Hannah Tamucci
Ms. Register
Honors World Literature
12 November 2012
Following the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Four Noble Truths in the Buddhist religion. Developed by Buddha himself, the Path describes eight factors that will lead to the ultimate goal of Buddhism, Nirvana. Nirvana describes the end of suffering and ultimate peace. Siddhartha Gautama advocated Buddha’s teachings, and encouraged Buddhist followers to achieve Nirvana by freeing themselves from attachments and tangible desires. The Path advises its followers to abstain from the extremes of sensual aspiration and work towards self-purification. By following the Eightfold Path, individuals will have an understanding of the truths of life, and live completely detached from worldly desires and distractions.
The Path is a process to help individuals remove or move beyond the distractions of the world. In a sense, the path serves as an aid to unlearn the conditioned responses people have that distort the truth in nature (Allan). By dividing the eight steps of the Path into three groups, individuals can easily understand and maneuver through the road map toward Nirvana. The first two steps of the Path belong to the group Wisdom. Step one describes Right Understanding, which is the viewing of objects or instances in life as they really are. This step also includes the understanding of Karma, in which a person learns to avoid evil and perform moral deeds and tasks. Upon completing Right Understanding, an individual abstains from ignorance and removes all signs of evil from the mind (Narada). Right Intention succeeds Right Understanding, and it refers to the commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. By eliminating wicked or dishonest ideas from the mind, one can promote a healthy outlook on life and move towards Nirvana. Within Right Intention, Buddha describes additional three aspects, which include: resisting the pull of worldly desires, the intention of compassion, and abstaining of anger or aggression (Knierim). Right Understanding and Right Intention lead to moral conduct and a pure mind.
After Wisdom comes Morality, and Morality consists of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. Beginning with Right Speech, Buddha describes this step as abstaining from false speech, slander, and offensive language (Knierim). It involves the respect for wholesome thought and truth, as well as the concern for the welfare of others. In layman’s terms, individuals should avoid lying, backstabbing, and insult. Words are powerful, and can start war or create peace. The followers of the Eightfold Path speak truthfully with the intention to bring harmony rather than cause destruction (Narada). As the Buddha once said, “Pleasant speech is sweet as honey, truthful speech is beautiful like a flower, and wrong speech is unwholesome like filth.”
Right Action follows Right Speech and requires the respect for life, property, and personal relationships (Narada). Unwholesome actions lead to unstable states of mind, so the Path encourages restraint from delinquent action, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The final factor under Morality describes Right Livelihood. According to the Eightfold Path, one should earn his or her wealth legally and peacefully (Knierim). Buddhists discourage dealing in weapons, dealing in living beings, working in meat production or butchery, and selling intoxicants or poisons (Bodhi). These actions not only bring suffering to other beings, but also the performer of the action. A life full of wrongful acts and decisions does not correlate with Buddha’s teaching.
The final three steps of the Eightfold Path fall under the group of Mental Development. Step six describes Right Effort, defined as the direction of positive energy towards anything and everything individuals do in life (Allan). The four endeavors of Right Effort include rejecting already present evil, preventing evil that could possibly arise, encourage wholesome states of mind, and maintain those wholesome states of mind (Narada). By executing Right Effort, individuals establish wholesome thought foundations. Step seven, Right Mindfulness, closely associates with Right Effort. Buddha describes this as having the mental ability to see scenarios in life in their truth, without clouded or blurry vision. Buddha also said Right Mindfulness achieves the end of suffering (Knierim). The final step of the Eightfold Path belongs to Right Concentration, where the mind is completely absorbed without distraction or bias. Right Concentration brings two benefits of mental and physical well-being and the ability to obtain wisdom (Narada).
Completing the Eightfold Path takes time and complete commitment with the mind and body. Upon completion, harmony and the liberation from miseries develop from Nirvana. Buddha diagnosed the human mind as diseased with material desire and greed. The cure to this disease, Nirvana, can only be achieved through complete detachment from worldly desires. The prescription from Buddha to the afflicted population consists of determination, commitment, and the Eightfold Path. With these three components, one can end suffering, achieve Nirvana, and live in harmony with the world.
Ms. Register
Honors World Literature
12 November 2012
Following the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Four Noble Truths in the Buddhist religion. Developed by Buddha himself, the Path describes eight factors that will lead to the ultimate goal of Buddhism, Nirvana. Nirvana describes the end of suffering and ultimate peace. Siddhartha Gautama advocated Buddha’s teachings, and encouraged Buddhist followers to achieve Nirvana by freeing themselves from attachments and tangible desires. The Path advises its followers to abstain from the extremes of sensual aspiration and work towards self-purification. By following the Eightfold Path, individuals will have an understanding of the truths of life, and live completely detached from worldly desires and distractions.
The Path is a process to help individuals remove or move beyond the distractions of the world. In a sense, the path serves as an aid to unlearn the conditioned responses people have that distort the truth in nature (Allan). By dividing the eight steps of the Path into three groups, individuals can easily understand and maneuver through the road map toward Nirvana. The first two steps of the Path belong to the group Wisdom. Step one describes Right Understanding, which is the viewing of objects or instances in life as they really are. This step also includes the understanding of Karma, in which a person learns to avoid evil and perform moral deeds and tasks. Upon completing Right Understanding, an individual abstains from ignorance and removes all signs of evil from the mind (Narada). Right Intention succeeds Right Understanding, and it refers to the commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. By eliminating wicked or dishonest ideas from the mind, one can promote a healthy outlook on life and move towards Nirvana. Within Right Intention, Buddha describes additional three aspects, which include: resisting the pull of worldly desires, the intention of compassion, and abstaining of anger or aggression (Knierim). Right Understanding and Right Intention lead to moral conduct and a pure mind.
After Wisdom comes Morality, and Morality consists of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. Beginning with Right Speech, Buddha describes this step as abstaining from false speech, slander, and offensive language (Knierim). It involves the respect for wholesome thought and truth, as well as the concern for the welfare of others. In layman’s terms, individuals should avoid lying, backstabbing, and insult. Words are powerful, and can start war or create peace. The followers of the Eightfold Path speak truthfully with the intention to bring harmony rather than cause destruction (Narada). As the Buddha once said, “Pleasant speech is sweet as honey, truthful speech is beautiful like a flower, and wrong speech is unwholesome like filth.”
Right Action follows Right Speech and requires the respect for life, property, and personal relationships (Narada). Unwholesome actions lead to unstable states of mind, so the Path encourages restraint from delinquent action, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The final factor under Morality describes Right Livelihood. According to the Eightfold Path, one should earn his or her wealth legally and peacefully (Knierim). Buddhists discourage dealing in weapons, dealing in living beings, working in meat production or butchery, and selling intoxicants or poisons (Bodhi). These actions not only bring suffering to other beings, but also the performer of the action. A life full of wrongful acts and decisions does not correlate with Buddha’s teaching.
The final three steps of the Eightfold Path fall under the group of Mental Development. Step six describes Right Effort, defined as the direction of positive energy towards anything and everything individuals do in life (Allan). The four endeavors of Right Effort include rejecting already present evil, preventing evil that could possibly arise, encourage wholesome states of mind, and maintain those wholesome states of mind (Narada). By executing Right Effort, individuals establish wholesome thought foundations. Step seven, Right Mindfulness, closely associates with Right Effort. Buddha describes this as having the mental ability to see scenarios in life in their truth, without clouded or blurry vision. Buddha also said Right Mindfulness achieves the end of suffering (Knierim). The final step of the Eightfold Path belongs to Right Concentration, where the mind is completely absorbed without distraction or bias. Right Concentration brings two benefits of mental and physical well-being and the ability to obtain wisdom (Narada).
Completing the Eightfold Path takes time and complete commitment with the mind and body. Upon completion, harmony and the liberation from miseries develop from Nirvana. Buddha diagnosed the human mind as diseased with material desire and greed. The cure to this disease, Nirvana, can only be achieved through complete detachment from worldly desires. The prescription from Buddha to the afflicted population consists of determination, commitment, and the Eightfold Path. With these three components, one can end suffering, achieve Nirvana, and live in harmony with the world.