Virtue - Buddhist Tradition

Buddhist Tradition

Buddhist practice as outlined in the Noble Eightfold Path can be regarded as a progressive list of virtues.

1. Right View - Realizing the Four Noble Truths (samyag-vyāyāma, sammā-vāyāma).
2. Right Mindfulness - Mental ability to see things for what they are with clear consciousness (samyak-smṛti, sammā-sati).
3. Right Concentration - Wholesome one-pointedness of mind (samyak-samādhi, sammā-samādhi).

Buddhism's four brahmavihara ("Divine States") can be more properly regarded as virtues in the European sense. They are:

1. Metta/Maitri: loving-kindness towards all; the hope that a person will be well; loving kindness is "the wish that all sentient beings, without any exception, be happy."
2. Karuṇā: compassion; the hope that a person's sufferings will diminish; compassion is the "wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering."
3. Mudita: altruistic joy in the accomplishments of a person, oneself or other; sympathetic joy - "the wholesome attitude of rejoicing in the happiness and virtues of all sentient beings."
4. Upekkha/Upeksha: equanimity, or learning to accept both loss and gain, praise and blame, success and failure with detachment, equally, for oneself and for others. Equanimity means "not to distinguish between friend, enemy or stranger, but to regard every sentient being as equal. It is a clear-minded tranquil state of mind - not being overpowered by delusions, mental dullness or agitation."

There are also the Paramitas ("perfections").

In Theravada Buddhism's canonical Buddhavamsa the Ten Perfections (dasa pāramiyo) are (original terms in Pali):

1. Dāna parami : generosity, giving of oneself.
2. Sīla parami : virtue, morality, proper conduct.
3. Nekkhamma parami : renunciation.
4. Paññā parami : transcendental wisdom, insight.
5. Viriya (also spelt vīriya) parami : energy, diligence, vigour, effort.
6. Khanti parami : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance.
7. Sacca parami : truthfulness, honesty.
8. Adhiṭṭhāna (adhitthana) parami : determination, resolution.
9. Mettā parami : loving-kindness.
10. Upekkhā (also spelt upekhā) parami : equanimity, serenity.

In Mahayana Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapundarika), lists the Six Perfections as (original terms in Sanskrit):

1. Dāna paramita: generosity, giving of oneself (in Chinese, 布施波羅蜜).
2. Śīla paramita : virtue, morality, discipline, proper conduct (持戒波羅蜜).
3. Kṣānti (kshanti) paramita : patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance (忍辱波羅蜜).
4. Vīrya paramita : energy, diligence, vigour, effort, perseverance (精進波羅蜜).
5. Dhyāna paramita : one-pointed concentration, contemplation (禪定波羅蜜).
6. Prajñā paramita : wisdom, insight (智慧波羅蜜).

In the Ten Stages (Dasabhumika) Sutra, four more Paramitas are listed:

7. Upāya paramita: skillful means.

8. Praṇidhāna (pranidhana) paramita: vow, resolution, aspiration, determination.

9. Bala paramita: spiritual power.

10. Jñāna paramita: knowledge.