| The Six Perfections | ||
| Text and photo by Liu King-pong | ||
Buddhists know that faithful practice of the Six Perfections (Paramitas)—giving alms, keeping the precepts, tolerating insults, diligence, meditation and wisdom—allows one to cross from the shore of suffering and reincarnation to the other shore of nirvana and joy. I had tried to practice these six perfections of the Buddha’s teachings for nearly 20 years, but I had never truly perceived their meaning or authentically put them into practice until I happened to read a brilliant interpretation of them by Venerable Master Guang Qin (廣欽). Master Guang Qin was a monk revered by the general public in Taiwan as a true enlightened Dharma master before he passed away at the age of 93 in 1986. Everyone who met him was overwhelmingly impressed with his great sense of humor and inspirational words of wisdom, which flowed as naturally from him as water flows from a spring. Even Master Cheng Yen, the founder of Tzu Chi, consulted him before she began building hospitals over three decades ago. One of the most fascinating legends about him was that he once entered into such a profound state of meditation in a mountain cave in Fujian Province, China, that he went without eating or drinking for four months. In fact, it is said he was almost cremated by a logger who thought he was already dead. Master Guang Qin suggested that one’s daily workplace is a great place to practice the Six Perfections, especially when it is a stressful and less-than-harmonious environment. According to his interpretation, when you work hard without complaint, you are “giving alms.” You observe “diligence” when you do everything you can to complete your work well. You practice “tolerating insults” when others criticize you unfairly or insult you, “meditation” when you receive an unjust tongue lashing without becoming upset, and “keeping the precepts” when you refrain from talking back to malicious criticism. Finally, the master suggested you practice “wisdom” if you can curb your anger and maintain a positive attitude in the face of the sometimes nasty and dreadful events at work. I was tremendously inspired by the Master’s interpretation of the Six Perfections. What is even more amazing is that I used it to help ease the mind of my neighbor, Carlos, over a difficult episode he had had at work. Carlos and Rebecca, a couple originally from Cuba, are neighors of ours in our condominium complex in Miami, Florida. Carlos is a sales manager at a local car dealership. Although a Baptist, Carlos is nevertheless interested in learning meditation and some tenets of Buddhism. He often comes to my apartment and asks me to elaborate on these topics. One Saturday afternoon not too long ago, I bumped into Carlos at the swimming pool. We struck up a conversation and he told me how he had been repeatedly humiliated in front of his teammates by his boss, despite his hard work to raise his team’s sales. “How would you, as a Buddhist, handle the situation?” he asked. At that moment, I recalled Master Guang Qin’s interpretation of the Six Perfections, and I proceeded to share it with Carlos. “That sounds good,” he replied, “but does it mean I have to keep quiet while tolerating my boss’s irrational criticism and ruthless humiliation? How can I not get angry and yell back at him?” I replied, “Why punish yourself with other people’s bad temper and rudeness by returning their anger? If you yell nasty words back at your boss, wouldn’t that just prove to others that you are equally as obnoxious as he is? Furthermore, your angry words might push your boss to do or say something that would make him look bad in the end. That’s not a wise thing to do, is it?” After pondering my advice, Carlos nodded and smiled. “I thought Buddhist philosophy was only good for studying. I never considered that what I’ve learned could actually be put into practice. I especially like the Master’s interpretation that it is a practice of meditation to receive an unjust tongue lashing without becoming upset or feeling bad. I thought meditation only meant sitting quietly with one’s legs crossed!” Carlos’s remark brought a big smile to my face. I trust he’ll know how to handle whatever unpleasant conditions at work he may encounter in the future. I tip my hat to him for being such a quick learner!
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