THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

***Right Understanding

The Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight factors which - if practiced dligently - lead to enlightenment. Although the word 'path' suggests linear progression, in actuality each factor supports and helps develop the others. The first factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Understanding (also translated as Right View). The word 'understanding' is not intended to mean just an intellectual or conceptual comprehension but also understanding that is developed through experience.
So what is it that the Buddha requires us to understand?
The Noble Eightfold Path

First, he asks us to come to an understanding of the Four Noble Truths - suffering, the origin of suffering, the cessation of suffering and the path that leads to cessation of suffering. The Buddha taught that the world is a place of suffering and dissatisfaction and that this is caused by craving.

There is, however, an end to suffering in the ineffable state of Nibbana (Pali) or Nirvana (Sanskrit). This state is to be actualized by following the Noble Eightfold Path.

Kamma or Karma
Secondly, he requires us to understand how wholesome or unwholesome actions have wholesome or unwholesome consequences accordingly. This the law of kamma (Pali) or karma (Sanskrit). Good actions, therefore, lead to happy states whereas bad actions lead to unhappy states.

Unwholesome actions lead to harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, telling tales, harsh language, frivolous talk and thoughts which harbor ill-will, greed and stem from ignorance. Wholesome actions are to abstain from harming living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct lying, telling tales, harsh language, frivolous talk. Wholesome thoughts are those in which ill-will and greed are absent and right understanding is present.(For more on this go to Karma)

***Right Thought

The second factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Thought, sometimes translated as Right Intention. In it the Buddha advises us to rid our minds of three things - lust, ill-will and cruelty. If we don't - and we allow one, both or all of them to invade our minds - then it will only lead to dissatisfaction and suffering. The obverse of this is also true. Absence of these in our thoughts leads to happy states.

Lust
Lust in a traditional sense refers to excessive sexual desire. It implies that the mind is no longer in control and has given in to a primal and potentially destructive instinct. However, the desire for sex is deeply rooted in mankind's consciousness and sexual expression forms part of most intimate relationships. Does this mean therefore that Buddhists don't have sex and are not allowed to express their sexual desire?

The answer is yes and no.

Buddhism can be divided between its monastic (and therefore celibate) community and its lay community. Monks and nuns aim to rid themselves of lustful thoughts, working to turn the mind away from all thoughts of sexual gratification. However, within the lay community, many Buddhists are married and sexual desire is expressed through their relationship with their partner. It is not usually feasible in this context, therefore, for a Buddhist to be celibate. Here Right Thought is about channeling sexual desire in appropriate ways - being faithful to one's partner, for example, in thought and deed.

Ill-will
The Buddha urges us to protect ourselves from thoughts of ill-will. There are two reasons for this. Ill-will can lead to the suffering of others but it also leads to our own suffering. There are very few of us who have not harbored thoughts of ill-will at some time. Often such thoughts stem from a feeling that someone has hurt us or someone we care for, and our knee-jerk reaction is to desire revenge. Ill-will, however, is like a cankerous worm that eats away at one's insides and destroys all peace of mind. To have thoughts of ill-will is to be unhappy.

The only way we can really find happy states of mind is when our mindset is one of loving-kindness, a key quality inherent in the Buddhist tradition. To be permeated with this feeling means that it is impossible to hate - even those who do us harm. Its not surprising that loving-kindness is something that the Buddha frequently urged his followers to develop.

{Go to Loving-Kindness Meditation)

Cruelty
Cruelty can take three forms - mental, verbal and physical. We see on the news and - depending where we live - in real life terrible physical cruelty inflicted upon humans and/or animals. But cruelty can take more subtle forms than imposing physical suffering on others. Sometimes we can be cruel in what we say and sometimes we can have cruel thoughts that - thankfully - are never acted upon. One of the reasons for practicing Buddhism and pondering on the Buddha's teachings is to rid ourselves of cruel thoughts and thereby cruel words and actions. The Buddha's teaching of karma also points to the fact that cruel actions rebound upon those who implement them and that therefore not only brings suffering to others but also suffering to the perpetrator.

Overall, Right Thought it is about purifying the mind and removing all negative emotions from one's consciousness. It is supported, in particular, by three other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. These are Right Understanding. Right Effort and Right Mindfulness.

***Right Speech

The Buddha understood the significance of speech, its power and its potential for good or ill. It is no surprise, therefore, to see it as the third factor of the Noble Eightfold Path. In his teaching on this the Buddha advises us to abstain from four unwholesome activities: lying, telling tales, harsh language and frivolous talk.

Lying
The Buddha instructs us to tell the truth, to avoid deception through speech, to be reliable and trustworthy. We should never lie for the advantage of ourselves or others. Our answers to questions should be plain and simple: called upon and asked as a witness to tell what he knows, he answers if he knows nothing: 'I know nothing', and if he knows, he answers 'I know'.

Telling Tales
Telling tales is an unwholesome activity that breeds discord and distrust.
The Buddha instructs as follows: What he has heard here, he does not repeat there, so as to cause dissension there; and what he has heard there, he does not repeat here, so as to cause dissension here. What we should be interested in is promoting unity and taking delight in the harmony that can be fostered by appropriate speech.
Harsh Language

We should also, according to Buddha's instructions, avoid harsh language. This is abusive and hateful language that is designed to hurt those who it is aimed at. In contrast he urged us to be gentle and polite in our speech, advising us to be friendly and full of sympathy...with heart full of love, and free from any hidden malice.

Frivolous Talk
Finally, the Buddha gives further recognition of the importance of using language in a wholesome and productive way. What we say should be of benefit to ourselves and others: He speaks at the right time, in accordance with facts, speaks what is useful. Speech, says the Buddha, should be like a treasure, uttered at the right moment,...moderate and full of sense.

Like any other wholesome actions Right Speech brings good results such as respect and trust. It is also social cohesive, bringing unity and harmony between people.

***Right Action
The fourth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Action. This consists of abstaining from killing, abstaining from stealing and abstaining from unlawful sexual intercourse.

Abstaining from Killing
Abstaining from killing encompasses human beings, animals and insects. Implicit is a respect for the life of all beings and a desire for their welfare: 'Without stick or sword, conscientious, full of sympathy, he is desirous of the welfare of all living beings'. To kill is to bring suffering to another, but ultimately to bring suffering to oneself too. In one of the early scriptures killing is said to lead to 'acute pain, disaster, bodily injury, or even grievous sickness, or loss of mind' and, on death, rebirth in one of the Buddhist hells.

The Buddha urges us to recognize that life is precious to all: 'comparing others with oneself, one should neither kill not cause to kill'.

Moreover, 'whoever seeking his own happiness, harms with rod pleasure-loving beings gets no happiness hereafter.' In short, there is nothing to be gained from killing.

Abstaining from Stealing
Similarly, stealing leads to the suffering of others and also oneself. Whilst Buddhism sees little value in materialistic acquisition for its own sake, at the same time it urge us to respect the property and possessions of others. Instead of stealing, the Buddha urges us to be liberal with our wealth, to use it for the good of others and to give generously.

Abstaining from Unlawful Sexual Intercourse
Abstaining from unlawful sexual intercourse is described in the scriptures as follows: 'He has no intercourse with such persons as are still under the protection of father, mother, brother, sister or relatives, nor with married women, nor female convicts, nor lastly, with betrothed girls.' Most of these apply in the modern context. Sex with minors, for example, is forbidden, as is sex with those who are engaged or married or already in relationships. Faithfulness and respect for the feelings of others are key features of the Buddhist approach to sexual relationships.

**Right Livelihood

For many of us, earning a living occupies a great deal of our time. How we choose to earn our living has, almost inevitably, ethical implications. It is no surprise therefore to see that Right Livelihood, the fifth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, is given serious consideration by the Buddha.
Right and wrong Livelihood can be broadly divided according to the following criteria. Right livelihood is that which brings true benefit to oneself and/or others. Wrong livelihood is that which is to the detriment of oneself or others. Remember, in Buddhism it is taught that to do harm to others is also to do harm to oneself. According to the law of kamma (Pali) or karma (Sanskrit) hurting others sows the seed for one's own suffering at some future date.

Examples
Obvious examples of what would be regarded as Right Livelihood are easy to find The work of doctors and nurses, teachers, social workers for example. But also think about all people who work in the service industry in one way or another - shop assistants, chefs, refuse collectors and so on. In fact much of the work that goes on in the world is for the service of others.
As for wrong livelihood, anything that is to do with exploitation, deceit, killing and destruction are deemed to be unacceptable on ethical grounds. In the scriptures the Buddha refers to the practice of 'deceit, treachery,, soothsaying, trickery, usury' as wrong livelihood. Elsewhere he refers to five trades that should be avoided: 'trading in arms, in living beings,in flesh, in intoxicating drinks, and in poison'.

For Buddhism, therefore, the international arms trade is a non-starter. So too is the sex trade, selling alcohol, and trades which are involved with the slaughter of animals.

Moral Dilemmas
Of course, where ethical principles are involved, there are inevitable moral dilemmas that each of us as individuals have to deal with. Here are some examples:

Buddhism says that killing other beings is wrong - does this mean that I shouldn't seek to defend my country if it is threatened by a hostile force? Is being a soldier necessarily an example of wrong livelihood?

Buddhism says that it is wrong to kill animals - what if my house is overrun with rats or infested with cockroaches? Is working for the environmental health department eradicating 'vermin' necessarily evil?

Other aspects of the Buddha's teaching are less contentious. You don't have to be a Buddhist to know that deceit and treachery are wrong. Being a con-man is clearly unsound from an ethical perspective. But what about jobs where the distortion of the truth can sometimes be deliberate - in the media and in advertising for example?

Using the Buddha's guidelines, it is ultimately down to us as individuals to assess the nature of our work and how comfortable - in ethical terms - we are with how we earn our living.

***Right Effort

The sixth factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Effort. This consists of four elements: the effort to avoid, the effort to overcome, the effort to develop and the effort to maintain.
The Effort to Avoid

The effort to avoid is to avoid the 'arising of evil'. If unwholesome thoughts should start to enter the mind - thoughts of ill-will, for example - we can turn our attention away from them and not let them intrude. Like someone bent on trouble who knocks at your door, you keep the door shut. The Buddha advises us to keep a close guard on our senses so that thoughts of attraction or aversion do not take hold.

The Effort to Overcome
If unwholesome thoughts have taken hold of the mind, however, we can attempt to overcome them by dispelling them. A useful analogy is ejecting someone from your house bent on doing you harm
'He does not retain any thought of sensual lust, ill-will or grief; or any other unwholesome states that may have arisen; he abandons them , dispels them, destroys them, causes them to disappear'.
Additionally, the Buddha suggested five methods of dealing with unwelcome thoughts. First, think of another object which is wholesome. Secondly, consider that unwholesome thoughts will have bad karmic effects and lead to some form of suffering in the future. Thirdly, try to ignore such thoughts by not dwelling on them. Fourthly, dissect such thoughts, analyzing their origin and what they consist of. Finally, the Buddha suggests that 'with teeth clenched and tongue pressed against the gums, he should with his mind restrain, suppress and root out these thoughts; and in doing so, these evil and unwholesome thoughts of greed, hatred and delusion will dissolve and disappear; and the mind will inwardly become stilled and calm, composed and concentrated'.

The Effort to Develop
The effort to develop wholesome states such as benevolence and kindness is like inviting a welcome friend to your house. More precisely, the Buddha urges his followers to develop 'the Elements of Enlightenment': Mindfulness, Investigation of Truth, Energy, Rapture, Tranquillity, Concentration and Equanimity.

The Effort to MaintainThe effort to maintain is to make these wholesome states habitual to one's mind, like asking the welcome guest to stay permanently. 'He keeps firmly in his mind a favorable object of concentration that has arisen'.

The Buddha refers to these collectively as 'the four great efforts' and states that 'he who firmly clings to them may put an end to suffering'.

***Right Mindfulness

The seventh factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Mindfulness. Encapsulated in this is the Buddha's teaching on The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, which is outlined in the Satipatthana Sutta. According to the text, mindfulness is 'the direct path to the attainment of purity, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the end of pain and grief...for the realization of Nibbana'.
The word 'mindfulness' can be explained as a combination of 'bare attention' and 'clear comprehension'. The purpose of practicing mindfulness it is to see things as they really are, unswayed by aversion or attraction. The four categories from within which mindfulness can be approached are: 1. contemplation of the body 2. contemplation of feelings 3. contemplation of the mind 4. contemplation of mental objects.

***Right Concentration

The eighth and final factor of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Concentration. This special form of 'concentration' - which in its perfection is known as samadhi - is when the mind achieves complete one-pointedness. In this state nothing can distract the individual from the object of contemplation, whatever that may be.
Objects for this type of meditation are various. Breathing meditation is one particular method. Another is by preparing a colored disc - about the size of a dinner plate - and concentrating on this. Another is to use a mantra, a word or phrase repeated over and over again.

Concentration leads to deeper meditative states known as jhanas. These are states of rapture and joy, deeply pleasurable experiences but beyond those of a sensory kind. The Buddha referred to them as: 'the rapture and pleasure that are apart from sensual pleasures, apart from unwholesome states'.