The six perfections

[ground]

The fixed number of perfections based on high status

To fully complete the greatly effective bodhisattva deeds you need an immeasurable long succession of lifetimes. Moreover, to attain quick success on the path within these lifetimes you need a life excellent in every aspect. Our present life is not excellent in every aspect but rather has only some of the aspects of full excellence; we do not make progress with it though we practice the teachings. You need a life that has four kinds of excellence: (1) resources to use [the result of the perfection of generosity], (2) a body with which you act [the result of the perfection of ethical discipline], (3) companions together with whom you act [the result of the perfection of patience], and (4) work that you are able to accomplish once undertaken [the result of the perfection of joyous perseverance]. Since in many cases these four kinds of excellence alone may themselves become conditions for afflictions, you must not fall under the control of the afflictions [the result of the perfection of meditative stabilization]. As just the four kinds of excellence are not sufficient, you must also distinguish well, in regard to what to adopt and what to cast aside, precisely what things to do and to stop doing [the result of the perfection of wisdom]. Otherwise, just as a bamboo or plantain tree dies after giving fruit, or a mule dies with pregnancy, you will be destroyed by the four excellences.

Lama Tsongkhapa (LRCM)

[Hanzze]

You become what you strive for, so its the right choose that makes you become something that is helpful for your self an helpful for all other beings. Actually its not so a matter of becoming nor or not-becoming.

'Was I in the past? Was I not in the past? What was I in the past? How was I in the past? Having been what, what was I in the past? Shall I be in the future? Shall I not be in the future? What shall I be in the future? How shall I be in the future?
- MN2

There is neither release for one self not for others. *smile*

[ground]

You become what you strive for, so its the right choose that makes you become something that is helpful for your self an helpful for all other beings.

In that case if someone strives for buddhahood he/she will become a Buddha.

Actually its not so a matter of becoming nor or not-becoming.

Is it or is it not?

Kind regards

[ground]

The fixed number of perfections based on fulfilling the two aims

When someone in such a life of high status learns the bodhisattva deeds, these activities are comprehensively categorized as two: those which fulfill your own aims and those which fulfill the aims of others. Therefore there is a fixed number of perfections based on fulfilling the two aims.
To fulfill the aims of others you must first help them with material goods. Since no benefit will come from generosity accompanied by harmfulness toward living beings, you need ethical discipline, which has a great purpose for others in that it is the state of desisting from harm to others and the causes of such harm. To bring this to its full development you also need patience that disregards the harm done to you, for, if you are impatient with harm and retaliate a time or two, you will not attain pure ethical discipline. When you do not retaliate because of your patience, you prevent others from accumulating a great amount of sin and bring them to virtue by inspiring them with your patience. So this practice has a great purpose for others.
You attain your own aim, the bliss of liberation, through the power of wisdom. Since you will not attain this with a distracted mind, you must set your mind in meditative equipoise by means of meditative stabilization, obtaining a mental serviceability wherein you intentionally set your attention on any object of meditation. Since a lazy person does not produce this, you need joyous perseverance day and night that never slackens, so this is the basis of the other perfections. ... In these six there is no complete fulfillment of other's aims.

Lama Tsongkhapa (LRCM)

[Hanzze]

You become what you strive for, so its the right choose that makes you become something that is helpful for your self an helpful for all other beings.

In that case if someone strives for buddhahood he/she will become a Buddha.

That is a nice idea, as long as we know what it means to be a Buddha. *smile*

To fulfill the aims of others you must first help them with material goods.

So you take to give? Or you let go of what has been given to you? It could be, if wrong understood a very conflict to:

So this practice (virtue) has a great purpose for others.

You attain your own aim, the bliss of liberation, through the power of wisdom.

Well the thought of Buddhayana is a good leaning path, maybe one time one can recollect the teachings he has already come across. *smile*

[ground]

The fixed number of perfections based on perfecting the complete fulfillment of other's aims

You first relieve other's poverty by giving away material goods. Then you do no harm to any living being and, in addition, are patient with harm done to you. Without becoming dispirited you joyously persevere at helping those who harm you. You depend on meditative stabilization and inspire them through displaying supernormal powers and so forth. When they become suitable vessels for the teachings, you rely on wisdom and give good explanations, cut through their doubts and thereby bring them to liberation. Because you do all this, the perfections are fixed as six in number.

Lama Tsongkhapa (LRCM)

[Hanzze]

Yes, that is the reason why a doubt-cutter needs a car, a handy, an laptop as well as internet. To reduce harming while not harming others at the same time. *smile*

Maybe something is missing to prove if the perfection is reached already. Do I have things left to share? Is my virtue really perfect? Or does I have a strange believe that I can help others in using them at the same time?

[ground]

The fixed number of perfections based on their subsuming the entire Mahayana

You are indifferent to resources because you are not attached to those you have and do not pursue those you lack. since you then have the ability to safeguard precepts, you adopt and respect ethical discipline. You are patient with the suffering that comes from living beings and inanimate things and you are enthusiastic about whatever virtue you set out to cultivate, so you do not get dispirited by either of these. You cultivate a non-discursive yoga of meditative serenity and a non-discursive yoga of insight. These six comprise all the Mahayana practices through which you advance by the six perfections, for you accomplish these practices in stages by means of the six perfections and you do not need any more than these six perfections.

Lama Tsongkhapa (LRCM)

[Hanzze]

Saddha (faith out of self realization) is a require of it, believe is just doubt. *smile* Once fulfilled the perfections you might one day join the eightfold path.

[ground]

...believe is just doubt. ...

Then tell me, why do you publish your doubts here?

[Hanzze]

One would not post if there is a doubt, not noticing the act would be just unaware. *smile* So such posts could be often an expression of believe. So we can work on our perfection using also this way and keep us free from view or eye troubles  *smile*

[ground]

One would not post if there is a doubt, ..

So you are posting things that you don't believe.

Kind regards

[Hanzze]

Don't believe is just a believe. *smile* But we drift from the topic, attached to others and self. 

[ground]

Don't believe is just a believe. *smile*

That presumes that there is the belief "I don't believe". But this is not necessarily the appropriate verbal characterization of non-belief which is mere negation of belief as such. Non-belief does not reject one belief due to preferrence of another belief.

A state of non-belief is seeing things as they are and renunciation of habitual papanca:

The Blessed One said, "What is the All? Simply the eye & forms, ear & sounds, nose & aromas, tongue & flavors, body & tactile sensations, intellect & ideas. This, monks, is called the All. [1] Anyone who would say, 'Repudiating this All, I will describe another,' if questioned on what exactly might be the grounds for his statement, would be unable to explain, and furthermore, would be put to grief. Why? Because it lies beyond range."

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn35/sn35.023.than.html

Kind regards

[Hanzze]

Don't believe is just a believe. *smile*

That presumes that there is the belief "I don't believe". But this is not necessarily the appropriate verbal characterization of non-belief which is mere negation of belief as such. Non-belief does not reject one belief due to preferrence of another belief.

Well that is the common believe *smile*

There is negation without a believe.