THE GREAT CHRONICLE OF BUDDHAS
50
MahÈ-karuÓÈ: A Bodhisatta should be able to develop immense sympathy for all beings,
close or distant, as if they were all his own children. Without discriminating between friend
and foe, he should look upon all sentient beings as poor sufferers in
saÑsÈra,
where they
are burning with the fires of craving, hatred and bewilderment, and also with the fires of
birth, ageing, death, grief, lamentation, pain, distress and despair. Contemplating thus, he
should develop vigorous compassion for them. His compassion should be so great as to
enable him to go to the rescue of all beings from
saÑsÈra,
even sacrificing his life. Such
compassion is called the Great Compassion which forms the basis of all Perfections.
The Bodhisatta, in his life as Sumedha the Hermit, was so accomplished in spiritual
attainments at the time he met Buddha DÊpa~karÈ that he could achieve his own liberation,
should he so desire. But as a Great Being endowed with supreme compassion, he bore
personal suffering in
saÑsÈra
for the long duration of four
asa~khyeyya
and a hundred
thousand aeons to fulfil the Perfections in order to liberate suffering beings.
UpÈya-kosalla ©ÈÓa
:
It is the wisdom which is skill in doing deeds of merit, such as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc., so that they become basic means and support for attainment of
Omniscience. A man of good family, who aspires to Buddhahood, should engage in
meritorious deeds of
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc., with the sole aim of attaining Omniscience. (He
should not wish for benefits that really lead to suffering in
saÑsÈra
). The wisdom that
enables him to aim at and wish for Omniscience as the only fruit of his good deeds, is
called
UpÈya-kosalla ©ÈÓa
.
The aforesaid
MahÈ-karuÓÈ
and
UpÈya-kosalla ©ÈÓa
are the fundamentals for attainment
of Buddhahood and for the practice of Perfections. One who aspires to Buddhahood
should, first of all, endeavour to become accomplished in these two fundamentals.
Only the qualities, such as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc., developed on the basis of these two principles
can become true Perfections.
2. Why are They called PÈramÊs
It may be asked why the ten virtues, such as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc., are called
PÈramÊs
.
The answer is: The Pail word ‘
PÈramÊ
’ is the combination of ‘
parama
’ and ‘
Ê
’. ‘
Parama
’
means ‘supreme’ and is used here as a designation of Bodhisattas, because they are the
highest of beings endowed with the extraordinary virtues of
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc.
Or, because they fulfil and protect such special virtues as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc; because they
behave as though they bind on and attract other beings to them by means of these virtues of
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc.; because they purify others by removing their defilements in a most ardent
manner; because they particularly proceed to Supreme NibbÈna; because they know their
next existence as they comprehend the present life; because they practise virtues, such as
sÊla
, etc., in an incomparable manner, as if these virtues were ingrained in their mental
continuum; because they dispel and destroy all alien hordes of defilements which threaten
them. Thus Bodhisattas are called ‘
Parama
’.
A Bodhisatta is incomparably endowed with special virtues, such as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc. This
accounts for the emergence of the utterance and the knowledge ‚This person is a
Bodhisatta; he is a ‘
Parama
’, a Supreme Being.‛ Thus, the special virtues of
dÈna
,
sÊla
etc.,
come to be known as ‘
PÈramÊ’
.
Again, only Bodhisattas are able to perform deeds of merit, such as
dÈna
,
sÊla
, etc., in an
unparalleled manner. Hence, these deeds of merit are called
PÈramÊ
, meaning the duties of
Bodhisattas (
ParamÈnam kammam
PÈramÊ
), or the properties of Bodhisattas (
ParamÈnaÑ
ayaÑ
PÈramÊ
).
3. How many PÈramÊs are there
In accordance with the teaching:
DÈnam sÊlaÒ ca nekkhamam, PaÒÒÈ viriyena paÒcamam,
KhantÊ saccam'adhiÔÔhÈnaÑ, Mett’upekkhÈ ti te dasa,