The Dalai Lama on the Six Perfections: Six Paramitas

His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives an overview of the basic Buddhist teachings that form the basis for practicing the six perfections and explores in-depth each of the perfections. The six perfections (far-reaching attitudes) help us develop the three higher trainings. Being generous, we are not attached to our wealth, and so our higher training in ethical self-discipline becomes pure. With patience, we are unharmed by difficulty, and this, as well, helps us to maintain our higher training in ethical self-discipline. Mental constancy is for the higher training in concentration and in discriminating awareness. Perseverance helps with the attainment of all three. The order of each perfection is important and definite: the later ones are more difficult to develop and more subtle. When we engage in subtle practices, we need a subtler and subtler mind.