Noble Eightfold Path | Buddhism
In this article, I’m going to break down how we can achieve enlightenment through Buddha’s very own: Eightfold Path.
Buddha devoted around 45 years as a philosopher and has taken part in thousands of discourses scattered in scriptures. However, the essence of all of his teachings can be found in this noble eightfold path.
This path is quite simple. It contains eight main steps. These categories are not to be developed one after the other but instead should be developed together (which would be different for each individual). All of these categories are linked together and they each build on another.
Above you can see each of the steps to this path as well as their sub-categories. These eigh categories aim to develop the three essentials according to Buddha:
- Ethical Conduct → Speech, Action, Livelihood
- Mental Discipline (shown as concentration above) → Effort, Mindfulness, Concentration
- Wisdom → Understanding, Thought
Let’s go through each of these.
ESSENTIAL #1: ETHICAL CONDUCT
Right Speech
This category can be broken down into four separate parts:
- Don’t tell lies
- Don’t backbite. Don’t do anything which can divide groups. Be united.
- Do not be rude, harsh, or impolite. No abusive language.
- No blabbering. No gossip. No foolishness.
This first category is one of my favourites. I think having the right speech can save you so much energy while making you a better person.
These guidelines will ensure you have good speech and speak the truth.
If one cannot say something useful, one should keep noble silence.
Right Action
This category gets at the fact that you should have moral actions. This means no destroying life, stealing, dishonest actions, etc.
I’m going to implement this in my life even in the smallest ways. For example, if I didn’t do my homework, I’m not going to pretend like I did it by showing the teacher my friend’s homework. I’m just going to tell my teacher that I forgot to do it or that I didn’t bring it to school.
Isn’t that so much easier than finding a friend willing to give you their homework and then pretending that the homework is yours when the teacher comes around? All the mental stress can be gone instantly if you act the right way.
What’s even worse is that if you get caught then you’ll be in bigger trouble. Why not avoid all of this and just do the right thing. It’s easy.
Right Livelihood
Earn money honourably. Not through illegitimate activities. Be innocent of harm to others. Buddhism is opposed to war and believes that the trade of weapons is an unjust method of earning money.
When we combine these three categories which make up the ethical conduct essential, we can live a happy life. You must have this foundation before you aim for further enlightenment.
ESSENTIAL #2: MENTAL DISCIPLINE
Right Effort
This one can be condensed into three main points.
- The will to prevent bad thoughts from entering your mind. Keep your thoughts clean and “good”.
- The will to get rid of these bad thoughts.
Important note: preventing bad thoughts is not the same thing as getting rid of them.
- the will to create good thoughts
Another important note: Getting rid of bad thoughts is not the same as creating good thoughts
Right Mindfulness
Have awareness for the following things:
- the activities of the body
- your feelings
- your mind
- your ideas
- your breathing
Doing these types of things will boost your awareness and attentiveness.
If you’re aware of every small thing you’ll be able to control yourself much better in any situation.
Right Concentration
For developing this category, try limiting the attention of your mind on one object. In other words, practicing meditation will provide you with concentration.
This stage is quite complex because it involves a lot of training. I would suggest doing a bit of research on the four jhanas for more insights on how you can train this category.
ESSENTIAL #3: WISDOM
Right Thought
Let me put this one in easy terms. If you are selfish, full of hate, and violence you lack wisdom. This factor has two levels:
- Being harmless and refraining from ill will
- to consider everything to be impermanent and a source of suffering
Right Understanding
There are two forms of this factor.
- Ordinary: knowledge of a subject (for example, understanding organic chemistry really well or understanding cancer and coming up with a cure for it)
- Supreme: Real deep understanding is about seeing something in it’s true nature. This view is only possible when the mind is free of all bad thoughts and has been fully developed
Well, that’s all for now! I think building these skills has obvious benefits but it will take a lot of effort. Sometimes it’s hard to be a good person all the time, in all aspects. I think if you want to pursue this path you should break it down and reflect more on what these different categories mean. Then you should slowly start to implement this. Have mental triggers in your life to allow you to stay on the right path all the time. Also, be sure to look into Buddha’s Four Noble Truths for more insights. Good luck and see you next time.
And that’s a wrap! Learn more about me:
I’m Amsal Gilani, a 16-year-old high school student at the University of Toronto Schools looking to impact billions and is passionate about medicine. In the past couple of years at The Knowledge Society — The World’s Leading Global Innovation Program — I have learnt about several cutting-edge technologies, specifically focusing on Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more recently in Regenerative Medicine. Throughout my years at TKS, I have built AI algorithms, VR games, worked with companies such as Walmart and Wealthsimple, interned at an AI startup, and have developed moonshot ideas to solve some of the world’s greatest problems using these technologies.
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