Rafting Towards Relinquishment

The Ten Pāramīs or "Perfections" in Theravāda Buddhism are ten qualities that a person can cultivate in their lives to bring them in harmony with the Dhamma. They support practice, and are themselves practices. They are: dāna (generosity), sīla (ethics or morality), nekkhamma (renunciation), paññā (wisdom or discernment), viriya (energy, effort, zeal, perseverance), khanti (patience or endurance), sacca (truthfulness or honesty), adhiṭṭhāna (resolve), mettā (loving-kindness), and upekkhā (equanimity). In meditation a few days ago, one of the trains of thought distracting me from my breath that I had to abandon in order to bring attention back to the breath was how to relate the pāramīs to recovery from addiction and substance abuse. It was the sort of train of thought that I promised myself I’d come back to after sitting practice to make it easier to abandon, so here I am!

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