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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 can be 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. They can also be presented in accordance with the three trainings (''triśikṣā''), which are discipline, meditative absorption (''samādhi''), and wisdom. In this case, the first three perfections, generosity, discipline, and patience, are categorized under the training of discipline and the last two perfections are categorized under the trainings of meditation and wisdom, respectively. Diligence is categorized under all three of the trainings, as it is a crucial component of any type of training. | 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 can be 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. They can also be presented in accordance with the three trainings (''triśikṣā''), which are discipline, meditative absorption (''samādhi''), and wisdom. In this case, the first three perfections, generosity, discipline, and patience, are categorized under the training of discipline and the last two perfections are categorized under the trainings of meditation and wisdom, respectively. Diligence is categorized under all three of the trainings, as it is a crucial component of any type of training. | ||
Furthermore, the perfections are described as being endowed with four special features (''khyad chos bzhi ldan'') that distinguish them from their mundane counterparts. These four are mentioned in a series of verses in the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā'', in which only the name of the perfection changes from verse to verse, with the first of these stating, | Furthermore, the perfections are described as being endowed with four special features (''khyad chos bzhi ldan''), or defining characteristics that distinguish them from their mundane counterparts. These four are mentioned in a series of verses in the ''Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkārakārikā'', in which only the name of the perfection changes from verse to verse, with the first of these stating, | ||
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Commenting on this verse, Mipam Gyatso explains, | |||
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|quote-text=Generosity destroys its opposite, stinginess, for it is motivated by absence of stinginess. It is supported by nonconceptuality, freedom from the concepts of the three spheres, for bodhisattvas have realized the no-self of the individual and of phenomena and they have no concept of any intrinsic nature in the giver, the gift, or the recipient. Generosity is performed in such a way as to fulfill all the recipients’ desires. The effect of generosity is to attract beings with gifts and then to bring them to maturity on the listeners’, solitary realizers’, or Mahāyāna path, according to their individual potential, ultimately bringing them in these three ways to the respective results of those paths. These, then, are the four defining characteristics of generosity | |||
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The same text goes one to explain the reason for the order in which the perfections are presented, stating, | The specifics of how these four are explained in relation to the each of six perfections varies from one to the next, yet the basic framework is the same for all of them. The root text goes one to explain the reason for the order in which the perfections are presented, stating, | ||
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