Bodhicitta and the Six Perfections
Teachings · Mahayana
Bodhicitta and the Six Perfections
菩提心 · 六度
The heart of the Mahayana: the wish to become a Buddha in order to free every being, and the six practices that carry that wish to its goal.
How bodhicitta is born: the seven-point cause and effect
Atisha's method, taught in every lamrim, grows the wish step by step from something everyone already has: love for their own mother.
The six perfections
Tap each one. Each is practised together with bodhicitta, which is what makes it a “perfection”.
Generosity布施
Giving material things, protection from fear, and the Dharma itself. The first perfection because it is the easiest to begin. See Why give.
Ethics持戒
Restraining harm, gathering virtue, and working for others. The ground on which everything else stands.
Patience忍辱
Not retaliating when harmed, bearing hardship for the Dharma, and staying open to the profound. Shantideva: there is no evil like anger, no practice like patience.
Joyful effort精进
Delight in virtue. Not grim pushing, but the energy that comes when we see what practice is for.
Concentration禅定
A mind that stays single-pointed and serviceable. Built through daily sitting, however short.
Wisdom智慧
Seeing that nothing exists independently, as taught in dependent origination. The eye that guides the other five.
Why this changes every offering
A lamp offered for “my health” is good. The same lamp offered with bodhicitta, so that all beings may have light and I may one day guide them, becomes a cause of enlightenment. This is why every puja at TGBC begins by generating bodhicitta and ends by dedicating to all beings.
- Before any good action, pause and think: may this bring all beings to enlightenment.
- Practise one perfection a day, starting with giving something small.
- End the day by dedicating whatever went well to all beings.