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Noble Eightfold Path versus 6 Paramitas
Yorkshireman
Explorer
Where does the Noble Eightfold Path fit into the Six Paramitas?
Or, is it that the Six Paramitas fits into the Bible Eightfold Path?
It seems a bit chicken and egg to me so your help will be much appreciated.
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This will vary a bit depending on the tradition you practice. If you have chosen a path, it would be most helpful to know which it is
We cover everything under the Buddhist sun around here.
I am a Tibetan practitioner with a Vajrayana teacher (though I am mostly working within the Mahayana teachings right now) and in our learnings, the N8FP isn't brought up a lot. Well, honestly, it's not brought up ever, lol. It's not that it isn't important, but more so because it is already contained in the teachings we are learning in the Mahayana and Vajrayana. So, we work more on the Paramitas but within them you find the N8FP, if that makes any sense.
If you speak of 'six paramitas' you are probably referring to a Mahayana practice.
Theravada instructs that there are 10.
Yes, it is a bit like a chicken and egg thing. But instead of trying to pidgeonhole the concepts neatly under the labels, try to see how both the Six Paramitas and the Noble Eightfold Path could be put to better use in your life. Don't try to take them in with your intellect, rather use the learning to enrich your everyday practice and the way you interact in the world. If you apply the template of both the Six Paramitas and the N8P to commonplace situations that you face everyday, all concepts intermingle and help enrich the experience. They are concepts meant to live by, and it is within the framework of your reality that you'll better understand how they work. In any given situation every second of your life you will see them all at work at the same time in how you choose to react to them.
In her explanation of the Four Noble Truths, Tamara Engel says about the Third Noble Truth:
"What we have available to us is the present moment. There are two aspects of experience in the present moment:
1. What is happening -things just as they are
2. How we relate to what is happening
We can change how we relate to the present moment."
How you will be able to relate to that present moment depends on how well you juggle the teachings of the Six Paramitas and the N8P.
Elegantly put @karasti.
I think of it like this. The 6 Paramitas of Mahayana is the 8 Fold Path for a Bodhisattva. All of the 8FP can be found within the 6 paramitas. All perhaps except for "right intention". One could argue that is not specifically mentioned. But it does not need to be since the Bodhisattva vow, to get enlightenment and save all beings, and the cultivation of Bodhicitta thoroughly covers the intention part.
Wow! I wasn't expecting such excellent and insightful advice so quick.
Between you you've definitely answered my question. In some ways you've confirmed what I thought, but you've also given me some excellent points to consider.
Thanks to you all!
We're brilliant like that, here, you know.....
I've been considering the excellent points raised. After some reflection I feel that I need to use the 6 Paramitas as my core framework - at this point in time - and seek to incorporate the various other teachings (4NT and N8FP) into this framework.
Maybe as my studies progress this will change, but at this moment I need something concrete to focus my efforts on and the 6 Paramitas seem to be broad and flexible enough to be able to help give me the direction I need.
Thanks again for the insights shared.
Do what works for you, but try to keep to the path; wandering off like that.... really, at least take a packed lunch!
be well, and enjoy.
it's not a trial set in stone, exactly....
They are essentially two sides of the same coin. From what I’ve learned, the Noble Eightfold Path is the foundational methodology, while the Six Paramitas are the perfections a Bodhisattva develops to reach the "other shore." You’ll notice a lot of overlap—for instance, "Right Effort" in the Eightfold Path is basically the same as "Virya" (Diligence) in the Paramitas.
Here is an article: The Six Paramitas: Six Ferries Across the River of Life and Death, which explains the Six Paramitas as "six ferries" across a river. It really helped me visualize how these qualities work together as a complete system to deal with daily life and suffering. It might help clarify the relationship for you too
That’s an interesting take on things, @IAMFINE … when I was taking my Buddhist foundations course with my local Tibetan temple, there was a lot of emphasis on the N8FP, but much less talk about how the paramitas function to help one.
Tibetan Buddhism is a branch of Buddhism and there are also others(see this article). Studying the philosophical ideas and differences among various schools helps us gain a more comprehensive understanding of the true essence of Buddhist teachings. Of course, this is challenging and time-consuming, but we can make use of fragmented time to learn about these topics.