Perfectly Imperfect

How do I reconcile having an ideal and my actual experience of putting it - or not putting it - into practice? This piece on being a bodhisattva looks at qualities that a would-be bodhisattva cultivates on the path while continuing with the theme of just how hard this is and how we can make it real.

We begin with the qualities to be cultivated, these are the Six Perfections: generosity (giving), morality (ethical conduct), patience (forbearance), energy (diligent effort), meditation (concentration), and wisdom. And sometimes a further four are added for a reason I will explain in a moment. These are: the perfection of skilful means, resolution, power and knowledge. The Sanskrit word for this list is the Six or Ten Paramitas. Paramita means perfection.

As these qualities develop they begin to lead us along the path that concludes when becoming a fully awakened buddha. This path is envisioned as having ten stages and this is the explanation why there are ten perfections - in this scheme each one is associated with one stage of the path. This is the how it pans out:

Stage on the Path	Perfection	Capacity
1. The Joyful	Generosity	Cultivating the spirit of giving without attachment
2. The Steadfast	Ethics	Upholding moral conduct and harmonious living.
3. The Luminous	Patience	Developing forbearance and tolerance in the face of adversity.
4. The Radiant	Energy	Cultivating energetic diligence and unwavering commitment to the path.
5. The Very Sound	Meditation	Engaging in deep mental concentration and mindful awareness.
6. The Approaching	Wisdom	Gaining insight into the nature of reality and the concept of emptiness.
7. The Gone Afar	Skilful Means	Mastering the use of various methods to help others effectively.
8. The Immovable	Resolution	Strengthening determination and resolve in pursuing the path to enlightenment.
9. The Great	Power	Developing the spiritual strength that comes from wisdom and practice.
10. The Cloud of Dharma	Knowledge	Attaining profound understanding and insight into the nature of all phenomena.

The Sanskrit word for stages is bhumi which translates as ‘earth’ or ‘ground,’ so what we have here is ten grounds which support the perfections that grow out of them. And further more, it's perhaps useful to remember that although we are talking about 'perfections' there is nothing here about being perfect right now or getting rid of our imperfections. That's as likely as not our Christian culture butting in.

So what are we to make of this? My first reaction is that it seems a bit contrived. Do we really start off by cultivating generosity and then when we crack each one, move up a peg? A kind of Buddhist ladders and hopefully no snakes affair. In fact this is just one way of seeing it but a more organic, and I think psychologically convincing account, recognises that the first five perfections are all perfected more or less simultaneously and they together contribute to the arising of the sixth - wisdom, the awakened mind.

There is also the issue which we began to look at in the Sudden Awakening blog from the 16th September. How is wisdom achieved? Does it arrive gradually, as is suggested here, or does it actually arrive finally in one big whoosh of insight? A view held by all non-dual schools of Buddhism. This conundrum perhaps finds a resolution if we remember bodhichitta, the awakened mind, from the previous blog. While it is necessary to cultivate bodhichitta, by doing so all we are doing is slowly eroding the walls that separate us from the vastness of the bodhichitta that is synonymous with our buddha-nature. Both mean the same thing - awakened nature. So too with these six (or ten) perfections. These also are the awakened qualities that are the qualities of buddha-nature. We are not so much creating them as scraping away what obscures them so that they may naturally shine. Our practice discloses them rather than creates them. They are already here if we move aside and give them space.

So back to contrivance. Schemes like this miss the reality of our experience - or, at least this is what I think from observing myself. In truth, while I want to be generous and often are, I am also quite dedicated to the pursuit of my own selfish ends. Likewise ethics. Nowadays I’m much more ethical than I was when younger but if I really want something enough, that I know is not truly ethical, I will look the other way while I push the buy button. The supermarket is also another battle ground. Desire governs many of my choices while my wife Philippa reads the labels. And I could go on, working my way through the entire list. It’s not that I believe I am a particularly bad aspiring bodhisattva - though in fact I may be - but rather I think we are all made up of different parts and some of these parts are not necessarily paid up Buddhists. So if we are to truly and fully engage with this path we must find a way to bring all the disparate parts of ourselves along. It’s finally the same message: walking the path means we learn to be present with every aspect of ourselves. No picking and choosing. This is how the stages of the bodhisattva’s path are authentically travelled. Recognising and acknowledging what we are doing, being mindful, and without judgement using the tools we have within our toolkit. Doing our best from a kind heart and learning from our mistakes.

NW. and P.V. 3 November 2025