are known as the most effective meditations, but as mentioned, require a firm grounding in other Dharma topics.
The development of Bodhicitta is dependent on generating affectionate love and compassion for all sentient beings
The root of both methods of developing bodhicitta is compassion, defined in Buddhism as the wish to alleviate all sentient beings without exception from suffering. As human beings, bound by delusions, the first step is to train in immeasurable equanimity. This is the ability to see all sentient beings without the internal lenses of attachment, hatred and indifference. It transforms our perceptions of loved ones, enemies and strangers. No longer are we bound by viewing all beings as falling into one of these categories. Instead, we view all beings as being equal.
Then, in order to develop real compassion, we must first develop love through the force of attraction, also known as affectionate love. This is a type of love that makes us feel close to all beings and hold them dear. It is the type of love that always wants them to be happy.
When we develop affectionate love, then compassion for sentient beings arises when we become aware of their suffering. The suffering of sentient beings is more than just what they face in their current lifetimes. It includes their continuous and unending journey through cyclic existence, and the workings of their karma and delusions. Again, from a Lamrim perspective, these topics are covered in the Lower and Medium Scopes. Through applying understanding of these teachings, affectionate love transforms from always wanting others to be happy, to great compassion – always wanting others to be free from suffering.
The arising of this type of great compassion is the catalyst for bodhicitta to awaken in our minds and transform our lives. No longer are we motivated by attachment to ourselves and our own spiritual journey. Instead we are motivated by the need to see all beings liberated from suffering, hence we will naturally work tirelessly towards the goal of enlightenment so we can fulfil that motivation.
The Six Perfections
Each of the Perfections have specific benefits, for ourselves and in the ways that we can help other sentient beings.
Generosity (Tibetan: jinpa, Sanskrit: dana)
- Benefits for ourselves: Cuts miserliness, creates the causes for material resources.
- Benefits for others: Giving material resources alleviates poverty, allows us to build good relationships with others.
- How it leads to the next perfection: The benefits of generosity are limited if we harm others. If we don’t get a good rebirth, we will not be able to make use of the resources we generate the merits for by practising generosity. To ensure we get a good rebirth, we must practise morality.
Morality (Tibetan: tsultrim, Sanskrit: sila):
- Benefits for ourselves: Stops creation of bad karma, creates conditions to achieve a good rebirth.
- Benefits for others: They are not harmed by our actions.
- How it leads to the next perfection: We cannot be firm in our practice of morality if we respond to the actions of others with the wish to retaliate. So, we need to practise patience.
Patience (Tibetan: zopa, Sanskrit: ksanti):
- Benefits for ourselves: Creates conditions to be surrounded by supportive friends, and leads to an attractive appearance.
- Benefits for others: Stops conflicts from escalating and helps others not to create more negative karma for themselves.
- How it leads to the next perfection: Our patience can only grow over time when we withstand negative situations again and again, hence we need to apply effort.
Joyous Effort (Tibetan: tsondru, Sanskrit: virya):
- Benefits for ourselves: Creates the ability to complete whatever we start.
- Benefits for others: They benefit from our continued virtuous actions.
- How it leads to the next perfection: We must have control of our emotions and mind for our effort to be stable, hence we need to develop mental concentration.
Concentration (Tibetan: samten, Sanskrit: dhyana):
- Benefits for ourselves: Our mind becomes stable and is not disturbed by distractions.
- Benefits for others: We are able to aid others through miraculous feats that come about through the power of a concentrated mind.
- How it leads to the next perfection: To understand what we should practise and meditate on to achieve enlightenment, we need wisdom.
Wisdom (Tibetan: sherab, Sanskrit: prajna):
- Benefits for ourselves: By knowing what we should or should not do, we protect ourselves from degenerating and creating bad karma; we always engage in positive actions; we come to understand the true nature of reality.
- Benefits for others: We are able to give excellent advice, clear doubts and lead others along the path of transformation.
- How it leads to Enlightenment: We are able to meditate on the nature of reality, or emptiness, coupled with bodhicitta. With these two in union, we achieve the highest state, that of Buddhahood.
The practice of the Six Perfections infuses your life with spirituality and propels you towards the ultimate goal – enlightenment
Each Perfection is more difficult to practise than the one before it, which it develops from. Generosity cuts miserliness but also cuts attachment to material items. If we are less attached to material possessions, it’s easier for us to practise morality. When we practise morality, especially non-violence, then we can endure negative situations stemming from the material world and other living beings, and we can undertake any task without being discouraged. This allows us to employ joyous effort in all manner of virtuous endeavours. These virtuous actions lead to concentration, which is the state of calm abiding. When in this state of mind, we can use it to meditate on the nature of reality and gain special insight into emptiness. This leads to enlightenment. Though they build on each other, they are not meant to be practised independently, but together and in reliance on each other.
#1: The Perfection of Generosity
The Perfection of Generosity
In his text called Song of Spiritual Experience, Lama Tsongkhapa describes generosity as being like a wish-fulfilling jewel, granting the wishes of all sentient beings and like a sharp sword that cuts through miserliness. In essence, generosity is the mental intention to give what we have to others. This act of giving can either be physical, verbal or mental. It is split into three types:
- Giving material items: This can literally be anything physical that we own, be it something as simple as food to the greatest of riches. This does not mean that we give away everything we own. Obviously, we should retain what we need to live and also practise the Dharma. Everything else that we possess can actually be a form of attachment and is not necessary for our spiritual practice. Giving to three particular groups are said to be extremely meritorious: (1) the Three Jewels (making offerings on your altar, to temples or to the sangha), (2) our parents, as they usually sacrifice a lot to raise us, and (3) those who are in need, such as the homeless, poor, sick, and handicapped.
- Giving the Dharma: There are many ways of giving the Dharma, but the key here is to do so with a good motivation. Even a single word of the Dharma given to others with a good motivation is the Perfection of Generosity. Of the three types of generosity, giving the Dharma is considered the highest. Even dedicating the merit from your virtuous actions correctly, towards the benefit of all sentient beings, can be classed as giving the Dharma.
- Giving fearlessness: This means to protect others from any fear. This includes saving insects from being harmed, saving animals that are to be slaughtered, protecting others from physical harm, and saving others from natural disasters or even fires. We can also practise this type of giving by making prayers and offerings to the enlightened beings, dedicated so that others can be free from fear and danger; or free from the Three Poisons (ignorance, attachment, hatred), self-grasping and self-cherishing.
#2: The Perfection of Morality
The Perfection of Morality
Morality is the mental intention and practice of refraining from or abandoning altogether thoughts, speech and actions that cause harm, either to oneself or to others. Again, this perfection can be categorised into three types.
- Refraining from misdeeds: This is restraint from committing thoughts, speech or actions that cause negative karma. In order to do this, we must understand the dangers of negative karma, take vows to abandon these actions, and then keep those vows or promises strongly. In essence, it means to keep our refuge vows as strongly as possible and understand them and why they are beneficial. Other types of vows can include the five precepts, monastic vows, bodhisattva vows, and tantric vows. Each of these sets of vows stops us from committing negative karma.
- Gathering virtuous Dharma: This refers to any action in accord with the Dharma while holding the bodhisattva vows purely. This includes making prostrations; making offerings; studying, contemplating and practising the Dharma; meditating; sharing the Dharma with others; teaching, etc.
- Working for sentient beings: This refers to our thoughts, speech and actions that are motivated by the intention to benefit others. Our actions however should help others in a practical, tactful and sensitive way. If we cannot benefit others with our actions, then we should at least make prayers for them, and continue the virtuous intention to help them when the opportunity arises. The Lamrim mentions two categories of carrying this out:
- Four Ways of Gathering:
- By practising physical generosity, which pleases others and they are drawn to us.
- By speaking in a pleasant manner, which allows us to share the Dharma with them. Our speech should be calm, conform to socially accepted norms, and we should share the Dharma in a manner that they can understand.
- By teaching the Dharma according to their level of intelligence, thus allowing them to train in various stages of practice.
- By practising what we teach ourselves.
- Eleven Ways of Working for Sentient Beings:
- Helping those who struggle and suffer.
- Working for those who do not know the right method.
- Working for the sake of others by benefiting them.
- Working for those who are in danger or threatened with danger.
- Working for those suffering from misery.
- Working for those who have been abandoned or neglected.
- Working for the homeless.
- Working for those who are without other like-minded people.
- Working for those who are on the right path of practice.
- Working for those who are on the wrong path of practice.
- Working for all these types of people through miracles.
#3: The Perfection of Patience
The Perfection of Patience
Patience is the ability of the mind to be undisturbed when faced with harm from others or any form of suffering. It is the direct counter to anger, which is one of the heaviest of negative karmas. Anger is an emotion that blocks our ability to judge a situation correctly, and is the cause for us to act in ways that we will eventually regret. This can range from insulting a loved one, all the way to the extreme of committing murder. This perfection is again divided into three types:
- Not retaliating: This is the practice of continuous mindfulness regarding the dangers of anger and the benefits of practising patience. Then when we are in a situation where anger is about to arise, we immediately apply a method to eliminate it. We practise this type of patience when we are provoked, while the remaining two are to be practised all the time.
- Accepting suffering: This is to accept suffering whenever we experience it. We should not fight against it but think that it is the result of our own negative karma. We can also use the suffering to build up our loving-kindness and compassion by thinking we are taking upon ourselves the suffering of others.
- Gaining confidence in the Dharma: This is the patience of learning, understanding, debating and gaining insight into Dharma and its practice. It is through this type of patience that we enact true change in our behaviour rather than superficial change that does not last.
#4: The Perfection of Joyous Effort
The Perfection of Joyous Effort
Joyous effort is to have enthusiastic perseverance in Dharma practice. The joyous or enthusiastic aspect of this perfection is due to the gladness that comes from performing virtuous actions. When we apply effort to our practice, any virtuous project we embark on will be successful, and the actions of our body, speech and mind become really meaningful and purposeful. Rather than being something that is practised on its own, joyous effort should accompany any virtuous action. In essence, joyous effort helps us overcome the three types of laziness:
- Procrastination: The unwillingness to undertake forms of spiritual practice immediately. This is due to the fact that your heart is not in it. The antidote to this is to meditate on impermanence and death, as well as the preciousness of having a human life.
- Craving what is meaningless: Engaging in pursuits that are not virtuous. We are all familiar with this, be it having a long conversation with a friend without a real outcome or transformational effect, falling down the rabbit-hole of watching TV or YouTube without any real purpose, or even being engrossed in activities like business ventures for its own sake. These do not improve us spiritually speaking; hence they are termed meaningless. Such pursuits take away our time to really work on ourselves in a spiritually transformative manner. The antidotes to this are to meditate on the failings of samsara and the deceptive nature of worldly entertainment.
- Pessimism or defeatism: The mistaken belief that we cannot progress spiritually and attain Buddhahood. This is quite common during our current era. It is the idea that people like ourselves cannot achieve enlightenment, gain spiritual attainments or work for the sake of benefiting sentient beings. We may think that our progress is slow, so we can never achieve higher states of consciousness, and we end up doubting if enlightenment is even possible at all or perhaps only reserved for a highly select few. In addition, we may see faults in other practitioners or even our teachers, doubting Dharma itself. The antidote to this is to remember that all thoughts that we have are contaminated by ignorance, but by sincerely practising the Dharma, we can eliminate this ignorance, as shown by Buddha Shakyamuni and the countless beings who have attained Buddhahood since his time.
Joyous effort as a perfection, is once again categorised into three types:
- Armour-like effort: Building up the determination to be successful when we undertake any virtuous or beneficial activity. Over time, this is built up to include even the feeling that we will gladly be reborn in the hell realms in order to help alleviate the suffering of each and every sentient being there. This may seem contradictory to those who have studied the Lower Scope teachings of the Lamrim, during which we are taught that rebirth in the lower realms is something to be avoided, since the suffering we face there will overshadow any hope of spiritual progress, let alone help any other sentient being. However, it is not contradictory at all. When ordinary beings are reborn in the lower realms, it is due to their karma and delusions. However, Bodhisattvas who practise the Six Perfections and develop the wish to be reborn there have continually trained in the practice of compassion and bodhicitta. Through their practice of refraining from negativity and building up virtue, they do not take rebirth there due to uncontrollable karma and delusions. Likewise, they do not suffer physically or mentally even a little when reborn there. In essence, armour-like effort is to practise the Dharma and benefit others, no matter the difficulties we face.
- Effort of gathering virtues: Applying perseverance in striving to gain spiritual realisations and attainments. This includes things like collecting as much merit as possible through virtuous activities; engaging in purification practices; making offerings daily and abundantly when we are able; and putting Dharma into practice as much as possible, such as the Mind Training teachings.
- Effort of benefiting sentient beings: Applying perseverance in striving to benefit others in a skilful manner. This seems similar to the third category of the Perfection of Morality – ‘working for sentient beings’. However, you should think of these two as being distinctly different. ‘Working for sentient beings’ is the actual method you use, while ‘effort of benefitting sentient beings’ is the effort we put into doing these things, and to continue doing them. Sometimes we may get tired in our practice. When that happens, simply relax and resume when we can. Dharma practice, especially the Perfection of Effort, is practised gently yet consistently, just like a river flows continuously day after day, year after year. If we force ourselves beyond our current capabilities, we will become irritable, tense, and may end up stopping our practice altogether.
#5: The Perfection of Concentration
The Perfection of Concentration
The last two perfections deal with techniques of meditation and their results. The first is concentration, also known as mental stabilisation, mental quiescence, calm-abiding, single-pointed concentration, etc. Calm abiding or single pointed concentration meditation, as the name suggests, entails focusing single-pointedly on one aspect of an object and holding our mind on it without movement.
This enables us to be more aware of our thoughts and thus enables us to adjust the busy-ness in our minds. This in turn allows us to be more at peace when going about our daily affairs, and also develops a higher form of concentration than we are normally used to.
#6: The Perfection of Wisdom
The Perfection of Wisdom
The perfection of wisdom is training in insight meditation, to thoroughly analyse a particular object without confusion. In its ultimate form, this technique is used to contemplate, understand and comprehend the concept of emptiness. During insight or analytical meditation, we investigate the object of meditation by repeatedly questioning and contemplating it in detail. It is akin to “fine-tuning” our thinking with the aim of gaining proper understanding and realisations, as opposed to just relying on conceptual thoughts in relations to the object of meditation.
Wisdom here does not refer to intelligence or knowledge regarding worldly activities. Wisdom in the Buddhist context is the understanding to distinguish between actions that are virtuous or merit-making and those that are not virtuous or simply karma-creating. Activities which are virtuous are to be engaged in, while those not virtuous are to be avoided. In essence, Buddhist wisdom provides us with a spiritual vision of what we should be doing.
When this wisdom is combined with concentration, or put another way, when insight meditation is combined with single-pointed concentration meditation, we are able to gain a direct experience or realisation of emptiness or the true nature of phenomena. A mind that does not have the necessary balance of the two will never be able to gain such realisations. This perfection necessarily needs practitioners to have a firm grounding in Buddhist practice and philosophy, to at least understand the various concepts which need to be meditated on from a purely intellectual perspective. The meditations then allow practitioners to gain an experiential or direct experience of these truths, which propel one towards complete enlightenment – the goal of the Bodhisattva path.
For more interesting information:
- Introduction to the Four Noble Truths
- Commentary on the Fascinating Concept of Emanation
- Applicable Dharma Talks from Around the World
- Five ways to love more by Tsem Rinpoche
- Praise to Manjusri Explanation by Geshe Rabten
- Tendencies
- Discovering Yourself: A Teaching on Karma & Mindstream
- The Body of a Buddha: A Road Map to Liberation
- The Farm of Your Mind | 你的“心田”
- Beginner’s Introduction to Dorje Shugden
- Updated: Dorje Shugden Teaching Videos
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Very informative post about Six Perfections. Simple and clear explanation in point form to understand and remember. Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Niral for this very profound write up!🙏😘👍
Very informative post about Six Perfections. To me I have still along way to go but reading this precise teachings have given me a better understanding about it. Learning some knowledge from this post, will continue to read it time from time to improve myself and arm with more knowledge. A simple guide yet very precise and advanced teachings to me. For someone new like me is a good start to learn from here.
Thank you Rinpoche and Pastor Niral for sharing this informative learning of Six Perfections.