The practice of the six perfections in the Mahayana

[Nitiananda]

The Six Perfection and the Four Dimensionalities are the main practices of the Mahayana aimed at cultivating the bodhichitta action and bodhichitta intentions respectively.
What is the Six Perfection? This is the Giving or Sacrifice, the Observance of the Commandments and the Vows, Patience, Persevering Efforts, Meditation and Wisdom.
Order here is very important, because one follows from the other. If a person does not want to engage in disinterested service and sacrifice, he will not be able to keep the commandments. If a person can not keep the commandments, then his thoughts wander, he is unable to concentrate and will not be able to endure the return of bad karma, not to mention that he has no intention of making utmost efforts to develop meditative abilities.
So, the Paramità of Sacrifice. What is this step needed for? With the help of proper donations, karma is cleared and efforts are directed to become capable of realizing high worlds. And, as already mentioned, there are three main types of sacrifice or giving. The first is the material donations of money and things to a true guru or true teaching; then - the gift of peace of mind, bringing happiness to others; and the third type of sacrifice is the preaching of the True Law (Dharma) in order to spread it.
When you can easily keep the commandments, thanks to a persistent and consistent practice, your karma will be washed away, willpower will become stronger, and the ability to patience will appear during a long meditative practice. This is the third Paramita - the strengthening of the will, the perfection of patience. Then, on the basis of what has already been achieved, it is necessary to conduct in full force the practice, which has a form. And this will be the perfection of Persevering Effort. And at the stage when this state is reached, they pass to the fifth process, that is, they begin to persevere in meditation aimed directly at achievement. This is the fifth Paramita - the perfection of meditation. In fact, all the Paramitas become truly Paramitam, only when perfection is achieved in the latter - the Paramita of Wisdom. And if after the first achievements of the state of Wisdom cultivate it constantly, then in the end the Truth is achieved. This is the teaching of Mahayana Buddhism. And this way of practice is called the Sixth Perfection.