The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.
15 April 2023
Layman: What does the word ‘pāramī’ mean for a lay practitioner like myself?
Than Ajahn: pāramī has been translated as the 10 perfections, which I think is your good kamma. The good kamma that you have developed. There are 10 good kamma that should be developed which will aid you to nibbāna. They will lead you to enlightenment.
Do you want me to describe the 10 good kamma that we should be performing all the time?
1. The first one is mettā (loving kindness). We should be loving and kind to all beings, regardless of race, colour, or ethnicity. We should treat everyone equally in terms of loving kindness.
2. The second is dāna or charity. We should keep giving if we can afford to. Don’t hold or accumulate your wealth for yourself without using it. Better to give it away to help the sick, the poor, the needy, or good causes. For Buddhists, they first of all give to support Buddhism.
Once you think Buddhism is well supported, you can give to other organizations, groups, people or animals.
3. Third one is to develop sīla or keeping the precepts.
4. Forth one is to abstain from sexual or sensual pleasure by keeping the 8 precepts.
[Nekkhama pāramī - renunciation] To abstain from seeking sensual pleasures. Abstain from sexual conduct, abstain from eating after midday, abstain from entertainment, abstain from dressing up, or making up your body.
Abstaining from sleeping on a comfortable bed. This is one of the good karmas, the perfections that we should perform.
5. Next is to develop samādhi so that you can get to upekkhā, to equanimity. By developing mindfulness all the time in your waking hours.
Trying to keep developing and maintaining mindfulness. Keep controlling your thoughts.
Stop your thoughts from running around and meditate when you have time. Get your mind into jhāna, to upekkhā.
6. The next perfection or the next good karma that you should perform is developing wisdom which has 3 levels. The first level is learning from other people; from the Buddha and his noble disciples. Listening to Dhamma talks and reading Dhamma books for instance. This is the first level of developing wisdom. The second level is to contemplate on this Dhamma that you have learned so that you don’t forget. Continually contemplating until it stays in the mind, like contemplating the three characteristics of existence, the four noble truths. These are the 6 good karma that you should be performing if you want to have pāramī. In order to develop the 6 pāramīs you need another 4 to support this endeavour.
7. The first one is called resolution.
You have to set up a goal, you have to have a resolution such as, ‘I will now devote all my time in building up these 6 pāramīs; these 6 perfections in my lifetime.’
8. Then you need a second one which is truthfulness or earnestness. Once you have made up a resolution, you have to be earnest with your resolution. You have to stick to what you have resolved to do. This is called “sacca,” truthfulness or earnestness.
9. Next you need to have ‘viriya’ pāramī which means effort or energy.
You have to be diligent in applying your resolution to make it bear fruit.
10. The last one is you have to have patience ‘khanti’ or endurance when you have to go through difficulties in developing these pāramīs or perfections.
So you have to do all 10 of them; 6 to develop and the other 4 to support the endeavour. So they make the 10 pāramī. In practice you have to set up a goal for yourself; a resolution. “From now on I will be mettā and kind to everybody”. Then you have to stick to your resolution.
Even if someone made you mad you would forgive them. And you will try to be nice to everybody regardless of race, colour, status, their action. You even want to be nice to bad people.
Even those who try to kill you, you should be nice to them also. (Tan Ajahn laughs) This might take a lot of patience to do it. You have to be patient. You get now what the pāramī means? The 10 good kammas that you should be building up in this lifetime if you want to develop your mind to a higher state of existence. Good enough? Understand?
Layman: that’s the best that I have heard or read in books so thank you so much.
Than Ajahn: does it conform to the books you read?
Student: no I think this actually goes to the heart rather than the books.
Than Ajahn: ok but you don’t think it’s wrong right? You can criticize if you think it is wrong.
You don’t have to agree with me.
Student: no I’ll first have to practice what you mention. There are many things that you mention is this short speech that are very useful that I need to put into practice.
Than Ajahn: I hope you can apply it in your action; in your kamma, whatever you do. Try to think of these 10 perfections, these 10 pāramī. Other actions are worthless to your mind. Like going after wealth, status, praise, or happiness through the sensual organs. Sensual objects.
These are all worthless, they are harmful to your mind. They also can cause you dukkha, because they are impermanent.
These ten perfections will not cause you any dukkha. But developing it you might have to go through a lot of dukkha to do it. No pain no gain. Just remember this. If you want these ten pāramī or perfections you have to go through painful experiences in order to get it. But once you’ve got it, it will bring you only happiness. No pain. But you have to accept that in order to get them you have to go through painful experiences. These 10 actions (10 good kamma) are going against the grain of your defilements. The 10 good kamma is in opposition to the defilements. Okay?
Student: okay. Thank you Than Ajahn.
“Dhamma in English, Jun 14, 2022.”
By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
YouTube: Dhamma in English.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
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