Pāramitā or pāramī, is a Buddhist term often translated as "perfection". It is described in Buddhist commentaries as noble character qualities generally associated with enlightened beings. Pāramī and pāramitā are both terms in Pali but Pali literature makes greater reference to pāramī, while Mahayana texts generally use the Sanskritpāramitā.
Theravada teachings on the pāramīs can be found in late canonical books and post-canonical commentaries. Theravada commentator Dhammapala describes them as noble qualities usually associated with bodhisattvas. American scholar monk Thanissaro Bhikkhu, describes them as perfections of character necessary to achieve enlightenment as one of the three enlightened beings, a samma sambuddha a pacceka-buddha or an arahant.
Canonical sources
In the Pāli Canon, the Buddhavaṃsa of the Khuddaka Nikāya lists the ten perfections as:
Two of the above virtues, mettā and upekkhā, also are brahmavihāras.
Historicity
The Theravādin teachings on the pāramīs can be found in canonical books and post-canonical commentaries written to supplement the Pāli Canon at a later time, and thus might not be an original part of the Theravādin teachings. The oldest parts of the Sutta Piṭaka do not have any mention of the pāramīs as a category. Some scholars even refer to the teachings of the pāramīs as a semi-Mahāyāna teaching 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. However, these views rely on the early scholarly presumption of Mahāyāna originating with religious devotion and appeal to laity. More recently, scholars have started to open up early Mahāyāna literature, which is very ascetic and expounds the ideal of the monk's life in the forest. Therefore, the practice of the pāramitās in Mahāyāna Buddhism may have been close to the ideals of the ascetic tradition of the śramaṇa.
Religious studies scholar Dale S. Wright states that Mahāyāna texts refer to the pāramitās as "bases of training" for those looking to achieve enlightenment. Wright describes the Buddhist pāramitās as a set of character ideals that guide self-cultivation and provide a concreteimage of the Buddhist ideal. The Prajñapāramitā sūtras, and a large number of other Mahāyāna texts list six perfections:
This list is also mentioned by the Theravāda commentator Dhammapala, who describes it as a categorization of the same ten perfections of Theravada Buddhism. According to Dhammapala, Sacca is classified as both Śīla and Prajñā, Mettā and Upekkhā are classified as Dhyāna, and Adhiṭṭhāna falls under all six. Bhikkhu Bodhi states that the correlations between the two sets shows there was a shared core before the Theravada and Mahayana schools split. In the Ten Stages Sutra, four more pāramitās are listed: The Mahāratnakūṭa Sūtra also includes these additional four pāramitās with number 8 and 9 switched.
According to the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāyāna practitioners have the choice of two practice paths: the path of perfection or the path of tantra, which is the Vajrayāna. Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche renders "pāramitā" into English as "transcendent action" and then frames and qualifies it: The pure illusory body is said to be endowed with the six perfections. The first four perfections are skillful means practice while the last two are wisdom practice. These contain all the methods and skills required for eliminating delusion and fulfilling other's needs. Also, leading from happy to happier states.
Citations
Works cited
Apte, Vaman Shivaram. Revised and enlarged edition of Prin. V. S. Apte's . Poona: Prasad Prakashan.
