First of all, I want to make sure to emphasize that I have not been on this journey for an extremely long period of time. Also, it should be noted that putting the objects of my studies onto text in my own words is primarily a tool that I am using to enhance my own understanding of these teachings, but in sharing my journey through learning, it is my hope that I can be of some assistance to others who are seeking to find their way down the same path that I am currently traveling.
In my previous blog about the Four Noble Truths I briefly mentioned the path that will liberate us from suffering, the Eight Fold Path, and promised to go into this topic in greater detail at a later date. True to my word, here is my next educational entry titled "Journey Down the Eight-Fold Path."
The Path can be divided into three basic divisions. Wisdom, ethical conduct, & concentration.
Wisdom
- Right View - Other translations: Perfect/complete vision, right understanding
- Right Intention - Other translations: right thought/attitude/resolve/conception, perfect emotion
Ethical Conduct
- Right Speech - Other translations: Perfect/whole speech
- Right Action - Other translations: right conduct, integral action
- Right Livelihood - Or proper livelihood (how you earn a living)
Concentration
- Right Effort - Other translations: right endeavor/diligence, complete/full effort
- Right Mindfulness - Other translations: right awareness/attention, complete/thorough awareness
- Right Concentration - Other translations: mindfulness, absorption, concentration, meditation.
Lets start from the beginning with Right View. I personally prefer the term right understanding. At the beginning of the path it is necessary to establish an unclouded view of reality. Taking this to heart, I began to think deeply about the impermanence of all worldly things - people, belongings, jobs, relationships, life. I pondered over suffering, and have started to see suffering as something that "just is." The world is what we make it, and so are the situations we are in. Along with studying and incorporating right view into my life I also began to study Karma, which I will also go into at a later date.
The second stop along The Path is Right Intention. This stop on the path, or step, involves being committed to the ethical improvements of the mind. In order to have the right intention one must act with good will - resisting feelings of aversion and anger, restrain oneself from the pulls of desire. Also it is necessary to abstain from acts that cause harm - cruel/violent/aggressive acts. In place of these feelings we are to develop compassion and love. Personally, I felt like eating meat would be considered wrong intention, because we do not need to eat meat to survive, and eating meat causes unnecessary suffering and harm to animals.
Right Speech, the first part of the Path dealing with ethical conduct, is the section that I personally have the hardest time with. I have always been a talker. I talk too much, have the tendency to come off rude, and am constantly "putting my foot in my mouth." Right Speech includes speaking only truth, and abstaining from negative speech about others. Also, when practicing right speech, one must use caution not to speak with harsh words that offend or hurt others, and (my weakness) abstaining from idle chatter. Idle chatter is referred to as meaningless conversation that has no reason or depth. For me, learning to talk only when necessary has been difficult, so I have been telling myself, "Shut up, listen more." Eventually I hope that these ways of speech become natural to me, but in the meantime I am always attempting to be mindful.
Right Action is categorized as actions carried out by our physical bodies. If we carry out negative, or unwholesome, actions our minds cannot be pure, because our actions have the ability to taint our minds."Wrong Actions" would be killing, harming others - intentionally or unintentionally, stealing - taking what is not given, and sexual misconduct (rape, predatory sexual attitudes, & lust) keeping sexual relationships harmless to others. Right Action is also tied into the Precepts, which is another blog that I will owe in the future.
Having the Right Livelihood means earning your living in a righteous manor. There are four very specific activities that Shakyamuni Buddha mentioned that cause harm, and because of this should be avoided. Dealing with weapons, dealing living beings (slavery, prostitution, and raising animals for slaughter) and selling poisons and intoxicants (alcohol & drugs).
Right Effort, the first section of the path that falls into the category of Concentration, is often seen as a prerequisite for other areas of the path. If you are not willing to make an effort, than nothing else can be achieved. It is important to examine the reasons for your efforts, because misguided efforts are not Right Efforts. Right Effort has four main aspects. Effort to prevent the arising of anger, greed, and ignorance. Effort to rid negative qualities that already exist. The Effort to grow skillful and wholesome qualities such as loving kindness, wisdom, and generosity. Lastly the Effort to cultivate and strengthen the qualities mentioned above that have already arisen.
Right Mindfulness comes from a the ability to see things as they really are. When one achieves Right Mindfulness one is able to observe our thoughts and control the way we interpret them, almost as if from an exterior point of view. Four foundations for mindfulness laid out by Buddha were: mindfulness of body, mindfulness of feelings/sensations (attractions, dislikes, or neutral), mindfulness of mind/mental processes (state of mind), and mindfulness of mental objects or qualities.
The finally we come to Right Concentration. Concentration is defined, in this context, as one pointedness of mind. Single focus on wholesome thoughts and actions. In Buddhism, meditation is the vehicle for achieving this.
