Thursday, March 9, 2006

Buddha's Eight Fold Path

1. Right View
See things as they truly are without delusions or distortionsfor all things change. Develop wisdom by knowing how thingswork, knowing oneself and others.

2. Right Intention
Wholehearted resolution and dedication to overcoming the dislocation of self-centered craving through the development of loving kindness, empathy and compassion.

3. Right Speech
Abstinence from lies and deceptions, backbiting, idle babble and abusive speech. Cultivate honesty andtruthfulness; practice speech that is kind and benevolent.Let your words reflect your desire to help, not harm others.

4. Right Action
Practice self-less conduct that reflects the highest statement of the life you want to live. Express conductthat is peaceful, honest and pure showing compassion for all beings.

5. Right Livelihood
Avoidance of work that causes suffering to others or thatmakes a decent, virtuous life impossible. Do not engagein any occupation that opposes or distracts one from thepath. Love and serve our world through your work.

6. Right Effort
Seek to make the balance between the exertion of following the spiritual path and a moderate life that is not over-zealous. Work to develop more wholesome mind states, while gently striving to go deeper and live more fully.

7. Right Mindfulness
Through constant vigilance in thought, speech and action seek to rid the mind of self-centered thoughts that separate and replace them with those that bind all beings together.Be aware of your thoughts, emotions, body and world as they exist in the present moment. Your thoughts create your reality.

8. Right Concentration
Through the application of meditation and mental discipline seekto extinguish the last flame of grasping consciousness and developan emptiness that has room to embrace and love all things.

~ Lord Buddha, Great Spiritual Messiah, India

2 comments:

  1. Obviously The Eight Fold Path describes the proper way to live and to achieve enlightenment. I must say it is a very difficult path and I doubt if there are people who could embark upon such a difficult path, and in theory it could take you several lifetimes to finally transcend the cycle of birth and death. This path demands great sacrifice and discipline , which sadly not many of us possess. Still one should try to extract goodness out of the Buddha's teachings.

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  2. The Noble Eightfold Path serves as a guideline to lead a life conducive to enlightenment in the here and now.Certainly it is not an easy endeavor to embark on and much consideration is required by the aspirant in terms of intention, effort and skillfulness.That being said although it is stated in the sutras that it may take lifetimes to attain this ideal, this pursuit of true happiness has been followed and subsequently attained by aspirants before as well as continues to be done today.Doubt is one of the primary hindrances standing in our way to live the 'Middle Way'.

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