Seth Kazarian

REL 143
April 28,2011

The Continuous Plan to Nirvana: The Path

Throughout life we are always told to start with a plan. “He who fails to plan,

plans to fail.” A plan can also be thought of in steps to a final end result. In this case

we take a look at the fourth noble truth in Buddhism: The Path. The idea is that in

order to remove ourselves from the suffering cycle of rebirth or samsara we must

stop our cravings. If we can stop our cravings, we then have attained a knowledge

that allows one to enter into Nirvana. The fourth noble truth talks about a plan

consisting of eight steps that will allow one to reach Nirvana.

To understand the context of the fourth noble truth, one needs to understand

the three prior truths in how they all link together. In Buddhism the first noble

truth is that of Suffering. Suffering can be in biological form such as old age,

sickness, and death. It can also mean suffering emotionally or physiologically or

even deeper suffering like frustration and disappointment. In all the first noble

truth puts into reality for the reader is that we suffer as humans, and it is one of the

unpleasant realities of life. The second noble truth states the reason as to why we

suffer. We suffer because we crave in ways that tend to be repetitive, limiting, and

happen in forms of cycles. "Craving is like sticky glue that makes us become

attached to things, and once attached we cannot easily let go." (Prebish, 48) In other

words bad habits are very hard to break even though short lived in nature. The

third noble truth is titled Cessation. It is stated in many forms that once our
cravings are removed or habits are broken then suffering will cease. The stage of

being exempt from suffering is attaining knowledge or being in a state of nirvana.

Nirvana is the ultimate goal that Buddhists seek and is what they are constantly

focusing on.

Buddha would have used this concept of the eight fold path as a guideline, set

of rules, steps, or plan for one to accept and realize the sufferings caused by craving

and to leave those habits to create compassion for others. To name a few of the

paths, Buddha would have used Right View to say if we can make up our minds as to

what problems we actually deal with in everyday life, we then will conclude to the

conviction that we can be happy. Right speech depicts a lot about ourselves as far as

how we think. Consider people that make themselves angry through using phrases

such as “That’s not fair”, “I deserve better”, or “I hate it.” Right speech attempts to

embody that we should not lie to others or to ourselves by using divisive speech that

would cause enmity between oneself and others. Lastly, Right effort is the attempt

create a wholesome mind by practicing meditation to develop the mind. Right effort

alludes to the idea that psychological pain is much harder to deal with than physical

pain. In all, Buddha used this concept for reasons given in the examples used and

used the eight fold path because he was training himself for a life where everyone

seeks the same thing. In that, he made a series of steps to attain true virtue and

happiness.

The overall significance for the Eightfold Path is to end suffering as it is said

by Siddhartha Gautama. They are practical steps to ethical and mental

development with the goal of freeing one from material attachments and delusions

many experience in life. In all, it leads to knowing and understanding the truth of all

things. Emphasis is placed on the practical aspect because it is only through

practice where one can attain a higher knowledge of existence and reach Nirvana.

Even though the eight-fold path is presented as steps, they are thought to be

interdependent concepts that relate with one another. In addition, these eight steps

were divided into three categories: “moral practice” or lifestyle, “wisdom” or

intellectual insight, and “meditation” or contemplative technique. The three

components help support one another like a triangle and depend on one another to

the extent that you can’t have one without the others. Also the steps are not to be

thought of achieved and then done with, however they are continuous program one

follows throughout life and that are developed cumulatively.

In the practical aspect of the eight-fold path Buddha would have wanted one

to gain knowledge or wisdom. In that, meditation is considered to be a catalyst for

making the intellectual mind stronger and create knowledge and wisdom. As of

consequence, meditation has become a key part of the Buddhist religion and many

monks that practice it are constantly focusing on strengthening the knowledge and

wisdom of the mind through this contemplative technique. The eight-fold path has

created a social consequence as well through the vinaya or rules of discipline within

the framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha. Following the

rules of the vinaya or pratimoksa was to ensure the purity and unity of a local

community of all monks and nuns living in the bounds of a monastery.

“Honorable sirs, when a monk commits an infraction of the rules, it may well happen

that he should have the following wish: ‘May the other monks not find out about it!’

But then they do find out about it, and when they do, that monk gets irritated and is

distressed, and that irritation and distress are themselves both blemishes.” (Strong,

P. 84) Failure to confess guilt was punishable by the pratimoksa. Failure to confess

led to the attitude of self where there is no place in Buddhism for that thought. For

the good of all, one was supposed to have good behavior and attitude for all. Thus

the eight fold path has created social and religious consequences through

meditation and rules within the sangha.

The image on the front of the document is a depiction of Siddartha Gautama.

This image is very interesting because most images we see of him are not like this.

In the image he is seen from a side angle in meditation with his legs crossed one

over the other and his hands resting in his lap. His head is slightly down with his

eyes closed. In addition he is seen very skinny with his rib cage showing. The colors

in the background are an orange-brown, which seems to be the Bodhi tree that he

sat under while going into enlightenment. The other part of the background is

green, which seems to be other trees and forestation around him. His robe is a

golden yellow that signifies that he is a practicing monk. They key characteristic in

this image of Siddartha Gautama is how skinny he is. It shows that was in a state of

meditation and nothing but that. He wasn’t even focused on other things such as

eating because he is in a deep meditation. Even though he is seen as very skinny due

to fasting, his face seems calm, content, or could even be viewed as smiling or happy.

I think this goes to show that he was in a true state of enlightenment seeking pure
knowledge under this Bodhi tree to the point where food wasn’t so much a concern.

To me it may be one of the most powerful and telling images of Siddartha Gautama.

This image reflects the attitude in Buddhism of being calm and content around the

distracting surroundings and suffering that most people deal with in everyday life.

It expresses also that our minds are the most powerful thing the human body holds

and if one can control that function and seek true knowledge and happiness, we are

better off than most.

Thus, we have seen that the eight-fold path plays a very important role in the

practice of Buddhism. The overall significance of the path is to put an end to our

cravings that would then end our sufferings. It is the attempt to lead ourselves out

of a cyclic state of samsara and to reach a state of Nirvana. The path should not be

thought of just “simple” steps one can reach to nirvana, but as a guidebook or set of

rules or conditions for one to abide constantly in life to attain a good merit. This

good merit will lead us one step up in samsara but will have to take continual

practice in order to reach Nirvana. Therefore it is not easy as it seems to reach this

ultimate state. Thereafter, the path led to the adoption of religious and social

consequences through meditation and the vinaya or pratimoksa found in many

sanghas. Meditation was thought to strengthen the knowledge in the mind and the

pratimoksa to strengthen the actual actions we part take in everyday to attain a

good merit. In all, the path is an essential key to the practice of Buddhism to reach

nirvana and simply a good guideline for someone to improve themselves and their

compassion for others.