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Ba la mật
Paramita means perfection or crossing over to the other shore, moving from the shore of suffering and anger to the shore of well-being. This crossing is best done together, supporting partners and children rather than viewing suffering as an individual problem. To facilitate this, families should establish a Breathing Room, a sacred territory of peace where one takes refuge to restore stability. Entering this room involves mindful walking and bowing to a flower, signaling to the household that one is taking care of their anger. Another Dharma door is the “cake in the refrigerator,” a phrase used by children to break the tension of parental conflict, creating a pretext to practice mindful breathing together.
Vīrya represents continued practice, growth, and transformation, ensuring the fire of practice remains lit. Understanding consciousness involves recognizing the store consciousness (ālayavijñāna) and mind consciousness (manovijñāna). The practice of vīrya regarding the fifty-one categories of seeds is threefold: preventing negative seeds from manifesting in the mind consciousness; if they do manifest, helping them return to the store consciousness quickly; and inviting positive seeds to manifest and remain in the mind consciousness as long as possible. This selective watering transforms the base of consciousness. The six paramitas inter-are, meaning to practice one deeply involves practicing all six:
- Dana (giving)
- Prajna (insight)
- Sila (precepts or Mindfulness Trainings)
- Dhyana (meditation)
- Ksanti (inclusiveness)
- Vīrya (continued practice)
Mastering these leads to avaivartika, a state of no setback. Addressing the inability to love oneself requires seeing that the self is made of non-self elements and that love is a concrete practice of mindful consumption and resting. Regarding social justice, acting with anger clouds lucidity, whereas compassion provides the strength to act without destroying. By looking deeply, one sees the conditions that create suffering—illustrated by the meditation on the sea pirate—allowing one to fight the negative seeds within a person rather than the person themselves.