Buddhist Sangha - Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path Explained

The Buddha was the most optimistic of all spiritual teachers. He believed that every one of us is capable of complete and total enlightenment in this very life. Each of us was born with the capacity to be generous, kind and wise. We act with greed, anger and delusion only because of ignorance which leads to craving. The way for us to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path:

This is the middle path which the Perfect One discovered and expounded which gives rise to vision and knowledge, which leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nibbana--the noble eightfold path:

Right Understanding
of suffering
of its origin
of its cessation
of the way leading to the cessation of suffering

Right Intentions
of renunciation, free from craving
of good will, free from aversion
of compassion, free from cruelty

Right Speech
abstaining from false speech
abstaining from malicious speech
abstaining from harsh speech
abstaining from useless speech

Right Action
abstaining from taking life
abstaining from stealing
abstaining from sexual misconduct

Right Livelihood
giving up wrong livelihood, one earns one's
living by a right form of livelihood

Right Effort
to prevent unarisen unwholesome mental states from arising
to abandon unwholesome mental states that have already arisen
to develop wholesome mental states that have not yet arisen
to maintain and perfect wholesome mental states already arisen

Right Mindfulness
mindful contemplation of the body
mindful contemplation of feelings
mindful contemplation of the mind
mindful contemplation of mental objects

Right Concentration
wholesome one-pointedness of mind

From the Vandana book of the Washington Buddhist Vihara. Translated by Bhikku Bodhi and Bhante Gunaratana.

We are like the person who becomes ill due to a bad diet and destructive habits. We cling to our harmful actions and deny that there is any problem. We are sick to death but refuse to see it because we are so attached to our bad habits that we don't realize there is an alternative.

The Buddha is the great physician who sees our illness and tells us how to cure it. He says to us:

· You are sick

· The source of your illness is attachment to harmful behavior

· You can be fully restored to health

· There is a pathway of behavior that can bring you to full health

We respond to the Buddha by denying that we are ill and accusing him of being gloomy!

Only when we begin to see that our lives can be better are we ready to begin the journey to spiritual health. When we are ready to begin the journey we are ready for the Noble Eightfold Path.

Continue - read the Noble Eightfold Path

< home	Buddhist Sangha of South Jersey Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County
Introduction Our Liturgy » Noble Eightfold Path Easy Practice How to Meditate LovingKindness Conduct Emptiness The Great Way Books Supplies Web Links		The Noble Eightfold Path Explained The Buddha was the most optimistic of all spiritual teachers. He believed that every one of us is capable of complete and total enlightenment in this very life. Each of us was born with the capacity to be generous, kind and wise. We act with greed, anger and delusion only because of ignorance which leads to craving. The way for us to achieve this is the Noble Eightfold Path: This is the middle path which the Perfect One discovered and expounded which gives rise to vision and knowledge, which leads to peace, wisdom, enlightenment, and nibbana--the noble eightfold path: Right Understanding of suffering of its origin of its cessation of the way leading to the cessation of suffering Right Intentions of renunciation, free from craving of good will, free from aversion of compassion, free from cruelty Right Speech abstaining from false speech abstaining from malicious speech abstaining from harsh speech abstaining from useless speech Right Action abstaining from taking life abstaining from stealing abstaining from sexual misconduct Right Livelihood giving up wrong livelihood, one earns one's living by a right form of livelihood Right Effort to prevent unarisen unwholesome mental states from arising to abandon unwholesome mental states that have already arisen to develop wholesome mental states that have not yet arisen to maintain and perfect wholesome mental states already arisen Right Mindfulness mindful contemplation of the body mindful contemplation of feelings mindful contemplation of the mind mindful contemplation of mental objects Right Concentration wholesome one-pointedness of mind From the Vandana book of the Washington Buddhist Vihara. Translated by Bhikku Bodhi and Bhante Gunaratana. We are like the person who becomes ill due to a bad diet and destructive habits. We cling to our harmful actions and deny that there is any problem. We are sick to death but refuse to see it because we are so attached to our bad habits that we don't realize there is an alternative. The Buddha is the great physician who sees our illness and tells us how to cure it. He says to us: · You are sick · The source of your illness is attachment to harmful behavior · You can be fully restored to health · There is a pathway of behavior that can bring you to full health We respond to the Buddha by denying that we are ill and accusing him of being gloomy! Only when we begin to see that our lives can be better are we ready to begin the journey to spiritual health. When we are ready to begin the journey we are ready for the Noble Eightfold Path. Continue - read the Noble Eightfold Path Back to top