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The eightfold path is at the heart of the middle way, which turns from
extremes, and encourages us to seek the simple approach.
The eightfold path is Right Understanding, Right Intent, Right Speech, Right
Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right
Concentration.
No doubt all of you are aware of the moral codes in other religious groups
such as Christianity, the Jews, and Muslims. While there is a degree of
correspondence across these groups, the interpretation of the code in each
philosophy is different. In the example of the Ten Commandments, there is an
authoritarian feeling of decree, of a direct order that these be fulfilled.
Right Understanding:
The first step of the eightfold path is Right Understanding or Right View.
This is a significant step on the path as it relates to seeing the world and
everything in it as it really is, not as we believe it to be or want it to be. Just as
you may read the directions on a map, and then make the journey, studying,
reading and examining the information is important, but only the preparation
for the journey. At a deeper level, direct personal experience will then lead us
to Right Understanding.
In his book " Old Path, White Clouds" , Thich Nhat Hanh tells the story of
the Buddha. The Buddha says "my teaching is not a dogma or a doctrine, but
no doubt some people will take it as such." The Buddha goes on to say "I must
state clearly that my teaching is a method to experience reality and not reality
itself, just as a finger pointing at the moon is not the moon itself. A thinking
person makes use of the finger to see the moon. A person who only looks at
the finger and mistakes it for the moon will never see the real moon."
Knowing reality is of very little value if we don’t put it to personal use in our
lives.
Right Intent:
The second step on the Eightfold Path is Right Intent. This is the step where
we become committed to the path. Right Understanding shows us what life
really is and what life’s problems are composed of, Right Intent urges us to
decide what our heart wants.
Right Intent must come from the heart and involves recognising the equality
of all life and compassion for all that life, beginning with yourself.
Right Intent means persistence and a passion for the journey. Setting out to
climb a high mountain means you must understand the lay of the land and
the pitfalls, the other team members, and the equipment you need. This is
similar to Right Understanding. But you will only climb the mountain if you
really want to and have a passion for the climb. This is Right Intent. The
mountain we climb here is our journey though life.
Right Speech:
Right Speech is the next step of the Path. We tend to underestimate the power
of the spoken word, and often regret words said in haste. Each of us has
experienced the disappointment associated with harsh criticism, whether
justified or not, and we also are likely to have felt good when kind words
encouraged us.
Right speech involves recognition of the truth, and also an awareness of the
impact of idle gossip and of repeating rumours. Communicating thoughtfully
helps to unite others, and can heal dissention. By resolving never to speak
unkindly, or in anger, a spirit of consideration evolves which moves us closer
to everyday compassionate living.
Right Action:
Right Action recognises the need to take the ethical approach in life, to
consider others and the world we live in. This includes not taking what is not
given to us, and having respect for the agreements we make both in our
private and business lives.
Right Action also encompasses the five precepts which were given by the
Buddha, not to kill, steal, lie, to avoid sexual misconduct, and not to take
drugs or other intoxicants.
This step on the path also includes a whole approach to the environment, with
Right Action being taken whenever possible to safeguard the world for future
generations.
Right Livelihood:
The next on the Eightfold Path follows on from Right Action, and this is Right
Livelihood. If your work has a lack of respect for life, then it will be a barrier
to progress on the spiritual path. Buddhism promotes the principle of equality
of all living beings and respect for all life.
Right Livelihood also implies that a Buddhist who is able, will undertake
some work, either as part of a Buddhist community, or in the workplace, or,
alternatively, do home based or community service. Many communities of
monks ensure that each member has daily chores, which remind him of this
step on the Eightfold Path.
Right Effort:
The Buddha was well ahead of his time on this one, and many books have
been written about the power of the right attitude.
Right Mindfulness:
While Right Effort is a very easy concept for most of us, Right Mindfulness is
somewhat trickier to grasp, and may involve quite a change of thinking.
I suggest that you take a short break, stand up and walk (or cruise if you are
mobile) around the room or house, and then come back here before reading
on.
Right Mindfulness means being aware of the moment, and being focused in
that moment. When we travel somewhere, we are hearing noises, seeing
buildings, trees, advertising, feeling the movement, thinking of those we left
behind, thinking of our destination. So it is with most moments of our lives.
Now, having read this, try the same walk as before but with a focused mind,
which now concentrates only on the action of the walking. Observe your
thoughts before reading on.
Sometimes you may be absorbed in what you are doing. Music, art, sport can
trigger these moments. Have you ever done anything where your mind is
only with that activity? At that moment, you are mindful, and the Buddha
showed how to integrate that awareness into our everyday lives.
Right Concentration:
In the case of humans the killing is the more blameworthy the more
virtuous they are. Apart from that, the extent of the offense is
proportionate to the intensity of the wish to kill. Five factors are
involved: a living being, the perception of a living being, a thought of
murder, the action of carrying it out, and death as a result of it. And six
are the ways in which the offense may be carried out: with one’s own
hand, by instigation, by missiles, by slow poisoning, by sorcery, by
psychic power.
Read more: How to Get Rid of Pests and Bugs the Buddhist Way
ABSTAIN F ROM TAK ING WH AT IS NOT GIVE N
“To take what is not given” means the appropriation of what is not given.
It refers to the removing of someone else’s property, to the stealing of it,
to theft. “What is not given” means that which belongs to someone else.
“Taking what is not given” is then the will to steal anything that one
perceives as belonging to someone else, and to act so as to appropriate it.
Its blameworthiness depends partly on the value of the property stolen,
partly on the worth of its owner. Five factors are involved: someone else’s
belongings, the awareness that they are someone else’s, the thought of
theft, the action of carrying it out, the taking away as a result of it. This
sin, too, may be carried out in six ways. One may also distinguish
unlawful acquisition by way of theft, robbery, underhand dealings,
stratagems, and the casting of lots.
The other ten kinds are: women bought with money, concubines for the
fun of it, kept women, women bought by the gift of a garment,
concubines who have been acquired by the ceremony which consists in
dipping their hands into water, concubines who once carried burdens on
their heads, slave girls who are also concubines, servants who are also
concubines, girls captured in war, temporary wives. The offense is the
more serious, the more moral and virtuous the person transgressed
against. It involves four factors: someone who should not be gone into,
the thought of cohabiting with that one, the actions which lead to such
cohabitation, and its actual performance. There is only one way of
carrying it out: with one’s own body.
ABSTAIN F ROM F AL SE SPE E CH
“False speech” is the will to deceive others by words or deeds. One can
also explain: “False” means something which is not real, not true.
“Speech” is the intimation that that is real or true. “False speech” is then
the volition which leads to the deliberate intimation to someone else that
something is so when it is not so.
But to say that one has seen what one has not seen, that is a serious
offense. Four factors are involved: something which is not so, the
thought of deception, an effort to carry it out, the communication of the
falsehood to someone else. There is only one way of doing it: with one’s
own body.
The last of the five precepts is to refrain from taking intoxicants that
cloud the mind and cause heedlessness. This means drugs and alcohol
(but not prescription medication). This precept is a traditional way of
detoxifying our bodies and minds. And it can be challenging at events
where alcohol is considered a means of socialization and relaxation.
However, with commitment, these situations often prove to be less
awkward than we had feared. The benefits of keeping the vow turn out to
be even more fruitful than we had hoped.
A common, sloppy rendering of the Truths tells us that life is suffering; suffering
is caused by greed; suffering ends when we stop being greedy; and the way to do
that is to follow something called the Eightfold Path.
Quite often, people get hung up on "life is suffering" and decide Buddhism isn't
for them. However, if you take the time to appreciate what the Four Noble Truths
are really about, everything else about Buddhism will be much clearer. Let's look
at them one at a time.
The First Noble Truth is often translated as "life is suffering." Many people new
to Buddhism tune out as soon as they hear this.
Further, the Buddha was not saying that everything about life is relentlessly
awful. In other sermons, he spoke of many types of happiness, such as the
happiness of family life.
But as we look more closely at dukkha, we see that it touches everything in our
lives, including good fortune and happy times.
Among other things, the Buddha taught that the skandhas are dukkha. The
skandhas are the components of a living human being: form, senses, ideas,
predilections, and consciousness. In other words, the animated body you identify
as yourself is dukkha because it is impermanent and it will eventually perish.
The Second Noble Truth teaches that the cause of suffering is greed or desire. The
actual word from the early scriptures is tanha, and this is more accurately
translated as "thirst" or "craving."
The Buddha taught that this thirst grows from ignorance of the self. We go
through life grabbing one thing after another to get a sense of security about
ourselves. We attach not only to physical things but also to ideas and opinions
about ourselves and the world around us.
Then we grow frustrated when the world doesn't behave the way we think it
should and our lives don't conform to our expectations.
The Buddha's teachings on karma and rebirth are closely related to the Second
Noble Truth.
The Buddha's teachings on the Four Noble Truths are sometimes compared to a
physician diagnosing an illness and prescribing a treatment. The first truth tells
us what the illness is and the second truth tells us what causes the illness.
The Second Noble Truth tells us that we cling to things we believe will make us
happy or keep us safe. Grasping for one ephemeral thing after another never
satisfies us for long because it's all impermanent. It is only when we see this for
ourselves that we can stop grasping. When we do see it, the letting go is easy. The
craving will seem to disappear of its own accord.
The Buddha taught that through diligent practice, we can put an end to craving.
Ending the hamster wheel-chase after satisfaction is enlightenment ( bodhi,
"awakened"). The enlightened being exists in a state called nirvana.
The Buddha spent the last 45 or so years of his life giving sermons on aspects of
the Four Noble Truths. The majority of these were about the Fourth Truth—the
path (magga).
The path is eight broad areas of practice that touches every part of our lives. It
ranges from study to ethical conduct to what you do for a living to moment-to-
moment mindfulness. Every action of body, speech, and mind are addressed by
the path. It is a path of exploration and discipline to be walked for the rest of
one's life.
Without the path, the first three Truths would just be a theory; something for
philosophers to argue about. The practice of the Eightfold Path brings
the dharma into one's life and makes it bloom.
If you are still confused about the four Truths, take heart; it's not so simple.
Fully appreciating what the Truths mean takes years. In fact, in some schools of
Buddhism thorough understanding of the Four Noble Truths defines
enlightenment itself.
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