Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path laid out as the way to attain Liberation from Samsara and Dukkha*,  is the principle method of applied practise as a comitted Buddhist. There are many synopses of the Eightfold path, listing what the different aspects of the Path are. Unfortunately there are not many documents or teachings around in text form explaining the real meaning of what each aspect refers to in terms of applied practise. The list begins with “Right View” for example. What is right view though, you may ask. This is the proverbial question! It is easy to list the eight aspects of the practise, but difficult is it to know what is meant by those eight phrases;

In this page, I shall attempt to make clear what is the real meaning and method of applying these eight aspects of the path into your life and attitude towards living and your behaviour.

The Correct Practise of the Eightfold path requires knolwedge of, and experience with various other practises taught withiin the Buddha Dhamma, mainly the Four Sathipatanas, Four Samapatanas, Four types of wrong speech, 3 kinds of wrong behaviour, and the practise of Jhana meditation – these factors will be mentioned as you read on;

First we shall look at the list of categories of “practise” contained within the Noble Eightfold Path;

1. Right view     2. Right intention     3. Right speech     4. Right action

5. Right livelihood     6. Right effort     7. Right mindfulness     8. Right concentration

Starting with “Right View” – right view means knowledge and understanding (realisation of the truth of) the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths mean, the fact that we are born, get old, sick and eventualy die, having to leave all that we love behind and relinquish even our body and mind. Knowledge of this is a factor which will lead to us wishing to make an effort to overcome suffering and disattach ourselves from the false refuge of worldy impermanent matters. This is the basic motivating force which will lead us and inspire us to work towards making the other following factors manifest.

Right Intention means to  relinquish the quest for sensual pleasures, and to abstain from harming other living Beings.

Right Speech means, to abstain from the four kinds of wrong speech (1.Lying, 2.Slander or speech which causes divisions between people, 3. Abusive speech, and 4.Idle chatting or gossiping) Such speech is the cause of later fear of being discovered, shame or guilty feeling and even retribution at worst if discovered and punished or “paid back”. Thes forms oif speech are harmful to others and will eventually result in bad Karmic results when the results of such speech come to fruition.

Right Action means, to restrain oneself from partaking of the 3 types of false action(to kill other living beings, to steal, or to commit acts of sexual misconduct, such as rape or adultery – any behaviour which harms others physically or results in others suffering because of one’s bodily action or behaviour is considered wrong action).

Right Livelihood means to abstain from any kind of profession or means of self sustenance which is harmful or considered unfair, or which use one of the wrong kinds of behaviour mentioned in the previous and following aspects of the eightfold path – Using a lie for one’s own monetary gain is considered wrong livelihood, whereas lying to save face for example, is considered wrong speech. Killing to rid oneself of an enemy or out of anger is considered wrond action, whereas killing an animal in a slaughterhouse for sale and profit is considered wrong livelihood. Selliing drugs or intoxicants is wrong livelihood.. The keeping of the five, or eight, or ten precepts of moral conduct as set out in the Buddhist Religion is recommended as anyone who keeps these precepts will not be permitted to partake in any profession which enters into the wrong livelihood category. The precepts are like a protective mantle which keeps you safe from wrong behaviour, and thus safe from receiving negative karmic results due to wrong actions, speech or thoughts. One can attain merit or commit wrongdoing on three levels through either thought (intention), speech, or physical action – remember this in all you think speak or do. I remember reading a very pervere homor in a comic by a famous beatnik artist of the Sixties era, and his subsequent justification in an interview, where he said that he only imagined his perversity, which is not wrongdoing, only physically doing such things in the real world was what he considered wrong. This is a perfect example of wrong Understanding, not seeing that all actions and intentions to act begin with thought and imagination, which is the planting of a seed, which will later come to fruition in the form of strong desires, and eventually perhaps to act upon those desires. he also forgot to consider the fact that his comics may affect other  people who read them, and cause others to commit wrong deeds.

Right Effort means not only to make an effort in life and in work… the real meaning of right effort is to be mindful to maintain concerted practise of the four Sammappadhana** (1. avoiding unskilful (unwholesome) actions now and in the Future, 2. doing away with the unskilful (unwholesome) actions of the past behind, 3. Commiting good deeds and skilful (wholesome) actions now and in the Future, and 4. Maintaning the merits of  skilful (wholesome) actions made in the past. One great question which may arise in your minds upon reading this when considering karma, is “how can i leave past mistakes (unwholeome unskilful actions) behind and do away with them?” -  “I have already committed the mistakes, and one cannot change the past?” The answer is, through the practise of the third of the aforementioned four Sammappadhana – (3. Commiting good deeds and skilful (wholesome) actions now and in the Future) If you consider throroughly the four Sammaphadhana, you will see that to acheive them you really only need to practise two factors to acheive the four! 3. – Making merit now and in future acheives  2.(removing the previous unskilful actions). And 1. – Avoiding unskilful action acheives 4. – the maintaining of past wholesome deeds and merits already attained.

Right Mindfulness means the practise of Mindfulness Contemplation on the Four Sathipatanas**. The Four Sathipatanas are the foundation of the forty methods of Vipassana mindfulness meditation taught by the Buddha Sakyamuni and are so extensive as to merit a more complete discourse somewhere else, as this page does not permit me to expand enough on the complete synopsis of the techniques involved. Suffice to say that the real purpose of The Eightfold path, and that of Buddhist practise is not as many people would have believe, to attain more happiness and joy in life and a complete balance in one’s lifestyle (although this is one of the fruits which will come from the practise), rather a detailed and comitted attempt to escape all forms of becoming and rebirth in manifest physical   forms of existence, which is seen from the realised point of view to be Dukkha* , and undesirable****, in fact perhaps even abhorring**** in a sense. To see things this way means to  have no moer interest in becoming or worldly existential matters, and to wish to attain the escape from further manifest incarnation in the illusory perceptual realms of Samsara. In order to attain the escape from Dhukkha one must apply oneself to the extensive practise of Bodhipakkhiyaadhammaa, which are the 37 factors of Enlightenment. The four Sathipatanas*** are four of these 37 factors of practise.

Right Concentration means to develop the Jhanic states of consciousness to the attainment of  fourth Jhana – Little can be said here about the Jhanas, suffice to say that the Jhanas are states of absorbtion acheived through meditation, which lead to the temporary loss of certain mental factors whilst in that state of absorbtion, lwhich subsequently lead to insight into the truths of Impermanence (Anicca), and Non-Self (Anatta). The realisation of all things being Impermanent and also Non-Self are key factors in the Body of Enlightenment – without these realisations and the attainment of intense concentration, wisdom is not born. The fourth jhana is a state where one can not distiguish the sense of sound, smell, touch or even “otherness” one is no longer aware of the sense of “I, me” and “He, She, It” anymore. ther is no self and other self. This is not to say that one is no longer there. Something is there, albeit pure awareness/consiousness. But this state is unexplainable for he who has not entered into that state and experienced it. For this reason it would be pointless to expand further on the matter here. For those already practising jhana and Vipassana whgo wish to delve more into the subject, please visit the Dhamma blog for more posts on the matter.

Notes;

*Dukkha

The word Dukkha, is often translated as meaning suffering, whereas the real meaning of the word Dukkha is “Cannot remain in its original condition – always changing – this is thus considered as “Unsatisfactory, due to the fact that when we become accustomed to a thing, and it changes or must be relinquished [such as "beauty" "youth" ], then  we “suffer” the feeling of dissatisfaction. All things can be concluded as being Transitory and Impermanent (Anicca), and therefore subject to change – our attachment to such things causes dissatisfaction when the time comes to let go of such Transitory phenomena (Dukkha).

**Sammappadhana – The Four Right Exertions (Efforts)

1. Exertion for the non-arising of unskillful states
2. Exertion for the abandoning of unskillful states
3. Exertion for the arising of skillful states

4. Exertion for the sustaining of skillful states

*** Four Sathipatanas

1. Contemplation of the body (kayanupassana)
2. Contemplation of feelings (vedananupassana)
3. Contemplation of consciousness (cittanupassana)
4. Contemplation of mental qualities (dhammanupassana)

**** Abhorring, Undesirable

These two words are not really fitting in the greater sense of the meaning of Buddhist thought in reference to escaping Samsara and Dhukkha. reason being that Craving is seen to be the root and the cause of all Dukkha - Craving for something is clearly Craving.. but to abhor or not desire something is seen as aversion at first glimpse. When sen in a deeper sense, it becomes clear that to “not want” or “not like” something is to crave too.. to crave for not having to se or experience a certain thing or matter. Craving for something, or craving for not having to encounter something.. both are forms of Craving in the end and a cause of Dhukkha when our wishes are not fulfilled. For this reason this note was placed here to explain that the only reason for the use of the words “Undesirable” and “Abhorring” was to explain the wish to become Enlightened and escape Samsara. Such a wish is also a Kilesa (craving, selfish desire), albeit a subtle and positive one. In the end, before one attains Enlightenment and liberation from Dhukkha and enters Nirvana, one must even relinquish the desire to escape Samsara, for only with the final act of “lettiing Go” of everything, does the real Enlightened state arise.

Recommended Links;

Aimwell.Org – Wrong Thought