Failures he views as steps to success, opposition
causes him to double his effort, dangers
increase his courage. Cutting his way through
difficulties, he looks at and works straight
towards his goal.
The persistence of the Bodhisatta is depicted in
the Mahajanaka Jataka. Shipwrecked in the
open sea, for seven days he struggled on
without once giving up hope until he was finally
rescued.
- Patience: It is the patient endurance of
suffering inflicted upon oneself by others'
wrongs. Practicing patience and tolerance,
instead of seeing the ugliness in others, a
Bodhisatta tries to seek the good and beautiful
in all.
In the Khantivadi Jataka, the Bodhisatta
endured the tortures inflictedby the drunkard
king who mercilessly ordered his hands and feet,
nose and ears to be cut off so as to test the
extent of his patience. But even in his last
moments before dying, he uttered blessings to
the king.
7.Truthfulness:A Bodhisatta always fulfils his
promises and never breaks his word. In the
course of his life's wanderings, he never uttered
an untruth although at times he may violate the
other four precepts.
The Maha Sutasoma Jataka recounts that to
fulfil his promise the Bodhisatta was prepared
even to sacrifice his life. He is trustworthy,
sincere and honest. He is consistent and
straight forward in all his dealings.
8.Determination: Without this determination
the other perfections cannot be fulfilled. This
willpower forces all obstructions out of the
Bodhisatta's path, and no matter what may
come to him, sickness, grief, or disaster he
never turns his eyes from the goal.
For instance, the Bodhisatta Gotama struggled
for six long years of superhuman struggle to
gain Enlightenment. With his iron
determination, he can easily be persuaded to
do good, but none could tempt him to do
anything evil.9.Loving-Kindness: It is this loving-kindness and
wish for the good and happiness of all beings
that prompts a Bodhisatta to renounce personal
deliverance for the sake of others. With this
universal love, he fears none and none fears him.Loving-kindness possesses a mystic power
which can easily influence beings far and near.
A pure heart that radiates this force is capable
of transforming wild beasts into tame ones,
murderers into saints. When he was dwelling on
the mountain slopes, the Bodhisatta with his
loving-kindness drew to himself lions, tigers,
panthers, buffaloes, antelopes, stages and
boars.- Equanimity: It is the evenness of mind
which views all things impartially without
attachment or hatred. Slights, insults, praise,
blame, loss, gain, pain and happiness are the
common lot of humanity. Admist all these
conditions the Bodhisatta stands unmoved like
a firm rock, exercising perfect equanimity.
He is not disturbed by the words of poisonous
tongues, like the lion that does not tremble at
any sound. He is not attached to the illusory
pleasures of this changing world, like the wind
that does not cling to the meshes of a net. He is
unaffected by worldly temptations, ever calm
and peaceful, like a lotus that is unsoiled by the
mud from which it springs.
The ten Paramis is a course in self-sacrifice. Like
Gotama Buddha before his Enlightenment, we
too may dedicate ourselves to the noble
purpose of serving the world. Just to attempt to
practice the Paramis will bring immediate
improvements into a person's life even though
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