Fundamental Guideposts (2)

Practicing the Lotus Sutra

First, rejoicing over the Lotus Sutra / receiving and reciting it / teaching it to others / concurrently practicing the six paramitas (six determinations/virtues of persons of compassion – the bodhisattvas).  The World of the Bodhisattvas is the 9^th world of compassion – the only threshold through which one may reach the 10^th world – Perfect Enlightenment.

Intensely practicing the six paramitas:

donation (dhyana paramita) – to render service to others – spiritual, material, physical, without any thought of reward.

keeping the precepts (sila paramita) – to remove illusions from one’s own mind in accordance with precepts taught by the Buddha; leading a right life (the middle way between extremes) and gaining the power to save others by endeavoring to perfect oneself. (The Eightfold Path)

perseverance (shanti paramita) – always to assume a generous attitude toward others, enduring any difficulty and maintaining a tranquil mind without arrogance.

assiduity (virya paramita) – to proceed straight toward an important goal without being sidetracked by trivial things. . . to intend

meditation (dhyana paramita) – to maintain a cool and unagitated mind under all circumstances.

wisdom (Prajñaparamita) – to have the power of discerning the real aspect of all things—the ability to realize that anyone can become an enlightened one—a buddha; the ability to discern the differences among all things and to see the truth common to them.

The Buddha’s teaching stress that we cannot discern all things in the world correctly until we are completely endowed with the ability to know both distinction and equality.

What better way to instill the six paramitas in our minds than to begin each day with the Lotus Sutra, celebrating the life of the Buddha and his teachings—the celebration of life itself.