Talk:Pāramitā

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not sure this is true: "Paramita is a Sanskrit word which means salvation in Buddhism. More specifically, it means the crossing from sensuous life to nirvana. "

another explanation seems to be: "Paramita is a Sanskrit term meaning virtue perfected to the level of transcendence" (http://www.buddhanet.net/heartl02.htm)

I guess there are two meanings.

Both definitions sort of point to the same thing, although I would say Paramita refers less to salvation and more to the perfection of a virtue or practice. I guess it also depends on what you mean with salvation. Do you mean Nirvana, or a bodhisattva or something else? Literally, the word paramita means "to have crossed to the other shore". Think in terms of crossing a river. This analogy is also sometimes used to described attainment of Nirvana. Maybe this is where the first definition has come from?

According to Har Dayal ("The Bodhisattva Doctrine in Buddhist Sanskrit Literature" 1999, pp.165-6) this is based on a serious misunderstaning of the etymology by a number of translators. His reasoning is too complicated to repeat here, but he states "the definition of the term is thus placed beyond the possibility of doubt. It simply means highest condition, highest point, best state, perfection." Shantavira 10:02, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

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