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EspañolNOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH
(Redirected from Eightfold Path)
The 'Noble Eightfold Path' (Pāli: ''Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo''; Sanskrit: ''Ārya 'ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ''; Chinese: 八正道, ''Bāzhèngdào''; Japanese: 八正道, 'Hasshōdō', Thai: อริยมรรคแปด, ''Ariya Mugg Paad'', Mongolian ''qutu''ɣ''tan-u naiman gesigün-ü mör'') is, in the teachings of the Buddha, declared to be the way that leads to the end of ''dukkha'', or suffering. Essentially a practical guide of bringing about ethical and meditative discipline, the Noble Eightfold Path forms the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths, which have informed and driven much of the Buddhist tradition.
As the name indicates, there are eight elements in the Noble Eightfold Path, and these are divided into three basic categories[1] as follows:
★ Wisdom (Sanskrit: ''prajñā'', Pāli: ''paññā'')
:'1.' Right view
:'2.' Right intention
★ Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: ''śīla'', Pāli: ''sīla'')
:'3.' Right speech
:'4.' Right action
:'5.' Right livelihood
★ Mental discipline (Sanskrit and Pāli: ''samādhi'')
:'6.' Right effort
:'7.' Right mindfulness
:'8.' Right concentration
In all of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, the word "right" is a translation of the word ''samyañc'' (Sanskrit) or ''sammā'' (Pāli), which denotes completion, togetherness, and coherence, and which can also carry the sense of "perfect" or "ideal".
Though the path is numbered one through eight, it is generally not considered to be a series of linear steps through which one must progress; rather, as the Buddhist monk and scholar Walpola Rahula points out, the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path "are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others"[2].
In Buddhist symbolism, the Noble Eightfold Path is often represented by means of the Dharma wheel (Sanskrit: ''dharmacakra'', Pāli: ''dhammacakka''), whose eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path.
The "wisdom" subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those elements that refer primarily to the mental or cognitive aspect of a Buddhist practitioner's practice.
Right view ('' · '') can also be translated as "right perspective" or "right understanding". This element of the Noble Eightfold Path refers explicitly to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, stating that these must be fully understood by the Buddhist practitioner. In the ''Mahāsatipahāna Sutta'', one of the Buddha Śākyamuni's discourses, right understanding is explained directly in terms of the Four Noble Truths:
Additionally, right understanding is sometimes considered to encompass an understanding of the Buddhist idea of the non-permanence, or even non-existence, of the self, an idea known as ''anātman'' in Sanskrit and ''anatta'' in Pāli[4].
There are two stages for every stage of the eightfold path, a preliminary stage and the higher stages gradually obtained through the journey towards enlightenment. The preliminary stage of Right Views or right understanding is the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. The higher stage requires a greater comprehension of the Four Noble Truths, which includes the knowledge and understanding of the not-self doctrine, impermanence, dependent origination, the five aggregates, "karma", rebirth, and so on.
Right intention('') can also be translated as "right thought", "right resolve", or "right aspiration" or "the exertion of our own will to change". This element of the Noble Eightfold Path deals, fundamentally, with the Buddhist practitioner's reasons for practicing Buddhism within an environment. It enjoins renunciation of worldly things and an accordant greater commitment to spiritual matters; good will; and a commitment to non-violence, or '''', towards other living beings. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', it is simply explained as follows:
The "ethical conduct" (Śīla) subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is considered the cornerstone or foundation upon which unwholesome thoughts and practices end and higher meditative states begin.
In AN 11.2 Cetana Sutta (An Act of Will) Buddha states it is virtue (without clinging to virtue) which gives freedom from remorse, which leads to joy, serenity and subsequent rapturous states of meditation.
:It is in the nature of things that freedom from remorse arises in a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue.
In Buddhism, this is also one of the Ten Recollections along with the Triple Gem.
:"There is the case where the disciple of the noble ones recollects his own virtues, thus: '[They are] untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, 'conducive to concentration'.'
This aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is the most outward-oriented aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path insofar as it deals directly with a Buddhist practitioner's relationship with other members of his or her society.
Right speech (''samyag-vāc' · 'sammā-vācā''), as the name implies, deals with the way in which a Buddhist practitioner would best make use of his or her words. In the Pali Canon, this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
Other discourses in the Canon elaborate:
:"Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world....
:"Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord....
:"Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large....
:"Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal...."[7]
Regarding telling the truth about mundane knowledge, the ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta'' (AN 10.176) ascribes to the Buddha the following elaboration:
:"There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he does know, he says, 'I know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I have seen.' Thus he doesn't consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech."[8]
Regarding telling the truth about spiritual knowledge, the ''Canki Sutta'' (MN 95) ascribes to the Buddha the following cautionary statements:
:"If a person has conviction, his statement, 'This is my conviction,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.'...
:"If a person likes something... holds an unbroken tradition... has something reasoned through analogy... has something he agrees to, having pondered views, his statement, 'This is what I agree to, having pondered views,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.'..."[9]
Walpola Rahula glosses this path factor by stating that not engaging in such "forms of wrong and harmful speech" ultimately means that "one naturally has to speak the truth, has to use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful and useful"[10].
Right action (''samyak-karmānta' · 'sammā-kammanta'') can also be translated as "right conduct" and, as the name implies, deals with the proper way in which a Buddhist practitioner would act in his or her daily life. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
The ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta'' (AN 10.176) expands:
:"And how is one made pure in three ways by bodily action?
:"There is the case where a certain person, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings.
:"Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He does not take, in the manner of a thief, things in a village or a wilderness that belong to others and have not been given by them.
:"Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man."[12]
Together with the idea of '' and right speech, right action constitutes the Five Precepts (Sanskrit: ''pañcaśīla'', Pāli: ''pañcasīla''), which form the fundamental ethical code undertaken by lay followers of Buddhism, and which are as follows:
:1. To refrain from destroying living beings.
:2. To refrain from stealing.
:3. To refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).
:4. To refrain from false speech (lying).
:5. To refrain from intoxicants, which lead to heedlessness.
Right livelihood (''samyag-ājīva' · 'sammā-ājīva'') is based around the concept of '', or harmlessness, and essentially states that Buddhist practitioners ought not to engage in trades or occupations which, either directly or indirectly, result in harm to other living beings or systems. Such occupations include "trading in arms and lethal weapons, intoxicating drinks, poisons, killing animals, [and] cheating", among others[10]. "[B]usiness in human beings"—such as slave trading and prostitution—is also forbidden[14], as are several other dishonest means of gaining wealth, such as "[s]cheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, [and] pursuing gain with gain"[15].
The "mental discipline" subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those elements that deal with how a Buddhist practitioner can best go about shaping his or her outlook towards the world.
Right effort (''samyag-vyāyāma' · 'sammā-vāyāma'') can also be translated as "right endeavor", and involves the Buddhist practitioner's continuous effort to, essentially, keep his or her mind free of thoughts that might impair his or her ability to realize or put into practice the other elements of the Noble Eightfold Path; for example, wishing ill towards another living being would contradict the injunction—contained in the "Right thought" element—to have good will towards others, and the "Right effort" element refers to the process of attempting to root out such an ill wish and replace it with a good wish.
By making right effort, a Buddhist practitioner is considered to be engaging in an effort that is wholesome in terms of ''karma''; that is, in terms of that effort's ultimate consequences to the practitioner[4].
The four phases of Right Effort:(in simple English)
(1) make effort to prevent the unwholesome that has not yet come.
(2) make effort to destroy the unwholesome that has come.
(3) make effort to produce the wholesome that has not yet come.
(4) make effort to cultivate the wholesome that has come.
Right mindfulness (''' · 'sammā-sati''), also translated as "right memory", together with right concentration, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation. Roughly speaking, "mindfulness" refers to the practice of keeping the mind alert to phenomena as they are affecting the body and mind. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
This is also an important aspect of what constitutes the concept of "self" or Buddhist concept of Atman:
:"And how, Ananda, is a bhikkhu an island unto himself, a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge?
: "When he dwells contemplating the body in the body, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world; when he dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, the mind in the mind, and mental objects in mental objects, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world, then, truly, he is an island unto himself, a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge; having the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge.(DN 16 Maha-parinibbana Sutta)
Bhikkhu Bodhi, a monk of the Theravadin tradition, further glosses the concept of mindfulness as follows:
Right concentration (''samyak-samādhi' · 'sammā-samādhi''), together with right mindfulness, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation.
In the ''Great Forty Sutra'' ('Mahācattārīsaka Sutta')[4], which appears in the Pāli Canon, the Buddha explains that cultivation of the Eightfold Path leads to the development of two further stages once enlightenment has been reached. These also fall under the category of 'paññā' and are ''Right Knowledge'' ('') and ''Right Liberation'' (or ''Right Release''; 'sammāvimutti'). Some consider ''Right Association'' as an implicit ninth aspect of the Path.
To further the foregoing, Bucknell & Martin (1986: p.6) state:
From the standpoint of modern cognitive psychology, the Noble Eightfold Path can be seen as rooted in what is called cognitive dissonance, which is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions. In the essay "Buddhism Meets Western Science", Gay Watson explains this dissonance as it relates to Buddhist teaching:
The Noble Eightfold Path is, from this psychological viewpoint, an attempt to resolve this dissonance by changing patterns of thought and behavior. It is for this reason that the first element of the path is right understanding (''), which is how one's mind views the world. Under the wisdom (''paññā'') subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path, this worldview is intimately connected with the second element, right thought (''), which concerns the patterns of thought and intention that controls one's actions. These elements can be seen at work, for example, in the opening verses of the ''Dhammapada'':
:Preceded by perception are mental states,
:For them is perception supreme,
:From perception have they sprung.
:If, with perception polluted, one speaks or acts,
:Thence suffering follows
:As a wheel the draught ox's foot.
:Preceded by perception are mental states,
:For them is perception supreme,
:From perception have they sprung.
:If, with tranquil perception, one speaks or acts,
:Thence ease follows
:As a shadow that never departs.[24]
Thus, by altering one's distorted worldview, bringing out "tranquil perception" in the place of "perception polluted", one is able to ease suffering. Watson points this out from a psychological standpoint:
★ Four Noble Truths
★ Four Right Exertions
★ Five Precepts
★ 37 Enlightenment Factors
1. In the Pali canon, these three basic categories (Pali: ''khandha'') are identified by the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna in the "Culavedalla Sutta" (MN 44)[1] although in this sutta the categories are ordered: ''sīla'', ''samādhi'' and ''paññā''. These three basic categories are also similar to those articulated by the Buddha in his Threefold Training, as recorded in the Anguttara Nikaya's ''Sikkha Sutta'' (AN 3:88[2] and AN 3:89[3]).
2. Rahula 42
3. Rewata Dhamma 45
4. Kohn 63
5. This passage can be found in DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). In Pali, this is: "" (SLTP, n.d., sutta "1. 1. 8").
6. DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). In Pali, this is: "" (SLTP, n.d., sutta "1. 1. 8").
7. These words are ascribed to the Buddha and are delivered to a layperson in AN 10.176 (Thanissaro, 1997b) and are descriptive of the behavior of monks in DN 2 (Thanissaro, 1997e) and DN 11 (Thanissaro, 1997c).
★ Bhikkhu Bodhi. ''The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering''. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
★ Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4
★ Carter, John Ross and Palihawadana, Mahinda; tr. ''Buddhism: The Dhammapada''. New York: History Book Club, 1992.
★ Harderwijk, Rudy. ''A View on Buddhism: Mind and Mental Factors''. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
★ Kohn, Michael H.; tr. ''The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen''. Boston: Shambhala, 1991.
★ Rahula, Walpola. ''What the Buddha Taught''. New York: Grove Press, 1974. ISBN.
★ Niimi, J. ''Buddhism and Cognitive Science''. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
★ Rewata Dhamma. ''The First Discourse of the Buddha''. Somerville, Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-86171-104-1.
★ Snelling, John. ''The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History''. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1991. ISBN.
★ Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka Series (SLTP) (n.d.). ''Avijjāvaggo'' (SN 44 [Sinhalese ed.], ch. 1, in Pali). Retrieved on 16 July 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at: http://mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/3Samyutta-Nikaya/Samyutta5/44-Magga-Samyutta/01-Avijjavaggo-p.html.
★ Thanissaro Bhikkhu; tr. ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path'' (SN 45.8), 1996. Retrieved 25 June 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html.
★ —. ''Abhaya Sutta: To Prince Abhaya (On Right Speech)'' (MN 58); 1997a. Retrieved 20 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.058.than.html.
★ —. ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta: To Cunda the Silversmith'' (AN 10.176); 1997b. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.176.than.html.
★ —. ''Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta: To Kevatta'' (DN 11); 1997c. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html.
★ —. '' Maha-cattarisaka Sutta: The Great Forty '' (MN 117); 1997d. Retrieved 2 October 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html.
★ —. '': The Fruits of the Contemplative Life'' (DN 2); 1997e. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html.
★ —. ''Canki Sutta: With Canki (excerpt)'' (MN 95); 1999. Retrieved 20 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.095x.than.html.
★ —. ''Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference'' (DN 22); 2000. Retrieved 18 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html.
★ —. ''Vanijja Sutta: Business (Wrong Livelihood)'' (AN 5.177); 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.177.than.html.
★ —. ''Saccavibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Truths'' (MN 141); 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html.
★ Watson, Gay. ''Buddhism Meets Western Science''. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
★ Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone'' (MN 61). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.061.than.html. In this sutta, the Buddha instructs his son about skillful mental, verbal and bodily actions.
The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path
The 'Noble Eightfold Path' (Pāli: ''Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo''; Sanskrit: ''Ārya 'ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ''; Chinese: 八正道, ''Bāzhèngdào''; Japanese: 八正道, 'Hasshōdō', Thai: อริยมรรคแปด, ''Ariya Mugg Paad'', Mongolian ''qutu''ɣ''tan-u naiman gesigün-ü mör'') is, in the teachings of the Buddha, declared to be the way that leads to the end of ''dukkha'', or suffering. Essentially a practical guide of bringing about ethical and meditative discipline, the Noble Eightfold Path forms the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths, which have informed and driven much of the Buddhist tradition.
As the name indicates, there are eight elements in the Noble Eightfold Path, and these are divided into three basic categories[1] as follows:
★ Wisdom (Sanskrit: ''prajñā'', Pāli: ''paññā'')
:'1.' Right view
:'2.' Right intention
★ Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: ''śīla'', Pāli: ''sīla'')
:'3.' Right speech
:'4.' Right action
:'5.' Right livelihood
★ Mental discipline (Sanskrit and Pāli: ''samādhi'')
:'6.' Right effort
:'7.' Right mindfulness
:'8.' Right concentration
In all of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, the word "right" is a translation of the word ''samyañc'' (Sanskrit) or ''sammā'' (Pāli), which denotes completion, togetherness, and coherence, and which can also carry the sense of "perfect" or "ideal".
Though the path is numbered one through eight, it is generally not considered to be a series of linear steps through which one must progress; rather, as the Buddhist monk and scholar Walpola Rahula points out, the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path "are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others"[2].
In Buddhist symbolism, the Noble Eightfold Path is often represented by means of the Dharma wheel (Sanskrit: ''dharmacakra'', Pāli: ''dhammacakka''), whose eight spokes represent the eight elements of the path.
Wisdom (''Prajñā'' · ''Paññā'')
The "wisdom" subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those elements that refer primarily to the mental or cognitive aspect of a Buddhist practitioner's practice.
Right view
Right view ('' · '') can also be translated as "right perspective" or "right understanding". This element of the Noble Eightfold Path refers explicitly to the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, stating that these must be fully understood by the Buddhist practitioner. In the ''Mahāsatipahāna Sutta'', one of the Buddha Śākyamuni's discourses, right understanding is explained directly in terms of the Four Noble Truths:
And what, O bhikkhus, is right understanding? To understand suffering, to understand the origination of suffering, to understand extinction of suffering, to understand the path leading to the extinction of suffering; this is called right understanding[3].
Additionally, right understanding is sometimes considered to encompass an understanding of the Buddhist idea of the non-permanence, or even non-existence, of the self, an idea known as ''anātman'' in Sanskrit and ''anatta'' in Pāli[4].
There are two stages for every stage of the eightfold path, a preliminary stage and the higher stages gradually obtained through the journey towards enlightenment. The preliminary stage of Right Views or right understanding is the knowledge of the Four Noble Truths. The higher stage requires a greater comprehension of the Four Noble Truths, which includes the knowledge and understanding of the not-self doctrine, impermanence, dependent origination, the five aggregates, "karma", rebirth, and so on.
Right intention
Right intention('') can also be translated as "right thought", "right resolve", or "right aspiration" or "the exertion of our own will to change". This element of the Noble Eightfold Path deals, fundamentally, with the Buddhist practitioner's reasons for practicing Buddhism within an environment. It enjoins renunciation of worldly things and an accordant greater commitment to spiritual matters; good will; and a commitment to non-violence, or '''', towards other living beings. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', it is simply explained as follows:
And what is right thought? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This is called right thought.[5]
Ethical conduct (''Śīla'' · ''Sīla'')
The "ethical conduct" (Śīla) subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is considered the cornerstone or foundation upon which unwholesome thoughts and practices end and higher meditative states begin.
In AN 11.2 Cetana Sutta (An Act of Will) Buddha states it is virtue (without clinging to virtue) which gives freedom from remorse, which leads to joy, serenity and subsequent rapturous states of meditation.
:It is in the nature of things that freedom from remorse arises in a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue.
In Buddhism, this is also one of the Ten Recollections along with the Triple Gem.
:"There is the case where the disciple of the noble ones recollects his own virtues, thus: '[They are] untorn, unbroken, unspotted, unsplattered, liberating, praised by the wise, untarnished, 'conducive to concentration'.'
This aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is the most outward-oriented aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path insofar as it deals directly with a Buddhist practitioner's relationship with other members of his or her society.
Right speech
Right speech (''samyag-vāc' · 'sammā-vācā''), as the name implies, deals with the way in which a Buddhist practitioner would best make use of his or her words. In the Pali Canon, this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech[6].
Other discourses in the Canon elaborate:
:"Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech. He speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world....
:"Abandoning divisive speech he abstains from divisive speech. What he has heard here he does not tell there to break those people apart from these people here. What he has heard there he does not tell here to break these people apart from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord....
:"Abandoning abusive speech, he abstains from abusive speech. He speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large....
:"Abandoning idle chatter, he abstains from idle chatter. He speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal, the Dhamma, and the Vinaya. He speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal...."[7]
Regarding telling the truth about mundane knowledge, the ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta'' (AN 10.176) ascribes to the Buddha the following elaboration:
:"There is the case where a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When he has been called to a town meeting, a group meeting, a gathering of his relatives, his guild, or of the royalty, if he is asked as a witness, 'Come & tell, good man, what you know': If he doesn't know, he says, 'I don't know.' If he does know, he says, 'I know.' If he hasn't seen, he says, 'I haven't seen.' If he has seen, he says, 'I have seen.' Thus he doesn't consciously tell a lie for his own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, he abstains from false speech."[8]
Regarding telling the truth about spiritual knowledge, the ''Canki Sutta'' (MN 95) ascribes to the Buddha the following cautionary statements:
:"If a person has conviction, his statement, 'This is my conviction,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.'...
:"If a person likes something... holds an unbroken tradition... has something reasoned through analogy... has something he agrees to, having pondered views, his statement, 'This is what I agree to, having pondered views,' safeguards the truth. But he doesn't yet come to the definite conclusion that 'Only this is true; anything else is worthless.'..."[9]
Walpola Rahula glosses this path factor by stating that not engaging in such "forms of wrong and harmful speech" ultimately means that "one naturally has to speak the truth, has to use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful and useful"[10].
Right action
Right action (''samyak-karmānta' · 'sammā-kammanta'') can also be translated as "right conduct" and, as the name implies, deals with the proper way in which a Buddhist practitioner would act in his or her daily life. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
And what is right action? Abstaining from taking life, from stealing, & from illicit sex. This is called right action.[11]
The ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta'' (AN 10.176) expands:
:"And how is one made pure in three ways by bodily action?
:"There is the case where a certain person, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from the taking of life. He dwells with his rod laid down, his knife laid down, scrupulous, merciful, compassionate for the welfare of all living beings.
:"Abandoning the taking of what is not given, he abstains from taking what is not given. He does not take, in the manner of a thief, things in a village or a wilderness that belong to others and have not been given by them.
:"Abandoning sensual misconduct, he abstains from sensual misconduct. He does not get sexually involved with those who are protected by their mothers, their fathers, their brothers, their sisters, their relatives, or their Dhamma; those with husbands, those who entail punishments, or even those crowned with flowers by another man."[12]
Together with the idea of '' and right speech, right action constitutes the Five Precepts (Sanskrit: ''pañcaśīla'', Pāli: ''pañcasīla''), which form the fundamental ethical code undertaken by lay followers of Buddhism, and which are as follows:
:1. To refrain from destroying living beings.
:2. To refrain from stealing.
:3. To refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).
:4. To refrain from false speech (lying).
:5. To refrain from intoxicants, which lead to heedlessness.
Right livelihood
Right livelihood (''samyag-ājīva' · 'sammā-ājīva'') is based around the concept of '', or harmlessness, and essentially states that Buddhist practitioners ought not to engage in trades or occupations which, either directly or indirectly, result in harm to other living beings or systems. Such occupations include "trading in arms and lethal weapons, intoxicating drinks, poisons, killing animals, [and] cheating", among others[10]. "[B]usiness in human beings"—such as slave trading and prostitution—is also forbidden[14], as are several other dishonest means of gaining wealth, such as "[s]cheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, [and] pursuing gain with gain"[15].
Mental discipline (''Samādhi'')
The "mental discipline" subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those elements that deal with how a Buddhist practitioner can best go about shaping his or her outlook towards the world.
Right effort
Right effort (''samyag-vyāyāma' · 'sammā-vāyāma'') can also be translated as "right endeavor", and involves the Buddhist practitioner's continuous effort to, essentially, keep his or her mind free of thoughts that might impair his or her ability to realize or put into practice the other elements of the Noble Eightfold Path; for example, wishing ill towards another living being would contradict the injunction—contained in the "Right thought" element—to have good will towards others, and the "Right effort" element refers to the process of attempting to root out such an ill wish and replace it with a good wish.
And what, monks, is right effort?
:[i] "There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen.
:[ii] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen.
:[iii] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen.
:[iv] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This, monks, is called right effort."
— SN 45.8[16]
By making right effort, a Buddhist practitioner is considered to be engaging in an effort that is wholesome in terms of ''karma''; that is, in terms of that effort's ultimate consequences to the practitioner[4].
The four phases of Right Effort:(in simple English)
(1) make effort to prevent the unwholesome that has not yet come.
(2) make effort to destroy the unwholesome that has come.
(3) make effort to produce the wholesome that has not yet come.
(4) make effort to cultivate the wholesome that has come.
Right mindfulness
Right mindfulness (''' · 'sammā-sati''), also translated as "right memory", together with right concentration, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation. Roughly speaking, "mindfulness" refers to the practice of keeping the mind alert to phenomena as they are affecting the body and mind. In the ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta'', this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:
And what, monks, is right mindfulness?
:(i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on (his/her) ''body'' in and of itself ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.
:(ii) (He/she) remains focused on ''feelings'' in and of themselves ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.
:(iii) (He/she) remains focused on ''the mind''[18] in and of itself ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.
:(iv) (He/she) remains focused on ''mental qualities'' in and of themselves ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.
This, monks, is called right mindfulness[19].
This is also an important aspect of what constitutes the concept of "self" or Buddhist concept of Atman:
:"And how, Ananda, is a bhikkhu an island unto himself, a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge; with the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge?
: "When he dwells contemplating the body in the body, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world; when he dwells contemplating feelings in feelings, the mind in the mind, and mental objects in mental objects, earnestly, clearly comprehending, and mindfully, after having overcome desire and sorrow in regard to the world, then, truly, he is an island unto himself, a refuge unto himself, seeking no external refuge; having the Dhamma as his island, the Dhamma as his refuge, seeking no other refuge.(DN 16 Maha-parinibbana Sutta)
Bhikkhu Bodhi, a monk of the Theravadin tradition, further glosses the concept of mindfulness as follows:
The mind is deliberately kept at the level of ''bare attention'', a detached observation of what is happening within us and around us in the present moment. In the practice of right mindfulness the mind is trained to remain in the present, open, quiet, and alert, contemplating the present event. All judgments and interpretations have to be suspended, or if they occur, just registered and dropped[20].
Right concentration
Right concentration (''samyak-samādhi' · 'sammā-samādhi''), together with right mindfulness, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation.
And what, monks, is right concentration?
:(i) Quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unwholesome states, a monk enters in the first jhāna: rapture and pleasure born from detachment, accompanied by movement of the mind onto the object and retention of the mind on the object.
:(ii) With the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, (he/she) enters and remains in the second jhāna: rapture and pleasure born of concentration; fixed single-pointed awareness free from movement of the mind onto the object and retention of the mind on the object; assurance.
:(iii) With the fading of rapture, (he/she) remains in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, and physically sensitive of pleasure. (He/She) enters and remains in the third jhāna which the Noble Ones declare to be "Equanimous and mindful, (he/she) has a pleasurable abiding."
:(iv) With the abandoning of pleasure and pain...as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress...(he/she) enters and remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither in pleasure nor in pain.
This, monks, is called right concentration[21].
The ninth and tenth elements
In the ''Great Forty Sutra'' ('Mahācattārīsaka Sutta')[4], which appears in the Pāli Canon, the Buddha explains that cultivation of the Eightfold Path leads to the development of two further stages once enlightenment has been reached. These also fall under the category of 'paññā' and are ''Right Knowledge'' ('') and ''Right Liberation'' (or ''Right Release''; 'sammāvimutti'). Some consider ''Right Association'' as an implicit ninth aspect of the Path.
To further the foregoing, Bucknell & Martin (1986: p.6) state:
The Eightfold Path as described gives an impression of orderliness and completeness. However, closer study of the texts indicates that it is not after all a complete account of Gotama's course of practice. A number of ''suttas'' describe a Tenfold Path.[22] This differs from the Eightfold Path in having two further stages following right concentration, namely right insight or knowledge or wisdom ('') and right liberation (''sammā vimutti''). These two extra stages are nowhere described, nor is any explanation given for their frequent omission. The tenth state, right liberation, is presumably to be equated with the final goal, ''. However, the ninth stage, right insight, which appears from its position in the list to be of crucial importance, remains unaccounted for.
The Noble Eightfold Path and cognitive psychology
From the standpoint of modern cognitive psychology, the Noble Eightfold Path can be seen as rooted in what is called cognitive dissonance, which is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions. In the essay "Buddhism Meets Western Science", Gay Watson explains this dissonance as it relates to Buddhist teaching:
Buddhism has always been concerned with feelings, emotions, sensations, and cognition. The Buddha points both to cognitive and emotional causes of suffering. The emotional cause is desire and its negative opposite, aversion. The cognitive cause is ignorance of the way things truly occur, or of three marks of existence: that all things are unsatisfactory, impermanent, and without essential self.[23]
The Noble Eightfold Path is, from this psychological viewpoint, an attempt to resolve this dissonance by changing patterns of thought and behavior. It is for this reason that the first element of the path is right understanding (''), which is how one's mind views the world. Under the wisdom (''paññā'') subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path, this worldview is intimately connected with the second element, right thought (''), which concerns the patterns of thought and intention that controls one's actions. These elements can be seen at work, for example, in the opening verses of the ''Dhammapada'':
:Preceded by perception are mental states,
:For them is perception supreme,
:From perception have they sprung.
:If, with perception polluted, one speaks or acts,
:Thence suffering follows
:As a wheel the draught ox's foot.
:Preceded by perception are mental states,
:For them is perception supreme,
:From perception have they sprung.
:If, with tranquil perception, one speaks or acts,
:Thence ease follows
:As a shadow that never departs.[24]
Thus, by altering one's distorted worldview, bringing out "tranquil perception" in the place of "perception polluted", one is able to ease suffering. Watson points this out from a psychological standpoint:
Research has shown that repeated action, learning, and memory can actually change the nervous system physically, altering both synaptic strength and connections. Such changes may be brought about by cultivated change in emotion and action; they will, in turn, change subsequent experience.[23]
See also
★ Four Noble Truths
★ Four Right Exertions
★ Five Precepts
★ 37 Enlightenment Factors
Notes
1. In the Pali canon, these three basic categories (Pali: ''khandha'') are identified by the Bhikkhuni Dhammadinna in the "Culavedalla Sutta" (MN 44)[1] although in this sutta the categories are ordered: ''sīla'', ''samādhi'' and ''paññā''. These three basic categories are also similar to those articulated by the Buddha in his Threefold Training, as recorded in the Anguttara Nikaya's ''Sikkha Sutta'' (AN 3:88[2] and AN 3:89[3]).
2. Rahula 42
3. Rewata Dhamma 45
4. Kohn 63
5. This passage can be found in DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). In Pali, this is: "" (SLTP, n.d., sutta "1. 1. 8").
6. DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). In Pali, this is: "" (SLTP, n.d., sutta "1. 1. 8").
7. These words are ascribed to the Buddha and are delivered to a layperson in AN 10.176 (Thanissaro, 1997b) and are descriptive of the behavior of monks in DN 2 (Thanissaro, 1997e) and DN 11 (Thanissaro, 1997c).
In addition, in the Pali Canon, while the Buddha states that laypersons and monastics should "speak words ... pleasing to people at large," in the ''Abhaya Sutta'' (MN 58) he states that he himself will at times speak words that are "factual, true, beneficial, but unendearing & disagreeable to others, [because] he [the Buddha] has a sense of the proper time for saying them.... Why is that? Because the Tathagata has sympathy for living beings" (Thanissaro, 1997a).
8. AN 10.176 (Thanissaro, 1997b).
9. MN 95 (Thanissaro, 1999).
10. Rahula 47
11. DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000); see also, MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). Note that, as indicated below, in the Pali Canon, the clause "abstaining from ... illicit sex" generally refers to abstaining from adulterous-like behaviors (and possibly statutory rape) for laypersons, and to celibacy for monks.
12. AN 10.176 (Thanissaro, 1997b) (a single paragraph was here separated into four paragraphs for ease of readability). This discourse is delivered to a householder. The first two subfactors (not killing, not stealing) can be found in descriptions of the right actions of monks; the third subfactor for monks though is simply: ""Abandoning uncelibacy, he lives a celibate life, aloof, refraining from the sexual act that is the villager's way" (DN 2 [Thanissaro, 1997e]; DN 11 [Thanissaro, 1997c]).
13. Rahula 47
14. Thanissaro 2001
15. MN 117 (Thanissaro, 1997d). In addition, for an example where the Buddha instructs a householder on the proper way to gain and protect material wealth, see the Dighajanu Sutta.
16. DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996). Note that in this discourse, the Buddha answers the question of "What is right effort?" (Pali: ''Katamo ... sammāvāyāmo?'') with an explanation about four types of "exertion" (''padahati''). (For the Pali version of this discourse, "," see SLTP, n.d., sutta "1. 1. 8" [which the Sinhalese version of the Tipitaka identifies as SN 44.8 and which the PTS/Burmese editions — upon which Thanissaro draws his translations — identifies as SN 45.8].) For more information, see Four Right Exertions.
17. Kohn 63
18. By the term "mind" is meant the "non-physical phenomenon which perceives, thinks, recognises, experiences and reacts to the environment", as per A View on Buddhism, while "mental qualities" refers to such things as intention, concentration, regret, ignorance, etc. Thus, roughly speaking, the mind is the perceiving/conceiving entity, while mental qualities are the perceptions/conceptions.
19. DN 22 (Thanissaro, 2000), MN 141 (Thanissaro, 2005) and SN 45.8 (Thanissaro, 1996).
20. Bodhi 1998
21. ''Ibid.''
22. : Dīgha ii 217, iii 271, etc (References are to volume and page numbers in the Pali Text Society's edition of ; D = Dīgha, M = Majjhima, S = , A = Añguttara. Quoted translations from the Pali are, unless otherwise stated, from the Pali Text Society's English versions.) For an analysis of the Tenfold Path and other important variations on the Eightfold Path (including the 'footprints of a Buddha'...) see Bucknell, 'The Buddhist Path to Liberation'.
23. Watson 2001
24. Carter & Palihawadana 13
25. Watson 2001
References
★ Bhikkhu Bodhi. ''The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering''. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
★ Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. ISBN 0-312-82540-4
★ Carter, John Ross and Palihawadana, Mahinda; tr. ''Buddhism: The Dhammapada''. New York: History Book Club, 1992.
★ Harderwijk, Rudy. ''A View on Buddhism: Mind and Mental Factors''. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
★ Kohn, Michael H.; tr. ''The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen''. Boston: Shambhala, 1991.
★ Rahula, Walpola. ''What the Buddha Taught''. New York: Grove Press, 1974. ISBN.
★ Niimi, J. ''Buddhism and Cognitive Science''. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
★ Rewata Dhamma. ''The First Discourse of the Buddha''. Somerville, Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-86171-104-1.
★ Snelling, John. ''The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History''. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1991. ISBN.
★ Sri Lanka Buddha Jayanti Tipitaka Series (SLTP) (n.d.). ''Avijjāvaggo'' (SN 44 [Sinhalese ed.], ch. 1, in Pali). Retrieved on 16 July 2007 from "Mettanet - Lanka" at: http://mettanet.org/tipitaka/2Sutta-Pitaka/3Samyutta-Nikaya/Samyutta5/44-Magga-Samyutta/01-Avijjavaggo-p.html.
★ Thanissaro Bhikkhu; tr. ''Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path'' (SN 45.8), 1996. Retrieved 25 June 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html.
★ —. ''Abhaya Sutta: To Prince Abhaya (On Right Speech)'' (MN 58); 1997a. Retrieved 20 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.058.than.html.
★ —. ''Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta: To Cunda the Silversmith'' (AN 10.176); 1997b. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an10/an10.176.than.html.
★ —. ''Kevatta (Kevaddha) Sutta: To Kevatta'' (DN 11); 1997c. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.11.0.than.html.
★ —. '' Maha-cattarisaka Sutta: The Great Forty '' (MN 117); 1997d. Retrieved 2 October 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.117.than.html.
★ —. '': The Fruits of the Contemplative Life'' (DN 2); 1997e. Retrieved 19 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html.
★ —. ''Canki Sutta: With Canki (excerpt)'' (MN 95); 1999. Retrieved 20 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.095x.than.html.
★ —. ''Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference'' (DN 22); 2000. Retrieved 18 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.than.html.
★ —. ''Vanijja Sutta: Business (Wrong Livelihood)'' (AN 5.177); 2001. Retrieved 2 October 2006 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.177.than.html.
★ —. ''Saccavibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Truths'' (MN 141); 2005. Retrieved 18 July 2007 from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.141.than.html.
★ Watson, Gay. ''Buddhism Meets Western Science''. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
External links
★ Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2006). ''Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone'' (MN 61). Retrieved from "Access to Insight" at http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.061.than.html. In this sutta, the Buddha instructs his son about skillful mental, verbal and bodily actions.
★ The Noble Eightfold Path in Advayavada Buddhism: http://www.religiousfervor.com/category/buddhism/eightfold-path/
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