six pāramitās ［六波羅蜜］ ( roku-haramitsu or ropparamitsu): Six practices required of Mahayana bodhisattvas in order to attain Buddhahood. The Sanskrit word pāramitā is interpreted as “perfection” or “having reached the opposite shore,” i.e., to cross from the shore of delusion to the shore of enlightenment. The six pāramitās are (1) almsgiving ( dāna), which includes material almsgiving, almsgiving of the Law, and almsgiving of fearlessness (meaning to remove fear and give relief); (2) keeping the precepts (shīla); (3) forbearance (kshānti), or to bear up patiently and continue one’s Buddhist practice under all opposition and hardships; (4) assiduousness (vīrya), to practice the other five pāramitās ceaselessly, with utmost physical and spiritual effort; (5) meditation (dhyāna), to focus the mind and contemplate the truth with a tranquil mind; and (6) the obtaining of wisdom (prajnā), which enables one to perceive the true nature of all things.