Morality

In Mahayana Buddhism, the six perfections are qualities developed on the path to enlightenment: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation and wisdom. They are also called paramitas. A perfection is a virtue developed fully, so practising the perfections involves gradually changing motives and habits, not simply performing six kinds of action.

Morality concerns the principles people use to judge right and wrong. Asking whether an act is wrong is therefore different from asking whether it is illegal. A crime breaks the law of the state; a moral wrong breaks a standard of right behaviour.