The six perfections
The six perfections are important as they allow a Buddhist the opportunity and the means to follow the The founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, after his enlightenment. It is a title which means the enlightened or awakened one. Dhamma is Buddhist doctrine about the nature of existence and includes the teachings of the Buddha.. This allows them to reach The realisation of the truth about life. In Buddhism it releases a person from the cycle of rebirth., which is what all Buddhists attempt to achieve in their lifetime.
The six perfections give guidelines as a structure for how to live a good life and behave in a morally good way. Examples of morally good behaviour include being generous and charitable, putting other people before yourself, always telling the truth and being mindful of other people’s feelings.
The six perfections are:
- Generosity (dana) - The sincere and selfless desire to give to others with no expectations.
- Morality (sila) - Following the five moral precepts.
- Patience (ksanti) - Tolerance, forbearance and endurance.
- Energy (virya) - Making a concerted effort to achieve and attain enlightenment.
- Meditation (dhyana) - A way of helping a person to attain the highest state of consciousness.
- Wisdom (prajna) - Understanding that is gained through Buddhist practice such as meditation.