Talk:Pāramitā

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not sure this is true: "Paramita is a Sanskrit word which means salvation in Buddhism. More specifically, it means the crossing from sensuous life to nirvana. "

another explanation seems to be: "Paramita is a Sanskrit term meaning virtue perfected to the level of transcendence" (http://www.buddhanet.net/heartl02.htm)

I guess there are two meanings.


 * Both definitions sort of point to the same thing, although I would say Paramita refers less to salvation and more to the perfection of a virtue or practice. I guess it also depends on what you mean with salvation. Do you mean Nirvana, or a bodhisattva or something else? Literally, the word paramita means "to have crossed to the other shore". Think in terms of crossing a river. This analogy is also sometimes used to described attainment of Nirvana. Maybe this is where the first definition has come from?


 * According to Har Dayal ("The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature" 1999, pp.165-6) this is based on a serious misunderstaning of the etymology by a number of translators. His reasoning is too complicated to repeat here, but he states "the definition of the term is thus placed beyond the possibility of doubt. It simply means highest condition, highest point, best state, perfection." Shantavira 10:02, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

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"paramita" is usually derived from either "param + ita" = "gone to the other (shore)", or from "parami + ta" = "perfect-ion". "param" is the highest, etc. I suggest that on this topic, the Theravada POV should follow the Mahayana POV, because historically, the Theravada idea of the ten parami is later. It comes largely from Dhammapala, who is centuries after the Mahayana schools had already set up their 6 and 10 paramita systems. We need to add the Sarvastivada POV too, with their 4 paramitas. Huifeng (talk) 11:58, 10 November 2009 (UTC)

You must have correct dictionary meaning of the word Paramita

 * 'Paramita' translates as

'The means to cross the mass of water' This is very inportant to translate it correctly.For linguists it is a proof that it was Scythians ,who occupied India because the word 'Paramita' ethymologically related to the modern Russian word 'Parom' ,which translates as 'ferry'. First the term's ethymology is given,then goes the term's philosophical interpretation. That is how it is in science.

Edelward (talk) 08:15, 2 February 2010 (UTC)

Not sure why this term is indexed under a Sanskrit word and the Pali word Pāramī has no wikipedia reference at all.

The Buddha spoke his teaching in Pali, it was not an arcane or academic language, it was language of popular speech that people at the time and place the Buddha taught could readily understand. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 59.101.184.19 (talk) 15:23, 22 March 2010 (UTC)


 * (1) Most contemporary Western scholars I've read (e.g., Gethin, Harvey) posit that the Buddha spoke a language often referred to as Magadhi and that his teachings were translated into a highly similar dialect, Pali. (I'm not saying that these scholars are correct; only that this is the contemporary scholarly consensus, which is significant for WP.)  While the Pali canon is the only "complete" extant canon from this early period, suttas certainly exist in different dialects from that period.
 * (2) When this article was first created (check the History), it was claimed that "paramita" was a Sanskrit word. Yet, when checking Sanskrit dictionaries (e.g., Monier Williams at http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0620-pArezmazAnam.jpg ), this does not seem to be the case (unless might it be an inflected form I'm not finding?).  Can anyone identify a scholarly source to corroborate the claim that this is a Sanskrit term?  If not, then perhaps references to Sanskrit should be deleted??
 * (3) the current end note references the PTS PED entry for "paaramitaa" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:2678.pali . I'll add the PTS PED entry for "paaramii" at http://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.2:1:2679.pali shortly.  Also, for readability, I'll move the opening sentence's end note from mid-sentence to the end of the sentence.
 * If you disagree with my changes or assertions, feel free to revert and refute. I'm no longer attached to WP's accuracy :)
 * 24.136.253.60 (talk) 19:03, 23 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, let me be the first to correct myself :-) Here's an entry for paaramita from Apte's Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary: http://dsal1.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.3:1:4051.apte .  I'll add this to the first sentence's end notes shortly.  Sorry for my prior oversight.  Best, 24.136.253.60 (talk) 16:27, 24 March 2010 (UTC)

Lankavatara Sutra
The Lankavatara Sutra translated by D.T. Sukuki has this entry: On Momentariness: LXXXVII~ Three Kinds of the Paramitas

The heading is possibly a typo given that the first paragraph begins:


 * Further, Mahāmati said: It is again said by the Blessed One that by fulfilling the six Pāramitās Buddhahood is realised. What are the six Pāramitās? And how are they fulfilled?

But the organization of Parametas in the Buddha's explanation is slightly different from those offered in the article, and may be of interest. --98.149.242.115 (talk) 01:26, 7 March 2017 (UTC)