Grammatical Analysis
Viriyapāramī: [f.] The Perfection of Energy; the Perfection of Heroic Effort. Formed by viriya (energy, vigor, effort) + pāramī (perfection).
Orthodox Definition
Viriya-pāramī is the fifth of the Ten Perfections. It represents the absolute, unyielding, heroic striving required to endure the trillions of lifetimes across saṃsāra necessary to achieve Omniscience.
This perfection is characterized by a refusal to surrender to laziness, despair, or the immensity of the task. The commentaries define its function as the continuous uplifting of associated mental states, ensuring they do not collapse under the weight of suffering. The Bodhisatta’s energy is not a frantic, worldly ambition, but a steady, unbreakable resolve: “Let only skin, sinews, and bone remain, let the flesh and blood dry up, I will not stop until I have attained what can be attained by manly strength.”
Textual References
- Canonical: Mahājanaka Jātaka (No. 539) – The archetypal story of energy, where the Bodhisatta, shipwrecked in the middle of the ocean, swims continuously for seven days without seeing a shore, purely out of the duty of heroic effort.
- Commentary: Paramatthadīpanī (Treatise on the Pāramīs) – Explaining how energy prevents the other nine perfections from collapsing.