As mentioned previously, paramita is a Sanskrit word that means “success,” crossing from this shore to the other shore,” and “the perfect tranquility of nirvana.”

We know that we must go from this shore of delusion and cross to the other shore of enlightenment, but can we do this just by thinking about it from time to time?

The Diamond Sutra says we should “Give rise to a mind that does not abide in anything.” In this instance, “abide” means to be attached to something, particularly attached to an independent self. When we become too focused on this sense of an independent self we become attached to the perceived value of this “self,” and thus cling to certain ideas and never let them go. When we worry too much about the gains and losses of this “self” our feelings become deluded by love, hate, sadness, and happiness. Having a mind that does not abide in anything calls upon us to live in the world according to the selflessness of prajna, for this is the only way to reach the state of nirvana. Nirvana is:

• Complete tranquility
• The highest bliss
• Everlasting happiness
• Complete merit and wisdom
• Total freedom from desire
• The ultimate state of liberation
• True reality

Success in Buddhism is transcending this shore with its affliction, delusion, and suffering, and crossing to the other shore of purity and tranquility, where no afflictions appear and all suffering has ended. The specific practice to accomplish this is a group of virtues called the “six paramitas” or “six perfections.” The six paramitas are

1. Giving ( dana-paramita)
   Giving is to take what one has or knows and give it to others. Besides the giving of wealth and property, this also includes giving the Dharma and confidence or fearlessness to others. The paramita of giving can help to eliminate the defilement of greed.
2. Morality (sila-paramita)
   The basis of Buddhist morality is the five precepts, but it is not enough to think that the five precepts are just about not doing this or not doing that. The five precepts should be viewed in positive terms, for that is the path to happiness. For example, one should go beyond the first precept “not to kill” and in addition actively protect life. One can go beyond “not stealing” and practice giving. One can go beyond “not committing sexual misconduct” and be respectful. One can go beyond “not lying” and give praise. Going beyond not killing to protect life leads to a long life; going beyond not stealing to practice giving brings riches; going beyond not committing sexual misconduct to being respectful leads to a pleasant family life; and going beyond not lying to giving praise means that one will have a good reputation.
3. Patience (ksanti-paramita)
   In Buddhism there are three kinds of patience: the patience for life, the patience for phenomena, and the patience for non-arising phenomena.¹ A bodhisattva is one who patiently endures all the humiliations of life, as well as cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and so on. The paramita of patience can help to eliminate the defilement of anger.
4. Diligence ( virya-paramita)
   The paramita of diligence includes physical diligence and mental diligence. Mental diligence means earnestly practicing wholesome teachings while taking care to eliminate the roots of unwholesomeness. The paramita of diligence is the antidote for laziness and idleness.
5. Meditative Concentration (dhyana-paramita)
   The paramita of meditative concentration comes from making one’s mind free of distractions such that it does not become confused or deluded by worldly matters. The paramita of meditative concentration can remove the defilement of doubt.
6. Prajna (prajna-paramita)
   The paramita of prajna is the most important of the paramitas, and the forerunner of the other five. By using prajna wisdom one can eradicate the defilement of ignorance.

I loved playing basketball when I was young, so I often draw my analogies from basketball: be it spiritual cultivation, academic study, or interacting with others, they’re all like playing basketball. For example, when trying to get along with others, you should not go off to fight your own battles, for it is important to remember team spirit. One should wait for the right time to act, just as when one has possession of the ball, one must wait for any opportunity to make a shot. And if you break the rules, you must admit your fault, just as in raising one’s hand in a game.

When playing basketball, one must have the spirit of the six paramitas: you must pass the ball to your teammates to help them to score points on a basket (giving), you need to play by the rules of the court (morality), you must show restraint to avoid being bumped by others during the heat of a match (patience), you must practice your skills if you want to score (diligence), and, in addition to fundamentals, you must develop basketball strategy in order to win (prajna).

Why is prajna considered the foremost paramita? The Treatise on the Perfection of Great Wisdom says, “the other five perfections are blind without prajna to guide them.” It is impossible to reach the ultimate goal by relying only upon the other five paramitas and attempting to do without prajna. This is why prajna is described as the foundation of the six paramitas and is also the foundation of the Dharma.

The Lotus Sutra states, “The turmoil of the three realms is like a burning house.” The three realms of Buddhist cosmology (the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm) are like a burning house. But if we make our minds nice and cool, then the blaze of suffering that presses upon us will disappear. Only by cultivating prajna without the expectation of gain can we succeed with the six paramitas.

Once the Chan master Caoshan Huixia said to his attendant, “An enlightened person will be unperturbed by heat, no matter how hot it gets inside or outside.”

Huixia’ s attendant agreed. Huixia then asked, “If it were extremely hot now, where would you go to escape it?”

The attendant answered, “I would seek refuge in a burning-hot cauldron.”

Huixia was puzzled. He asked further, “Nothing is hotter than a cauldron. Why would you seek refuge in such blazing heat?”

Pointing at his heart, the attendant answered, “The great mass of suffering cannot reach me here.”

The Diamond Sutra reveals to us the secret of success: to have a mind that does not abide in anything. This is prajna. The mind itself is all of wondrous existence, while abiding in nothing is true emptiness; and there cannot be wondrous existence without true emptiness. The prajna of the Buddha can make one understand the mind and body with crystal clarity, like the moon reflected in water, transporting one from this shore of delusion and attachment to the other shore that is permanent, blissful, pure, and has an inherent self. Practitioners are able to turn a world of blazing heat into a realm that is refreshingly cool, and transform defilement and affliction into the Pure Land. Such people find no situation in which they are not content.

Source: Hsing Yun, Four Insights for Finding Fulfillment: A Practical Guide to the Buddha’s Diamond Sutra, Los Angeles: Buddha’s Light Publishing, 2012.

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Footnote:

1. This type of patience comes from the realization that, on a supramundane level, phenomena do not truly arise or cease, and all things are simply as they are. Ed.