Posted on July 28, 2007 in Buddhism Concepts
The Noble Eightfold Path is the Buddha’s practical guide to ethical and mental development. It aims towards understanding the truth of all things, and the achievement of freedom from sufferings, attachments and delusions. Eightfold Path is the elaboration of the fourth revelation of the Four Noble Truths: "the way to end suffering is by following the Noble Eightfold Path" which were underlined under three classificatory sections.
Wisdom:
Ethical Conduct:
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
Mental Development:
- Right Effort
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration
- Right View leads to the right understanding of the Four Noble Truths by keeping oneself free from prejudice, superstition and delusions, and to see everything in their true nature of life.
- Right Thought prescribes one to abstain from sense pleasures, turn away from the hypocrisies of this world, and to direct one’s mind towards Positive Attitudes which purify the mind.
- Right Speech means that one should refrain from falsehood, slandering, harsh words and pointless talks.
- Right Action advises one to refrain from killing, stealing and sexual immorality; these helps one to develop and conduct a self-controlled character that is pleasing to others.
- Right Livelihood entails earning a living through professions which has no evil consequences. The Buddha prescribed five professions or trades which a lay Buddhist should avoid – trade in weapons of destruction, trade in animals for slaughter, trade in slavery, trade in intoxicants, and trade in poisons.
- Right Effort encompasses the Buddha’s main stress in attaining happiness and enlightenment through one’s efforts. The pragmatic principle is four-fold; namely: (a) to discard evil that has already arisen, (b) to prevent the arising of unrisen evil, (c) to develop that good which has already arisen, (d) and to promote that good which has not already arisen.
- Right Mindfulness means to cherish good and pure thoughts. Right Mindfulness is the awareness of one’s deeds, words and thoughts. The Buddha prescribed four forms of Mindfulness: (a) mindfulness of the body, (b) mindfulness of feelings, (c) mindfulness of the mind, (d) and mindfulness of mental objects.
- Right Meditation which means to train the mind gradually and concentrate on the “Oneness” of all life. The constant practice of meditation helps one to develop a calm and concentrated mind and help to prepare one for the attainment of Wisdom and Enlightenment ultimately.
Great emphasis is put on these practical aspects, because they avoid the extremes of self-torture that weakens ones intellect, and the extremes of self-indulgence that retards ones spiritual progress. Only then can a person attain a higher level of existence and finally attain Nirvana. The eight aspects of the Eightfold Path should not be understood as a sequence in a single stride. Instead, they are independent, yet, interdependent principles that have to be seen in relation to each other.
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