An important point when discussing this path is to
realize that the use of the word "right" is not intended in the sense of
"the only way". The meaning of right is in the sense of "straight" or
"upright", not bent or crooked. Hence, Right Mindfulness, for example, will mean
there are ways of being mindful that are right, straight and beneficial. Wrong mindfulness
means that there are ways to practice that are wrong, crooked and unbeneficial. Right and
wrong are not moral judgements nor standards imposed from without. Through our own
awareness, we come to what is beneficial ("right") and what is unbeneficial
("wrong").
The Eightfold Path is the eight requirements to eliminate suffering by correcting
what is unbeneficial.
1. Right View - Understanding, distinguishing
between what is wholesome from that which is unwholesome - unwholesome is that which is
not conducive to liberation of the Path. The practice of mindfulness helps us to
identify all the positive and negative in our store consciousness. "To practice is to
go beyond ideas, so you can arrive at the suchness of things. 'No idea' is the path of
non-conception. As long as there is an idea, there is no reality, no truth. 'No idea'
means no wrong idea, no wrong conception. It does not mean no mindfulness. Because of
mindfulness when something is right, we know it's right, and when something is wrong, we
know it's wrong." (1)
2. Right Thought - "Thinking is the speech of our
mind" (p. 59). Thinking often leads to action therefore it is the foundation for
Right Action. This is thinking that is in accord with Right View. It is the map that can
help us to find our way, but when arriving where we want to be we need to put down the map
and fully engage in our reality. "Think non-thinking", is a well-known Zen
statement. When you practice Right View and Right Thinking, you are deeply in the present
moment. This enables one to experience the seeds of joy, peace, liberation, healing
and transforming suffering.
3. Right Mindfulness - This is the energy that brings us back
to the present moment. Right Mindfulness accepts everything without judging or reacting.
It is inclusive and loving. The practice is to find ways to sustain attention which is
appropriate throughout the day. It is remembering to come back to the present moment. The
following poem by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Breathe! You Are Alive, can be very
helpful during breathing or walking meditation:
"In out
Deep, slow
Calm, ease
Smile, release
Present moment, wonderful moment."
4. Right Speech - Knowing that words can create happiness
or suffering, one determines to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence,
joy and hope. Deep listening is the foundation of Right Speech. In the Lotus Sutra
we are advised to look and listen with the eyes of compassion. Compassionate
listening is essential in order to heal the people we love and to restore communication
with them. Restoring communication is an urgent task.
5. Right Action - means Right Action of the body. "It is
the practice of touching love and preventing harm, the practice of non-violence toward
ourselves and others" (p. 94). The basis of Right Action is to do everything in
mindfulness. This extends to being mindful also of what we eat, drink and consume.
6. Right Effort - This is the kind of energy that helps us to
realize the Eightfold Path. The four practices usually associated with right effort are:
- preventing unwholesome seeds in our store consciousness that have not yet arisen from arising.
- helping the unwholesome seeds which have already arisen to return to our store consciousness
- finding ways to enhance the wholesome seeds in our store consciousness that have not yet arisen
- nourishing the wholesome seeds that have already arisen so that they stay present in our conscious mind and become stronger.
7. Right Concentration - This entails cultivating a mind that is
one-pointed. We do not use concentration to avoid our suffering. We concentrate to make
ourselves deeply present. Living deeply in each moment, sustained concentration comes
naturally, and that, in turn, give rise to insight. Right concentration leads to
happiness and Right Action. "Live every moment of your life deeply, and while
walking, eating, drinking, and looking at the morning star, you touch the ultimate
dimension." (p. 112).
8. Right Livelihood - To practice Right Livelihood, you have to find
ways to earn your living that do not compromise your ideals of love and compassion.
The way that you support yourself can be an expression of your deepest self or true
essence, or it can cause suffering for you and others. Our vocation can nourish our
understanding and compassion, or diminish them. Bringing awareness to every moment we try
to have a vocation that is beneficial to humans, animals, plants and the earth, or at
least one that is minimally harmful. It is more than just how we earn our paycheck. We
cannot succeed in having Right Livelihood one hundred percent, but we can at least strive
to go towards compassion and reducing suffering.
With reference to the Eightfold Path, it is not possible to practice one element without
practicing all seven other elements. "This is the nature of interbeing, and it is
true for all of the teachings offered by the Buddha" (p. 118).
"May all beings have happiness and the cause of happiness.
May they be free from suffering and the cause of suffering.
May they never be dissociated from the supreme happiness without suffering.
May they remain in boundless equanimity free from both attachment to relatives and hatred
of enemies."
1. The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching - Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy and
Liberation, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rider, London 1998, p. 56
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Carol Knox