ɪ< Sanskrit and Pali pāramitā perfection
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
paramita
in Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") Buddhism, any of the perfections, or transcendental virtues, practiced by bodhisattvas ("Buddhas-to-be") in advanced stages of their path toward enlightenment. The six virtues are generosity (dana-paramita); morality (sila-paramita); perseverance (ksanti-paramita); vigour (virya-paramita); meditation, or concentration (dhyana-paramita); and wisdom (prajna-paramita). Some lists expand the virtues to 10 by adding skill in the means of helping others (upaya [kausalya]-paramitas), profound resolution to produce enlightenment (pranidhana-paramita), perfection of the 10 powers (bala-paramita), and practice of transcendent knowledge (jnana-paramita).
Learn more about paramita with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Cite This Source
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
