Eightfold Path

The Dharma wheel, whose eight spokes represent the eight components of the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path, is a common feature of much Buddhist iconography.

The Noble Eightfold Path (Pāli: Ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo; Sanskrit:Ārya 'ṣṭāṅga mārgaḥ; Chinese: 八正道, Bāzhèngdào; Japanese: 八正道, Hasshōdō) is the concise summary of an entire lifestyle of praxis and religious observance defined by Siddhartha Gautama (the historical Buddha)). More specifically, the Buddhist tradition claims that this path of practice is the key to escaping the innate suffering (dukkha) of mortal existence and achieving ultimate release (Nirvana). For this reason, the concept of the Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Four Noble Truths, a Buddhist dogma that encapsulates the tradition's moral and soteriological perspective.

As evidenced by the name, the Noble Eightfold Path consists of eight particular praxis commitments, which are further subdivided into three basic categories as follows:

• Wisdom (Sanskrit: prajñā, Pāli: paññā)

1. Right* understanding

2. Right intention

• Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: śīla, Pāli: sīla)

3. Right speech

4. Right action

5. Right livelihood

• Mental discipline (Sanskrit and Pāli: samādhi)

6. Right effort

7. Right mindfulness

8. Right concentration

• Note: In all of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, the word "right" is a translation of the word samyañc (Sanskrit) or sammā (Pāli), which denotes completion, togetherness, and coherence, and which can also carry the sense of "perfect" or "ideal".

In Buddhist symbology and iconography, the Noble Eightfold Path is often symbolically represented as the Dharma wheel (Sanskrit: dharmacakra, Pāli: dhammacakka), whose eight spokes represent the eight "branches" of the path.

On Following the Eightfold Path

Though the steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are sequentially numbered, they are not generally understood as a linear progression that the Buddhist aspirant must "complete" in a particular order. Instead, these eight elements "are to be developed more or less simultaneously, as far as possible according to the capacity of each individual. They are all linked together and each helps the cultivation of the others." Further, the eight mental, social, and spiritual efforts they represent are not understood as discrete entities, but are instead seen as mutually contingent "lenses" whose cumulative effect is to focus the individual's religious efforts on the ultimate attainment of Nirvana.

Given their respective contributions to the gradual enlightenment of an adherent, each element of the eightfold path is thought to be comprised of two stages: a preliminary stage and a higher stage, both of which are experienced as a progression.

Wisdom (Prajñā · Paññā)

The subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path concerned with wisdom is constituted by those elements that refer primarily to the mental or cognitive aspects of Buddhist praxis.

Right understanding

Right understanding (samyag-dṛṣṭi · sammā-diṭṭhi), which can also be translated as "right view" or "right perspective", refers explicitly to the fact that the Buddhist practitioner must have accepted and internalized the moral metaphysics outlined in the Four Noble Truths. The direct connection between these two Buddhist dogmas is articulated in the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, a discourse attributed to the Buddha Śākyamuni:

And what, O bhikkhus, is right understanding? To understand suffering, to understand the origination of suffering, to understand extinction of suffering, to understand the path leading to the extinction of suffering; this is called right understanding.

This discussion of suffering (dukkha) and cessation (nirodha) is a direct paraphrase of the Four Noble Truths.

However, this appreciation and application of the Four Noble Truths is simply the preliminary stage of right understanding. The higher stage requires a comprehensiona and acceptance of the entire Buddhist cosmology (as articulated in the Three Marks and elsewhere), including the doctrines of karma, reincarnation (samsara), the aggregate composition of the human self (skandhas), the dependant origination of worldly phenomena (pratitya sumutpada), and the non-permanence (or even non-existence) of the self (anatman).

Right thought

Right thought (samyak-saṃkalpa · sammā-saṅkappa), which can also be translated as "right intention", "right resolve", or "right aspiration", refers to the modification of one's worldview - specifically through the internalization of Buddhist attitudes. It refers to an engendering of good will, a renunciation of worldly things, and an accordingly greater devotion to spiritual matters. In the Magga-vibhanga Sutta, it is simply explained as follows:

And what is right thought? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This is called right thought.

Ethical conduct (Śīla · Sīla)

The "ethical conduct" (Śīla) subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those praxis elements that pertain to a Buddhist practitioner's relationship with other members of his or her society. They are structured around the Buddhist moral ideal of karuṇā, which is generally translated as "compassion" and is somewhat akin to the Christian notion of agapē or "unconditional love".

Right speech

Right speech (samyag-vāc · sammā-vācā) deals with the way in which a Buddhist practitioner would best make use of his or her words. In the Magga-vibhanga Sutta, this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:

And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech.

Walpola Rahula glosses this by stating that not engaging in such "forms of wrong and harmful speech" ultimately means that "one naturally has to speak the truth, has to use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful and useful".

Right action

Right action (samyak-karmānta · sammā-kammanta) can also be translated as "right conduct" and, as the name implies, deals with the proper way in which a Buddhist practitioner would act in his or her daily life. In the Magga-vibhanga Sutta, this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:

And what, monks, is right action? Abstaining from taking life, abstaining from stealing, abstaining from unchastity: This, monks, is called right action.

Together with the idea of ahiṁsā and right speech, right action constitutes the Five Precepts (Sanskrit: pañcaśīla, Pāli: pañcasīla), which form the fundamental ethical code undertaken by lay followers of Buddhism, and which are as follows:

1. To refrain from destroying living beings.

2. To refrain from stealing.

3. To refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).

4. To refrain from false speech (lying).

5. To refrain from intoxicants which lead to heedlessness.

Right livelihood

Right livelihood (samyag-ājīva · sammā-ājīva) is based around the concept of ahiṁsā, or harmlessness, and essentially states that Buddhist practitioners ought not to engage in trades or occupations which, either directly or indirectly, result in harm to other living beings. Such occupations include "trading in arms and lethal weapons, intoxicating drinks, poisons, killing animals, [and] cheating", among others. "[B]usiness in human beings"—such as slave trading and prostitution—is also forbidden, as are several other dishonest means of gaining wealth, such as "[s]cheming, persuading, hinting, belittling, [and] pursuing gain with gain."

Mental discipline (Samādhi)

The "mental discipline" subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path is constituted by those elements that deal with how a Buddhist practitioner can best go about shaping his or her outlook towards the world.

Right effort

Right effort (samyag-vyāyāma · sammā-vāyāma) can also be translated as "right endeavor", and involves the Buddhist practitioner's continuous effort to, essentially, keep his or her mind free of thoughts that might impair his or her ability to realize or put into practice the other elements of the Noble Eightfold Path; for example, wishing ill towards another living being would contradict the injunction—contained in the "Right thought" element—to have good will towards others, and the "Right effort" element refers to the process of attempting to root out such an ill wish and replace it with a good wish. The Buddhist monk Ajahn Chah, of the Thai forest tradition of Theravada Buddhism, described right effort as follows:

Proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake in each moment, the effort to overcome laziness and defilement, the effort to make each activity of our day meditation.

By making right effort, a Buddhist practitioner is considered to be engaging in an effort that is wholesome in terms of karma; that is, in terms of that effort's ultimate consequences to the practitioner.

Right mindfulness

Right mindfulness (samyak-smṛti · sammā-sati), also translated as "right memory", together with right concentration, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation. Roughly speaking, "mindfulness" refers to the practice of keeping the mind alert to phenomena as they are affecting the body and mind. In the Magga-vibhanga Sutta, this aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is explained as follows:

And what, monks, is right mindfulness?

(i) There is the case where a monk remains focused on (his/her) body in and of itself ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.

(ii) (He/she) remains focused on feelings in and of themselves ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.

(iii) (He/she) remains focused on the mind in and of itself ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.

(iv) (He/she) remains focused on mental qualities in and of themselves ... ardent, aware, and mindful ... having already put aside worldly desire and aversion.

This, monks, is called right mindfulness.

Bhikkhu Bodhi, a monk of the Theravadin tradition, further glosses the concept of mindfulness as follows:

The mind is deliberately kept at the level of bare attention, a detached observation of what is happening within us and around us in the present moment. In the practice of right mindfulness the mind is trained to remain in the present, open, quiet, and alert, contemplating the present event. All judgments and interpretations have to be suspended, or if they occur, just registered and dropped.

Right concentration

Right concentration (samyak-samādhi · sammā-samādhi), together with right mindfulness, is concerned broadly with the practice of Buddhist meditation.

And what, monks, is right concentration?

(i) Quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn from unwholesome states, a monk enters in the first jhāna: rapture and pleasure born from detachment, accompanied by movement of the mind onto the object and retention of the mind on the object.

(ii) With the stilling of directed thought and evaluation, (he/she) enters and remains in the second jhāna: rapture and pleasure born of concentration; fixed single-pointed awareness free from movement of the mind onto the object and retention of the mind on the object; assurance.

(iii) With the fading of rapture, (he/she) remains in equanimity, mindful and fully aware, and physically sensitive of pleasure. (He/She) enters and remains in the third jhāna which the Noble Ones declare to be "Equanimous and mindful, (he/she) has a pleasurable abiding."

(iv) With the abandoning of pleasure and pain...as with the earlier disappearance of elation and distress...(he/she) enters and remains in the fourth jhāna: purity of equanimity and mindfulness, neither in pleasure nor in pain.

This, monks, is called right concentration.

The ninth and tenth elements

In the Great Forty Sutra (Mahācattārīsaka Sutta)[4], which appears in the Pāli Canon, the Buddha explains that cultivation of the Eightfold Path leads to the development of two further stages once enlightenment has been reached. These also fall under the category of paññā and are Right Knowledge (sammāñāṇa) and Right Liberation (or Right Release; sammāvimutti). Some consider Right Association as an implicit ninth aspect of the Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path and cognitive psychology

From the standpoint of modern cognitive psychology, the Noble Eightfold Path can be seen as rooted in what is called cognitive dissonance, which is the perception of incompatibility between two cognitions. In the essay "Buddhism Meets Western Science", Gay Watson explains this dissonance as it relates to Buddhist teaching:

Buddhism has always been concerned with feelings, emotions, sensations, and cognition. The Buddha points both to cognitive and emotional causes of suffering. The emotional cause is desire and its negative opposite, aversion. The cognitive cause is ignorance of the way things truly occur, or of three marks of existence: that all things are unsatisfactory, impermanent, and without essential self.

The Noble Eightfold Path is, from this psychological viewpoint, an attempt to resolve this dissonance by changing patterns of thought and behavior. It is for this reason that the first element of the path is right understanding (sammā-diṭṭhi), which is how one's mind views the world. Under the wisdom (paññā) subdivision of the Noble Eightfold Path, this worldview is intimately connected with the second element, right thought (sammā-saṅkappa), which concerns the patterns of thought and intention that controls one's actions. These elements can be seen at work, for example, in the opening verses of the Dhammapada:

Preceded by perception are mental states,

For them is perception supreme,

From perception have they sprung.

If, with perception polluted, one speaks or acts,

Thence suffering follows

As a wheel the draught ox's foot.

Preceded by perception are mental states,

For them is perception supreme,

From perception have they sprung.

If, with tranquil perception, one speaks or acts,

Thence ease follows

As a shadow that never departs.

Thus, by willfully altering one's distorted worldview—as well as the behaviors stemming from that worldview—and bringing out "tranquil perception" in the place of "perception polluted", one is enabled to potentially escape from suffering and develop one's mind. Watson points this out from a psychological standpoint:

Research has shown that repeated action, learning, and memory can actually change the nervous system physically, altering both synaptic strength and connections. Such changes may be brought about by cultivated change in emotion and action; they will, in turn, change subsequent experience.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Bhikkhu Bodhi. The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to the End of Suffering. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
• Buddhism: The Dhammapada. Translated by John Ross Carter and Mahinda Palihawadana. New York: History Book Club, 1992.
• Harderwijk, Rudy. A View on Buddhism: Mind and Mental Factors. Retrieved 4 July 2006.
• Kohn, Michael H.; tr. The Shambhala Dictionary of Buddhism and Zen. Boston: Shambhala, 1991.
• Magga-vibhanga Sutta: An Analysis of the Path (Samyutta Nikaya 45.8). Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, 1996. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
• Maha-cattarisaka Sutta: The Great Forty (Majjhima Nikaya 117). Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, 1997. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
• Niimi, J. Buddhism and Cognitive Science. Retrieved 8 July 2006.
• Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. New York: Grove Press, 1974. ISBN 0-80213-031-3.
• Rewata Dhamma. The First Discourse of the Buddha. Somerville, Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-86171-104-1.
• Snelling, John. The Buddhist Handbook: A Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice, and History. Rochester: Inner Traditions, 1991. ISBN.
• Vanijja Sutta: Business (Wrong Livelihood) (Anguttara Nikaya 5.177). Translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, 2001. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
• Watson, Gay. Buddhism Meets Western Science. Retrieved 8 July 2006.

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