BUDDHA’S NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH

A Guide to Mindful, Harmonious and Peaceful Living

Charles Day*www.desmoinesmeditation.orgINTRODUCTIONThe Eightfold Path is a prescription, a guide, a do-it-yourself instruction manualthat outlines eight steps or practices for reducing and ultimately ending sufferingand attaining enlightenment. While some parallel the commandments and morallaws of other religious traditions, Buddha repeatedly emphasized that:1.The practices are guidelines, not commandments;2.Difficulties in following them reflect ignorance and inexperience, not sin;3.They are validated by personally experiencing the consequences of practicing them, not by any authority, scriptural edict, consensualagreement, or outside approval.The Eight Practices are divided into three groups:1.Wisdom Practices—to attain the transcendental experience of seeingthings as they really are and accepting that “what is, is”: Steps 1 & 2:Right or Skillful Understanding and Skillful Thought2.Morality Practices—to develop virtuous, ethical, and harmonious conduct.Steps 3, 4, & 5: Skillful Speech, Skillful Action, and Skillful Livelihood3.Mental Practices—to develop mindfulness and tranquility. Steps 6, 7, & 8:Skillful Effort, Skillful Mindfulness, and Skillful ConcentrationPRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING WISDOM AND TRANSCENDENTAL INSIGHT1.SKILLFUL UNDERSTANDING (View or Insight):a.Of the Four Noble Truths: (1) Suffering is caused by (2) attachment and(3) can be overcome (4) by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path;b.The Three Characteristics of Reality—(1) the universal suffering or unsatisfactoriness experienced by all living beings, (2) the impermanenceof all physical and mental phenomena, and (3) the interdependent,interconnected, selfless nature of everybody and everything throughouttime and space;c.The Law of Karma (Causality) and Intentionality; andd.The Wheel of Conditioned or Co-dependent Arising.1

There are three levels of wisdom or understanding:a. Inspirational wisdom is acquired by reading or hearing the words of another, such as from scriptures, texts, reports, tradition, popular beliefs,teachers, leaders, or parents. Such wisdom is based on devotion, trust, andblind faith.b.Intellectual wisdom is based on examining what one has heard or read toevaluate whether it is rational, logical, practical, and beneficial, and whether ithas been taught by wise and respected persons across cultures and over time.c. Experiential wisdom results from personally experiencing, intuiting, andknowing at a transcendental level what is universally and invariably correct, right,truthful, skillful, good, beneficial, and wholesome for all living beings and nature,and what is incorrect, wrong, untruthful, unskillful, bad, harmful, andunwholesome.2. SKILLFUL THOUGHT (Intention, Aspiration, or Aim): Intentionally andpurposefully refrain from and eliminate unskillful and unwholesome thoughtsrelated to selfish greed, ill will, anger, harmfulness, and delusion. And cultivateand strengthen skillful and wholesome thoughts of selfless detachment,renunciation, generosity, good will, nonviolence, lovingkindness, compassion,appreciative joy, gratitude, joy in the happiness and good fortune of others,humility, and equanimity.Buddha called greed, ill will or anger, and delusion regarding a separate self theThree Primary Defilements or Impurities of the mind and considered them to bethe root causes of all suffering. They can be counteracted, weakened, andeliminated by simply being aware of and mindful of their presence, as well as byspecifically cultivating the Four Great Virtues of lovingkindness, compassion,altruistic joy, and equanimity. These virtuous qualities are considered innate, andresearch has consistently shown that they emerge spontaneously as benefits of regular meditation and other spiritual practices. The Intentions or motivationsunderlying thoughts, as well as speech and behavior, are critical in causing,increasing, and perpetuating suffering, as well as in preventing, weakening andeliminating it. It is not the thoughts, words, and acts themselves but theintentions behind them that produce karma, i.e., future positive or negativeconsequences.PRACTICES FOR LIVING MORALLY, ETHICALLY, AND HARMONIOUSLY3. SKILLFUL SPEECH:2

a. Refrain from lying, deception, and exaggerationb. Refrain from slander, gossip, and malicious talkc. Refrain from harsh, abusive, profane, and impolite languagec.Refrain from idle, useless, and unnecessary speechStated positively, this means practicing truthfulness, kind, and gentle speech.4. SKILLFUL ACTION:a.Refrain from killing or harming living beings. Stated positively, this meanspracticing compassion and reverence for all life.b. Refrain from stealing, cheating, exploitation, or taking what is not freelygiven. Stated positively, this means practicing lovingkindness and generosity.b.Refrain from inappropriate sexual activity. Stated positively, this meanspracticing sexual responsibility.c.Refrain from abuse of alcohol, drugs, and other intoxicants. Statedpositively, this means practicing healthy eating, drinking, and living.5. SKILLFUL LIVELIHOOD: Refrain from earning a living or profiting by anymeans that directly or indirectly causes harm to oneself or others, such as inoccupations involving cheating, exploitation, deception, and greed; trade in livingbeings, such as slavery, prostitution, raising animals for slaughter, or butchery; or trade in weapons, meat, poisons, or intoxicants.PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING MINDFULNESS AND EQUANIMITY6. SKILLFUL EFFORT (Endeavor or Will): Energetically, persistently, andcourageously cultivate and strengthen wholesome thoughts, feelings, andbehaviors, and prevent and eliminate unwholesome ones. Wholesome statespromote peace, happiness, and harmony. Unwholesome states promote conflictand division, as well as desire, aversion, dullness and drowsiness, restlessnessand worry, and doubt and fear of commitment (The Five Hindrances).Skillful effort refers to intentionally mustering the will, energy, courage, anddiscipline to mindfully practice all the steps on the Eightfold Path, to develop andmaintain a regular meditation practice, and to consciously sustain continuedpsychological, social, and spiritual growth.7.SKILLFUL MINDFULNESS (Awareness): Mindfulness means to giveundivided attention to, focus on, be aware of, and experience present moment-to-moment sensory reality within and around oneself, while letting go of thoughtsand emotions related to the past and future. It means to be aware of what is3