Ten qualities

"So, before he became the Buddha he was a Bodhisattva. He took birth for many, many, many lives. He had to go through and cultivate ten essential qualities to a high standard before becoming the Buddha. These ten qualities are:

	Generosity	Forbearance
	Morality or Virtue	Truthfulness
	Renunciation	Determination
	Wisdom	Loving Kindness
	Effort	Equanimity

"These are called the ten paramita, or ten essential qualities — virtues of high standard. These are the ten qualities that a Bodhisattva cultivates life after life. To attain enlightenment he must cultivate the ten paramita. This is why we say he took birth again and again. As you know, we do not use the word reincarnate because Buddhists do not believe that there is a permanent entity or ‘I’ self to take birth. Buddhism uses the word re-becoming rather than reincarnating — coming again life after life.

Who was Buddha?

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