The wisdom side of the path is so counter-intuitive that it often seems opaque and unintelligible. The more merit we accumulate, the more the barriers to understanding wisdom start to come down. As the barriers to wisdom come down, wisdom starts making sense. As our understanding of wisdom increases, we taste or experience wisdom through contemplation and meditation. Accumulating merit and wisdom are mutually reinforcing. Each help the other. We accumulate merit through practicing the six paramitas of generosity, ethics of no harm, patience, perseverance of not giving up, and concentration. The sixth is wisdom. The more we practice these five, wisdom becomes less opaque and more intelligible.
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Distorting reality
Imagining our early anger as a cloud that dissipates, transforming anger into tolerance, can be very effective. Yet to fully get rid of our anger, and all of our destructive emotions like jealousy, pride, greed, […]
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How do we practice compassion?
How do we practice compassion? The six perfections (Sanskrit paramitas) are instructions for practicing compassion. Generosity has various methods, like giving money, shelter and food, giving time, giving kindness, listening non-judgmentally, giving love, and giving […]
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A precious gem inside
Although we often forget, we have a precious gem inside. The light of this gem is stronger than a thousand million suns. It is unconditional love infused and powered by wisdom. We call this bodhicitta […]