The Meaning of Pāramitā in Meditative Practice: A Comparative Study of Nikāya and Āgama Literature

Abstract

Pāramitā which means 'perfection' or 'transcendent virtue' is a yet another term that has an important 'central' place in the cosmopolitan world of later Buddhism, and especially in Mahāyāna soteriology.Nonetheless, the doctrinal roots of this idea and its role in early Buddhist texts are still yet to be fully explored.This study methodically explores the implicit role and multifaceted function of pāramitā in meditative practice through meticulous representations preserved in the Pāli Nikāyas alongside their corresponding parallels found among the Chinese Āgamas.Through an empirical and comparative lens of textual study, the essay persuasively demonstrates that essential virtues which have a pāramitā-like characterthose included in dāna as generosity, sīla as the ethical foundation of morality, khanti (कान्) / kṣānti (काषा) for resilience, virya / vīrya (वीर् ) for vigorous ambition, samādhi (समा् धि) as focused state, or paññā / prajñā (प्ा) for penetrating insight-are structurally embedded within the early Buddhist path towards awakening.These virtues are prerequisites not just for progress in meditation, but also for full enlightenment.Demonstrating this via a close reading of parallel discourses across numerous traditions and bringing out the doctrinal continuity that so clearly exists between the ethical and meditative blueprints of early Buddhism through less organic, more systematic articulations of pāramitā in later descriptions.They enrich our understanding of a more interrelated and inclusive perspective on Buddhist praxis, while also resisting the dubious assertion that pāramitā necessarily introduces Mahāyāna elements to Theravāda Buddhist contexts.This evokes a rethinking of the meanings of pāramitā across Buddhist traditions.