The Six Perfections: The Bodhisattva’s Path to Enlightenment.

Over the next few weeks in the Tuesday evening meditation classes we shall be focusing on the six perfections, and so in my next few blog articles over the coming weeks I intend to focus on each of the six perfections in turn and explain them a little.
Possessing the ‘Mind of Enlightenment’ (or bodhichitta in Sanskrit; ‘chitta’ meaning mind and ‘bodhi’ meaning enlightenment) is what distinguishes a Bodhisattva (translated literally: ‘being bound for enlightenment’) from other people. The mind of enlightenment itself is, simply put an intention to become an enlightened being in order to free other living beings from suffering, and lead them also to the blissful, happy state of enlightenment. A Bodhisattva who possesses this intention has essentially dedicated him/herself and all of her actions to the greater good of the planet and the evolution of the living beings who abide within the Planetary Being.

In a sense the mind of bodhichitta is quite a natural one. If someone were to ask you ‘would you like to become a Buddha so as to free others from suffering and lead them to the bliss of enlightenment? Most of us would answer “Yes that seems like a nice idea!” So, a Bodhisattva is simply someone whose main agenda or intention in life has become this.
The question then is, so, I want to become a Buddha out of love and compassion for other living beings, how do I do this? In Buddha’s teachings on the perfections we accomplish our enlightenment by training in six forms of enlightened action; giving or generosity, discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. These six types of action are the main inner and outer pathways that the Bodhisattva treads in order to accomplish her/his enlightenment for the benefit of others.

The perfection of giving
Giving in Buddhism is defined as a virtuous or positive intention to give (when giving is done in expectation of return, or with ulterior motive we cannot really therefore include such actions in this practice). An act of giving becomes the perfection of giving when we develop the intention of Bodhichitta before and as we engage in the action.

The power of intention and dedication.
In general, if we are mindfully holding the mind of enlightenment in our consciousness, then we can transform any action into an act of giving through the power of our intention, and by using our creativity. For example before we go to sleep at night we can think to ourselves “In the same way that I am now caring for and resting my body by sleeping, may all living beings also receive adequate rest and relaxation”. Or, if we step over a snail on a pathway, taking care not to harm it we can do so thinking “Through my action of caring for this snail, may all beings be protected from danger and harm”. Similarly at the end of any action we can dedicate the positive energy of the act to the welfare of all. For example if we put 50cents in a hospital charity can, we can think “may my action of giving be a cause for all living beings to experience good health and long life”. Alternatively, if we have enjoyed a good dinner with friends and lots of laughter we can think as we go home “May the joy that we have experienced this evening be a cause for all living beings to have lives filled with joy and laughter”.
So, using the power of our mindfulness and of intention and dedication we can transform many of our daily actions into the actions of a Bodhisattva!

More methods for cultivating the perfection of giving.
In his teachings on the six perfections, the Buddha divided giving into four major types:
1) The giving of material things.
2) The giving of ‘dharma’ or good counsel and wisdom (to ourselves as well as other people!)
3) Giving fearlessness. This is in the sense of protecting others from suffering and fear.
4) Giving love.

One fun practice to do each day is to simply try and consciously perform one of each of these four types of giving with the motivation of bodhichitta. If there are no opportunities to do them physically (there usually are!) then they can always be done inwardly, for example by sending others love through visualization, or by praying for those who are in danger. If we do this each day we will be pleased to feel that we are making a positive contribution to the evolution of the planet, and the happiness of the beings that live there. We may also be pleasantly surprised at how much giving we are already doing, but may not have appreciated up to this point.

Awareness of giving.
In general, being aware of times in the past and present when we have practiced giving and simply rejoicing and enjoying our generosity, however great or small really enhances the power of our mind of giving. Also, being aware and rejoicing in the generosity of others is another easy and powerful practice.

An essence level meditation on giving.
Sit quietly and clam your mind through focus on the body and breathing. Then bring to mind an act of giving that you or others have engaged in in the past, or that you may be going to do in the future. Focus on the pleasant feelings that arise from your contemplation, breathe these feelings in and out, allowing them to fill your body and mind with the energy and radiance of generosity. When you finish dedicate your meditation to the welfare of all living beings with a prayer such as “Through the power of my meditation may all living beings experience peace of mind combined with both inner and outer abundance.” In your spare moments during the day, return to the breathing and feelings of generosity that you generated. Let your mind rest regularly in this state.