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|definition=The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. | |definition=The six or ten types of practices which lead an individual to Buddhahood. The practice of perfections is particularly important in Mahāyāna Buddhism in which the entire path of the Bodhisattva to reach full enlightenment is included in the six or ten perfections. | ||
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The Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit term ''pāramitā'' as ''pha rol tu phyin pa'', literally "gone to the other side", also functions as a basic definition and is often expressed figuratively as having arrived upon the far shore of a body of water. Hence, ''pāramitā'' is alternatively translated as transcendent perfections, transcendental actions, and even | The Tibetan translation of the Sanskrit term ''pāramitā'' as ''pha rol tu phyin pa'', literally "gone to the other side", also functions as a basic definition and is often expressed figuratively as having arrived upon the far shore of a body of water. Hence, ''pāramitā'' is alternatively translated as transcendent perfections, transcendental or transcending actions, and even quite literally as "far-reaching attitudes." The term is deeply rooted in the Prajñāpāramitā literature, and the perfections themselves are so fundamental to the bodhisattva path, as it is practiced at the sūtra level of the Mahāyāna, that this tradition is often referred to as the ''pāramitāyāna'', a term used interchangeably with the ''bodhisattvayāna''. | ||
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|definition=A class of Mahāyāna sūtras which represents some of the earliest known literature of this genre of Buddhism. The term itself references a type of intelligence, discernment, or knowledge that embodies the insight which transcends the notions of the three spheres of agent, object, and action. | |definition=A class of Mahāyāna sūtras which represents some of the earliest known literature of this genre of Buddhism. The term itself references a type of intelligence, discernment, or knowledge that embodies the insight which transcends the notions of the three spheres of agent, object, and action. | ||
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The six perfections, in the order they are most commonly presented, are generosity (''dāna'' or ''sbyin pa''), discipline (''śīla'' or ''tshul khrims''), patience (''kṣānti'' or ''bzod pa''), diligence (''vīrya'' or ''brtson 'grus''), meditative concentration (''dhyāna'' or ''bsam gtan''), and wisdom (''prajñā'' or ''shes rab''). These are sometimes divided into groups that separate the first five perfections from the sixth. In these cases, the first group can represent skillful means or the accumulation of merit, both of which are commonly paired with wisdom. | The six perfections, in the order they are most commonly presented, are generosity (''dāna'' or ''sbyin pa''), discipline (''śīla'' or ''tshul khrims''), patience (''kṣānti'' or ''bzod pa''), diligence (''vīrya'' or ''brtson 'grus''), meditative concentration (''dhyāna'' or ''bsam gtan''), and wisdom (''prajñā'' or ''shes rab''). These are sometimes divided into groups that separate the first five perfections from the sixth. In these cases, the first group can represent either skillful means or the accumulation of merit, both of which are commonly paired with wisdom. Furthermore, the perfections are described as being endowed with four special features (''khyad chos bzhi ldan''). | ||
In his ''Letter to a Friend'', Nāgārjuna writes, | In his ''Letter to a Friend'', Nāgārjuna writes, | ||
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