He strives to be free from desire in the world of
He strives to be free from desire in the world of
desires, and seeks perfection in an imperfect
world. He stands like a pure white lotus,
unsoiled by the mud it springs from.
The Ten Transcendental Virtues (Parami)
To gain supreme Buddhahood, every Bodhisatta
practices the ten transcendental virtues (Parami)
to perfection. They are generosity, morality,
renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience,
truthfulness, determination, loving-kindness,
and equanimity. The Jataka stories related the
past births of Gotama Buddha and depicted the
supreme efforts of the Bodhisatta at perfecting
these Paramis.
- Generosity: The Bodhisatta practices
generosity to eliminate craving that lies
dormant within himself. Although he makes no
distinction between one being and another
when giving, he uses his wisdom so that a
person does not misuse his gift.
Should anyone seek his help for a worthy
purpose, he will willingly render every possible
aid. Yet he does not want another to feel
indebted. He is only interested in the good act
and does not hope for some reward in return.
In one of his past lives as Prince Vessantara,
even as a child of only eight years, he thought
with all sincerely: "If one should need my heart,
I would cut open my breast, tear it out and give
it to him. If one should need my eyes, I would
gouge them out and give them to him. If one
should need my flesh, I would cut off what he
needed."
- Morality: Combined with this supernormal
generosity of a Bodhisatta is his virtuous
conduct. Morality consists of duties one should
perform and refrain from performing.
One has to perform duties towards parents,
children, husband, wife, teachers, pupils,
friends, monks, etc. Besides fulfilling all these
house-hold duties, he refrains from wrong
deeds by observing the Five Precepts daily and
the Eight Precepts on Uposatha days.*- Renunciation: The Bodhisatta is a lover of
solitude and is always selfless in his activities.
He is ever ready to sacrifice his happiness for
the sake of others. He may eitherchoose to live
a life of an ascetic or a monk.
He works hard for his inner spiritual
development, catering at the same time for the
spiritual needs of others. His needs are few and
he is always ready to wander for the good and
happiness of others.In one of his past lives, as related in the
Makhadeiva Jataka, the Bodhisatta abandoned
his palace and led the life of a hermit when he
noticed the first grey hair on his head.4.Wisdom:It is the understanding of the Three
Characteristics of Life and also worldly
knowledge. He never desires to display his
knowledge nor is he ashamed to plead
ignorance even in public. He tries his best to
lead others from spiritual darkness to light.Knowledge is acquired throughthree methods.
The first is through hearing or reading. The
second is acquired by thinking. The scientific
knowledge arises in this manner. The third is a
superior kind of knowledge acquired by
meditation and contemplation. Through
meditation, one realizes intuitive truths which
are beyond logical reasoning, in addition to
worldly wisdom that helps him live a happy life.5 .Energy: It refers to the mental vigor or
strength of character. It is the persistence and
effort to work for the welfare of others. No one;
can succeed in anything without persistent
effort.*Explained in Lesson 11, Sila and Bhavana