Did you know there are three lists of paramitas? Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism have similar lists, but a few unique to each one. And in the Mahayana tradition, one sutra names six paramitas, while another names ten. (I’m practicing the ten Mahayana paramitas.) In all, wisdom resides at the center.

In the sutra The Perfection of Wisdom, the Buddha writes,

The perfection of wisdom, through the roots of virtue developed in all-embracing knowledge, takes in and encompasses the five other constituent perfections… Just as seeds scattered in the earth grow to complete maturity, and the earth is the ground for these seeds, and the seeds grow dependent upon the earth, similarly…the five perfections which come under the perfection of wisdom are grounded in all-embracing knowledge.

So I want to take a moment today to review the previous five perfections. Whether we see wisdom as the crowning final perfection, or the perfection that lies at the center of all of our practice (no matter the number), we will benefit from remembering how we can practice wisdom by simply continuing to practice what we’ve already begun.

Dana– Generosity

We begin with generosity because generosity asks us to be open: open to give, open to receive, open to seeing all of life through the lens of gratitude. When we lack generosity, what we see is stinginess, greed, an unmerciful spirit, cynicism. Generosity asks us to live in a place of abundance rather than living scared from a place of lack. But also, when we find we can’t be generous, maybe the best thing we can do is offer our own spirits some generous graciousness. In the end, generosity is about showing up: showing up for ourselves, showing up for others, being present to the needs we see around us, in whatever way we can.

Shila– Discipline

Discipline has three mantras: avoid doing harm, seek to do good, and be beneficial to all. We avoid doing harm first by realizing that our actions affect others. When we start noticing how what we do and say affects others, we can make better choices. This awareness leads us to the second two mantras, where we begin to proactively seek to do good, and do so with the greater whole in mind. Discipline isn’t about guilt; it’s about integrity. It’s about creating your life in such a way that you can act on the virtues you care most about. And that includes rest/self-care/sabbath, so that you can stay in this work for the long haul.

Kshanti– Patience

Patience asks us to tolerate (not love, not even necessarily appreciate) the inevitable challenges of life. It asks us not to try to take the express lane through suffering or uncomfortable things. Patience requires consistency, including being consistently gentle with ourselves. Changing habits takes time, processing hard things and big emotions take time; patience asks us to trust that the time is well spent, and have faith that it will open up new horizons for us. When we are patient, we begin to have clarity. We see the world as it is, not just as we want it to be. And that’s powerful.

Virya– Heroic Perseverance

Heroic perseverance keeps us going when all we want to do is give up. It asks us to do our work diligently, with joy, and in the service of others. Heroic perseverance protects us from laziness, apathy, and even overwhelm. When we keep going, that enthusiasm feeds our courage, and fuels our follow-through. Heroic perseverance is insistent, consistent, and persistent.

Dhyana– Meditation

Meditation allows us to become more aware of our lives. We meditate in order to become better people: people who don’t fly off the handle, react everywhere, and get pulled in every direction by every emotion. Our souls benefit from the grounding practice of meditation, but the real benefit is the way it transforms how we treat others, and how we show up. Meditation asks us to be okay with boredom, and to let go of our constant need for entertainment and escape. And it awakens us from the delusion of separateness. As we meditate, we recognize and perhaps even experience a oneness that resides underneath it all.

These five paramitas lead us to wisdom because they create in us alternative ways of seeing and acting in the world. And when we practice those, we become more aware. And when we are more aware, we become wiser.

What can you do this week to revisit and perhaps reinvigorate your dedication to generosity, discipline, patience, heroic perseverance, and meditation?

This post is part of the Paramita Project, where I’m practicing one paramita per month. You can read all my posts on wisdom here.