Author: Vladimir Pyatsky
Translation: Roni Sherman and Marina Sherman
Translation Editor: Natasha Tsimbler

Chapters

Table of Contents The Practice of the Six Paramitas – Table of Contents
Introduction The Practice of the Six Paramitas – Introduction

1. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Wisdom
2. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Meditation
3. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Diligence
4. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Patience
5. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Self-Restraint
6. The Practice of the Six Paramitas – The Paramita of Giving

6. The Paramita of Giving. The Fruit of Practice.

All of existence consists of giving,
​Since giving — is another name for action.
​How perfect beings are —
​Is also how perfect their giving is.
​Unskilful beings perform giving
​Besmirched by worldly dharmas,
​And that is why the fruits of their giving are nondescript.
​Skilful beings perform giving
​Whose source
​Is goodwill, compassion,
​Detachment and their combined joy,
​And the fruits of their giving are excellent.

The paramita of giving — is using the fruit of our own good deeds for the sake of other beings. Giving is a breakthrough in the ordinary worldview, since it goes against the mental continuum aspirant to the quest for personal gain. The paramita of giving unites the previous five paramitas and brings them to their full maturity by means of passage of five paths.

The Five Paths of Perfection

The five paths of perfection — are scholarship, renunciation, skillfulness, holiness and steadfastness.

The path of scholarship consists in the study and composition of texts that can contribute to the purification of the mind and which preserve the written transmission of the Teaching. This path brings the paramita of wisdom to perfection.

The path of renunciation consists in the cessation of craving for what is pleasant and cessation of aversion to what is unpleasant. This path brings the paramita of meditation to perfection.

Good skilfulness consists in transforming worldly occupation into the path of enlightenment. This path brings the paramita of diligence to perfection.

Good holiness consists in developing goodwill, compassion, detachment and their combined joy. This path brings the paramita of patience to perfection.

Good steadfastness consists in the cessation of the triple thirst. This path brings the paramita of self-restraint to perfection.

The Path of Scholarship

By studying this text, readers already practice the path of good scholarship, which celebrates the teaching by means of its recollection. Therefore, here there is no need for additional extensive explanations. However, it is important to note that, on the path of scholarship, we need to learn how to correctly handle the spiritual rapture arising from the contact of the mind with the warmth of the teaching. Spiritual rapture intensifies the fire of the heart, while the rise of the fire of the heart to the head causes a state of anxiety and exhaustion. The state of the mind during the rise of the fire of the heart to the head is like a wildfire, while the state after the rise is like ashes remaining after the fire.

For this reason, we need to make sure that the fire of rapture descends from the heart to the lower abdomen, where it warms the ocean of primordial vitality which controls the kidneys. This result is achieved most naturally and fully by employing the paramita of meditation, which is brought to full maturity on the next path — the path of renunciation.

The Path of Renunciation

On the path of good renunciation, apart from sitting meditation, we need to pay special attention to the state of postmeditation. The post-meditative state is softer and more malleable than the ordinary mental continuum; therefore, after completing a session of sitting meditation, we need to use this malleability to develop a view which transcends the duality of craving for what is pleasant and aversion to what is unpleasant. Such a view is like the epiphany of someone formerly blind from birth, and it leads to the Pure Lands of the Buddhas.

Entrance into the Pure Lands of the Buddhas

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to perceive belief in the reality of their body and the world as confusion. They perceive complacency as a nightmare.

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to perceive ordinary knowledge based on the activity of the senses and experience as dense fog in which they must plod by feel. They perceive desire for power as a foretelling of their own death.

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to perceive the essential procurement of means of subsistence as a mandala offering. They perceive the preoccupation of the mind with the activity of the senses as though they found themselves naked on the street.

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to perceive physical suffering as a light brought into a dark room. They perceive impassioned desires as stench.

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to perceive anguish, grief and despair as a suddenly found treasure. They perceive possession of possessions, pleasant things as the cleaning of latrines.

Those who enter the Pure Lands learn to transform conflict and hostility into rain of flowers spilling from the heavens. They perceive physical health and strength as a happy dream in a damp grave.

The Path of Skillfulness

On the path of skillfulness, practitioners use worldly skills and knowledge for spiritual growth. The great masters of the past achieved great success on this path in the areas of medicine, arts, sciences and crafts.

Fundamentally important on the path of skillfulness is the development of the five kinds of wisdom.

The five kinds of wisdom

The five special kinds of wisdom in question are five ways of handling the ordinary activity of the mind.

1. The mirror-like wisdom, which allows us to recognize phenomena without mixing with them. A mirror clearly reflects phenomena, but they do not become its content.
2. The wisdom of the mind turned to itself, which allows us to clearly recognize our good and bad qualities.
3. The wisdom of trust, which allows us to stay in touch with teachers and their teachings during worldly activity.
4. The wisdom of equanimity, which allows us to gain from what is pleasant and unpleasant.
5. The wisdom of perfect action, which consists in using the good fruit of our labor for the benefit of other beings.

The Path of Holiness

On the path of holiness, which brings the paramita of patience to full maturity, there is complete development of the Immeasurable feelings. Here it is important to master two teachings well — the teaching about the knights and their squires and the teaching about the three gates of liberation.

The knights and their squires

The Immeasurable feelings of goodwill, compassion, detachment and their combined joy can be easily likened to knights who defeat ignorance in battle. However, the success of the knights depends on the presence of squires by their side, ready to protect the back of the battling warriors and give them a new weapon if they lose their old one. It is best to start acquaintance with these squires from the feeling of gratitude. Gratitude — is the squire of joy. Beings lose joy because of discontentment, but gratitude, overcoming discontentment, brings joy back. Discontentment and gratitude cannot coexist. Patience in overcoming desires leads to detachment and is the squire of that Immeasurable feeling; confidence in the absolute value of virtue defeats indifference and is the squire of compassion; generosity defeats greed and is the squire of goodwill. Patience in overcoming desires is the eldest among the squires.

A great virtue of this teaching is that it allows us to develop Immeasurable feelings by overcoming vices. When practitioners have no idea where to start, they should start with developing gratitude and it will clarify the mind.

The three types of gates of liberation

Beings who develop Immeasurable feelings pass through three types of gates of liberation — the gates of the abandonment of desires, the gates of no-egoism and the gates of the cessation of preoccupation with the habitual tendencies of the mind.

The gates of the abandonment of desires are located between the eyebrows. Once the mental continuum passes through them freely, construction of the future ceases.

The gates of no-egoism are located in the heart centre. Once the mental continuum passes through them freely, clinging to the present ceases.

The gates of the cessation of preoccupation with the habitual tendencies of the mind are located in the lower abdomen. Once the mental continuum passes through them freely, wandering in the past ceases.

The passage of the mental continuum through the three types of mentioned gates means the abandonment of the bad qualities of obsession with desire, egoism and preoccupation with bad habits.

The application of this teaching softens all obstacles which arise while developing the Immeasurable feelings.

The Path of Steadfastness

To develop the steadfastness of the mind, we need to have a good attitude towards aging. Aging — is what brings all the tendencies of the mind to maturity, and so in good aging, the visible fruit of our spiritual pursuits manifests itself.

Good aging is accompanied by the approach of the five vital winds (apana, samana, prana, udana and vyana) to the central channel of the body and the densification of the clear light of the mind. This process is like the aging of an oak, a cypress or a willow whose core becomes, with the years, strong like marble and practically resistant to decay. Bad aging is accompanied by dissipation of the five vital winds, decrepitude and the dimming of the light of the mind.

In order to use the power of good aging in our spiritual pursuits, we should ask ourselves: “Will the deeds and things I want to do now be also useful in old age?”

If the answer to this question is positive, then the intention deserves the investment of effort. If it is negative — then no. What is useful in old age is associated with what is permanent and brings good fruit, while what is useless in old age is but a barren flower. Therefore, a good attitude towards aging is, to the practitioner, a front sight which helps to take aim well and strike ignorance.

Knowledge of the inevitability of the dissolution of the body gives us the understanding of the need to find the permanent and steadfast mind, while a good attitude towards aging provides the right direction of this search.

May there be good.