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六波羅蜜

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: six perfections

Senses:

  • The six pāramitās 波羅蜜—the six practices that ferry one beyond the sea of mortality to nirvana. They are the pure practices of the bodhisattva, which are all carried out with an attitude of detachment from personal gain, based on the wisdom of emptiness:
    1. charity 布施 (dāna, dānapāramitā 施波羅蜜/檀波羅蜜), or giving, including the bestowing of the truth on others;
    2. morality 持戒 (śīla, śīlapāramitā 尸羅波羅蜜), maintaining moral rectitude;
    3. forbearance 忍辱 (kṣānti, kṣāntipāramitā 忍波羅蜜) , patience under insult;
    4. effort 精進 (vīrya, vīryapāramitā 精進波羅蜜/毘梨耶波羅蜜), zeal;
    5. meditation 禪定 (dhyāna, dhyānapāramitā 靜慮波羅蜜/禪波羅蜜), contemplation;
    6. wisdom 智慧 (prajñā, prajñāpāramitā 般若波羅蜜), the power to discern reality or truth.
    It is the last that carries across the saṃsāra (sea of incarnate life) to the shores of nirvana. The opposites of these virtues are meanness, wickedness, anger, sloth, a distracted mind, and ignorance. One text that gives an in-depth discussion of the six pāramitās is the Śūraṃgama-samādhi-sūtra  〔首楞嚴三昧經 T 642.15.632a14 ff. 〕 (Skt. ṣaṭ-pāramitā, ṣaḍbhiḥpāramitābhiḥ, ṣaṭ-pāramitā-saṃgīti; Tib. pha rol tu phyin pa drug). [Charles Muller; source(s): Ui, Nakamura, Hirakawa, YBh-Ind, Yokoi, Iwanami]
  • Cf. Karashima (Lokakṣema Glossary): view / hide
      
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 1145

    Bulgyo sajeon 680a

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 1320a

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 849, 852

    A Glossary of Zen Terms (Inagaki) 98, 290

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 241b/268

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 549

    Zengo jiten (Iriya and Koga) 2-P108, 6-P34, 9-P20

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 1459b → , 1463b

    Fo Guang Dictionary 1273

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0166

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)5074b,2368a,4279a, (v.9-10)1055a

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 1430-2*1841-1

    Lokakṣemaʼs Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Karashima) 310



    Entry created: 1993-09-01

    Updated: 2019-06-14