The Initial Cause of all the Six Pāramitās

 

“Good sons! Compassion is the initial cause of all the six pāramitās.” Sutra on upāsaka Precepts, Chapter 3

【善男子！六波羅蜜皆以悲心而作生因。】優婆塞戒經, 〈悲品〉第三

Remarks:

Cultivation of compassion is the initial cause of the six pāramitās; hence without cultivating compassion while cultivating the six pāramitās, the corresponding virtues cannot be brought forth. The ending cause of attaining Buddhahood is hearing, absorbing, and cultivating the right principles of the Buddha Bodhi and the Two-Vehicle Path of Liberation. Therefore, the initial cause (cultivation of compassion,) and the ending cause (hearing, absorbing, and cultivating the six pāramitās,) must both be fully achieved before one can attain Buddhahood. Therefore, it is said that the cultivation of compassion is the top priority for a bodhisattva.

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