8/13/2019 Four Noble Truths & Eightfold Path of Buddhism

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8/13/2019 Four Noble Truths & Eightfold Path of Buddhism

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the four noble truths & the eightfold path 

The Buddha was an Indian prince who lived in the 5th century BCE. He was raised as royalty, but in histwenties encounters with a sick person, an old person, a corpse, and a wandering ascetic shocked him out ofhis comfortable life. He left his home & family to practice meditation in the forest, seeking a way to be freefrom the suffering of aging, sickness & death. After 6 years of intense practice, he discovered a gentle butdeep method of concentrated inquiry that revealed to him the freedom he sought. He taught this method for45 years, offering a clear, non-religious path to freedom & deep happiness.

Taking his model from medicine, the Buddha framed his teaching around four “noble truths”, detailing theproblem, its cause, its relief and the path to its relief:

1. the truth of stress  (dukkha) – that there is suffering (stress, difficulty, unsatisfactoriness) in life.

2. the cause of stress (samudaya) – that there is a clear cause of stress & suffering:grasping: wanting to hold on to an experienceaversion: pushing away an experienceignorance: not seeing these habits (or the truths of stress, impermanence and the

illusory nature of our sense of independent self & solidity) clearly

3. the cessation of stress (nirodha) – the real possibility to be completely free & happy, called nirvana.

4. the practice that leads to the end of stress (magga) – the prescription, called the “eightfold path”:

wise view  – seeing our experiences in light of the 4 noble truths“where is there stress in this situation?”“am I grasping or pushing away something?”“can I let go of whatever is binding me - greed, anger, comparison/judgment, fear?”

wise intention  – maintaining the intention to do no harm & to practice toward freedom

“may I be completely happy & free from suffering.”“may all beings be happy & free from suffering.”

wise speech  – using our words kindly & carefully“is this talk kind, useful, appropriate to the situation, non-divisive?”

wise action  – practicing non-harming (ahimsa), non-stealing, & wise expression of sexuality

wise livelihood  – orienting our actions in the economic world toward causing no harm“is this job/income harmless, helpful, and healthy for myself & others?”“is this purchase supportive of health & well-being for myself & others?”

wise effort  – cultivating useful qualities (like compassion, attention, determination, and patience)& decreasing harmful qualities (like anger, distraction, impatience, and laziness)

wise mindfulness  – maintaining a bright, alert awareness: knowing what’s happening in thepresent moment. It is the cornerstone of the practice, supporting all the other limbs.

wise concentration  – calming the discursive mind so that clear seeing & deep insight is possible.cultivating the qualities of directed and sustained attention, rapture, happiness andequanimity, resulting in deep states of inner stability called jhana (unification of mind).