Pāramitā or
Pāramī (
Sanskrit and
Pāli respectively)
1
:"The word
pāramī derives from
parama, 'supreme,' and thus suggests the eminence of the qualities which must be fulfilled by a bodhisattva in the long course of his spiritual development. But the cognate
pāramitā, the word preferred by the Mahāyāna texts and also used by Pāli writers, is sometimes explained as
pāram +
ita, 'gone to the beyond,' thereby indicating the transcendental direction of these qualities." (Velthuis convention lettering replaced with Pali diacrits.) means "Perfect" or "Perfection". In
Buddhism, the Paramitas refer to the perfection or culmination of certain virtues. In Buddhism, these virtues are cultivated as a way of purification, purifying (
karma) and helping the aspirant to live an unobstructed life, while reaching the goal of
Bodhi.
The Paramitas in Theravada Buddhism
The Theravadin teachings on Paramitas can be found in books (the
Buddhavamsa,
Jatakas and
Avadanas) and commentaries which have been added to the
Pali Canon at a later time, and thus they are not an original part of the Theravadin teachings
2. Also, the oldest parts of the
Sutta Pitaka (for example:
Majjhima Nikaya,
Digha Nikaya,
Samyutta Nikaya and the
Anguttara Nikaya) do not have any mention of the paramitas
3. Some scholars even refer to the teachings of the paramitas as a semi-Mahayana
4 teaching which was added to the scriptures at a later time, in order to appeal to the interests and needs of the lay-community, and to popularize their religion
5.
Canonical sources
In
Theravada Buddhism's
Pali Canon Buddhavamsa6 the Ten Perfections (
dasa pāramiyo) are (original terms in Pali):
- Dāna parami : generosity, giving of oneself
- Sīla parami : virtue, morality, proper conduct
- Nekkhamma parami : renunciation
- Pañña parami : transcendental wisdom, insight
- Viriya (also spelt vīriya) parami : energy, diligence, vigour, effort
- Khanti parami : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
- Sacca parami : truthfulness, honesty
- Adhitthana (adhitthana) parami : determination, resolution
- Metta parami : loving-kindness
- Upekkha (also spelt upekhā) parami : equanimity, serenity
Two of the above virtues,
Metta and
Upekkha, also comprise two of the Four Immeasurables (
Brahmavihara).
Traditional Theravada practice
Bodhi (2005) maintains that, in the earliest Buddhist texts (which he identifies as the first four
Sutta Pitaka), those seeking suffering's extinction (
Nirvana) pursued the
Noble Eightfold Path. As time went on, a
backstory was provided for the
Rebirth (Buddhism) development of the
Gautama Buddha; as a result, the ten perfections were identified as part of the path for the Buddha-to-be (Pali:
bodhisatta; Sanskrit:
bodhisattva). Over subsequent centuries, the paramis were seen as being significant to both aspirants of Buddhahood and of
Arhat. Thus, Bodhi (2005) summarizes:
:"It should be noted that in established Theravāda tradition the pāramīs are not regarded as a discipline peculiar to candidates for Buddhahood alone but as practices which must be fulfilled by all aspirants to enlightenment and deliverance, whether as
Buddhahoods,
paccekabuddhas, or
sravaka. What distinguishes the supreme bodhisattva from aspirants in the other two vehicles is the degree to which the pāramīs must be cultivated and the length of time they must be pursued. But the qualities themselves are universal requisites for deliverance, which all must fulfill to at least a minimal degree to merit the fruits of the liberating path."
7
The Paramitas in Mahayana Buddhism
In
Mahayana Buddhism, the
Lotus Sutra (
Saddharmapundarika), lists the Six Perfections as (original terms in Sanskrit):
- Dāna paramita: generosity, giving of oneself (in Chinese, 布施波羅蜜; in Wylie transliteration, sbyin pa)
- Sila paramita : virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct (持戒波羅蜜; tshul khrims)
- Kshanti (kshanti) paramita : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance (忍辱波羅蜜, bzod pa)
- Virya paramita : energy, diligence, vigour, effort (精進波羅蜜, brtson ’grus)
- Dhyāna paramita : one-pointed concentration, contemplation (禪定波羅蜜, bsam gtan)
- Prajña paramita : wisdom, insight (智慧波羅蜜, shes rab)
Note that this list is also mentioned by the Theravada commentator
Dhammapala, who says it is equivalent to the above list of ten.
8
In the
Dasabhumika Sutra (
Dasabhumika) Sutra, four more Paramitas are listed:
:7.
Upāya paramita: skillful means
:8.
Pranidhana (pranidhana) paramita: vow, resolution, aspiration, determination
:9.
Bala (Buddhism) paramita: spiritual power
:10.
Jñāna paramita: knowledge
Paramitas in Vajrayana
Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche renders "paramita" into English as "transcendent action" and then frames and qualifies it:
When we say that paramita means "transcendent action," we mean it in the sense that actions or attitude 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.9
Keown,
et. al. (2003) hold that the Six Perfections (Sanskrit:
ṣad-pāramitā) comprise the
gyulu.
10
Notes
1. Technically,
pāramitā is uboth/u Sanskrit and Pali (see, for instance, Rhys Davids & Stede, 1921-25, p. 454,
entry for "Pāramitā," retrieved 30 Jun 2007); although, the
Pali literature makes far greater reference to
pāramī.
Bodhi (2005) states:
2. ‘
Jatakas originally did not form part of
Theravadins scriptures' Buddhist Sects in India, Nalinaksha Dutt, Motilal Banararsidass Publishers (Delhi), 2nd Edition, 1978, p. 224’
3. ‘
Theravadins’ early literature did not refer to the paramitas.’ Buddhist Sects in India, Nalinaksha Dutt, Motilal Banararsidass Publishers (Delhi), 2nd Edition, 1978, Dutt, p.228
4. ‘The incorporation of paramis by the Theravadins in the Jatakas reveals that they were not immune from Mahayanic influence. This happened, of course, at a much later date;’ Buddhist Sects in India, Nalinaksha Dutt, Motilal Banararsidass Publishers (Delhi), 2nd Edition, 1978, p. 219
5. ‘It is evident that the Hinayanists, either to popularize their religion or to interest the laity more in it, incorporated in their doctrines the conception of Bodhisattva and the practice of paramitas. This was effected by the production of new literature: the Jatakas and Avadanas.' Buddhist Sects in India, Nalinaksha Dutt, Motilal Banararsidass Publishers (Delhi), 2nd Edition, 1978, p. 251. The term 'Semi-Mahayana' occurs here as a subtitle.
6. Buddhavamsa, chapter 2. For an on-line reference to the Buddhavamsa's seminality in the Theravada notion of
parami, see
Bodhi (2005).brIn terms of other examples in the
Pali literature, Rhys Davids & Stede (1921-25), p. 454,
entry for "Pāramī," (retrieved 2007-06-24) cites
Jataka i.73 and
Dhammapada Atthakatha i.84. Bodhi (2005) also mentions Acariya
Dhammapala's treatise in the
Cariyapitaka-
Atthakatha and the
Brahmajala Sutta (Theravada) Subcommentaries, Theravada.
7. Bodhi (2005). (Converted the document's original use of the Velthuis convention to
Pali diacritics.)
8. The passage is translated in Bodhi (1978), p. 314.
9. Ray, Reginald A. (Ed.)(2004).
In the Presence of Masters: Wisdom from 30 Contemporary Tibetan Buddhist Teachers. Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Shambala. ISBN 1-57062-849-1 (pbk.: alk. paper) p.140.
10. Keown, Damien (ed.) with Hodge, Stephen; Jones, Charles; Tinti, Paola (2003).
A Dictionary of Buddhism. Great Britain, Oxford: Oxford University Press. P.270. ISBN 0-19-860560-9
Sources
- Bhikkhu Bodhi (1978). The All-Embracing Net of Views. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.
- Bodhi, Bhikkhu (ed.) (1978, 2005). A Treatise on the Paramis: From the Commentary to the Cariyapitaka by Acariya Dhammapala (The Wheel, No. 409/411). Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Retrieved 30 Jun 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/wheel409.html.
- T. W. Rhys Davids, T.W. & William Stede (eds.) (1921-5). The Pali Text Society’s Pali–English Dictionary. Chipstead: Pali Text Society. A general on-line search engine for the PED is available at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/pali/.
See also
External links
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