At the Mahayana level you realize you’re in the same boat as all other sentient beings at this planet or in this world. Every one of us suffers in one way or another, and we are not just all suffering in one way or another. We are also mutually dependent on eachother.
To believe in the importance of first saving yourself from suffering, becomes not so relevant any longer. Saving others from suffering will just aswell save you from suffering, because of our mutual dependency.
Mahayana tells us the importance of cultivating a social kind of wisdom, depending on our mutual codependency and connection.
The six Paramitas
The six Paramitas or Perfections help us cultivating the right virtues when interacting with our own Mind and the Mind of others.
1. The perfection of Generousity
Generousity is important, as it leads to the enriching others and yourself. Among the paramitas, generosity can be the easiest to fulfill. One also reap immediate benefits from it. The practice of generosity is about giving what is helpful and good and to give without selfishness. Generosity is also a way to cure greed and miserliness.
There are three basic ways to be generous:
(1) giving material things,
(2) giving loving protection,
(3) giving loving understanding and knowledge
The first kind of generosity is giving what people need for their immediate survival, may it be money, shelter or physical and psychological help. Everyone has the ability to give such help and show this generousity
The second kind of generousity is supplying protection in different forms and education, which enables people to take care of themselves and others.
Finally, the most precious kind of generousity is sharing Dharma, the liberating and enlightening teachings, which alone bring lasting happiness, as the teachings point to mind’s absolute qualities
All these types of generousity is supplied with the addition of Compassion
2. The perfection of Morality
Morality and Ethics is a ground pillar on how to interact and how to do choices that are Sustainable.
3. The perfection of Patience
Patience is an important virtue regarding to your own patterns aswell as the pattern of others.
4. The perfection of Energy
Perfecting your energy leads to perfecting your way of life
5. The perfection of Meditation
Meditation can be perfected through practice and practice
6. The perfection of Wisdom
Through our own practice we generate a continuous increasing amount of Wisdom
karina mckenzie 