Gampopa’s Precious Ornament of Liberation. Overview of the Six Paramitas

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The six paramitas or ‘transcendent perfections’ (Skt. ṣaṭpāramitā; Tib. ཕ་རོལ་ཏུ་ཕྱིན་པ་དྲུག་parol tu chinpa drukWyl. pha rol tu phyin pa drug) comprise the training of a bodhisattva, which is bodhichitta in action.

  1. Generosity: to cultivate the attitude of generosity.
  2. Discipline: refraining from harm.
  3. Patience: the ability not to be perturbed by anything.
  4. Diligence: to find joy in what is virtuous, positive or wholesome.
  5. Meditative concentration: not to be distracted.
  6. Wisdom: the perfect discrimination of phenomena, all knowable things.

The first five paramitas correspond to the accumulation of merit, and the sixth to the accumulation of wisdom. The sixth paramita can be divided into four, resulting in ten paramitas.