The gist of Buddha’s teaching---5

The gist of Buddha’s teaching---5

Bhikkhu Dhammavaro
Buddharatana Monastery of Australia

The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering

“This is, O Bhikkhus, the Noble Truth of the Path leading to the Cessation of Suffering. It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness (mindfulness) and Right Concentration (meditation).”

The truth of the path, the Eight Noble Path is not like the Ten Commandments, here there is no enforcement on any individual. This is the medicine for the sickness we suffered, Buddha advised “Friends! Live the holy life, for the complete destruction of sufferings.” The Tipitaka has many instructions on the abandonment of negative mental defilements, The Blessed one said:” For all noble act, it is not equivalent to 1/16 of practice of karuna (compassion), it is the mental freedom of harming; of all that shine, star light is not equivalent to 1/16 that of moonlight. The Noble Eightfold Path is for the attainment of Nibbana.

The Blessed One described this path as such: “It is just as if a man, traveling along a wilderness track, were to see an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by people of former times. He would follow it. Following it, he would see an ancient city, an ancient capital inhabited by people of former times, complete with parks, groves, and ponds, walled, delightful. He would go to address the king or the king's minister, saying, ‘Sire! You should know that while traveling along a wilderness track I saw an ancient path... I followed it... I saw an ancient city, an ancient capital... complete with parks, groves, and ponds, walled, delightful. Sire! Rebuild that city.’ The king or king's minister would rebuild the city, so that at a later date the city would become powerful, rich, and well-populated, fully grown and prosperous.

In the same way I saw an ancient path, an ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. And what is that ancient path, that ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times? Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That is the ancient path, the ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of aging and death, direct knowledge of the origination of aging and death, direct knowledge of the cessation of aging and death, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of aging and death. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of birth... becoming... clinging... craving... feeling... contact... the six sense media... name-and-form... consciousness, direct knowledge of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of consciousness. I followed that path.

Following it, I came to direct knowledge of formations, direct knowledge of the origination of formations, direct knowledge of the cessation of formations, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of formations. Knowing that directly, I have revealed it to monks, nuns, male lay followers and female lay followers, so that this holy life has become powerful, rich, detailed, well-populated, wide-spread, proclaimed among celestial and human beings.” (SN XII 65)

This path can be broadly divided into three, ie; the training of discipline or morality, the training of mind or concentration, and the training of wisdom. Ven. Sister Dhammadinna said to the enquiring Visakha: “The three trainings are not included under the noble eightfold path, friend Visakha, but the noble eightfold path is included under the three trainings. Right speech, right action, and right livelihood come under the training of Morality. Right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration come under the training of Concentration. Right view and right thought come under the training of Wisdom.” (MN 44)

Wisdom:
(1) Right View or Understanding
(a) Right View on the operation of kamma. [1]
(b) Right View on the ten kinds of virtuous activities. [2]
(c) Right View on the Four Noble Truths. [3]
(d) Right view on the Triple Jewels.

(2) Right Thought or contemplation
(a) Right Thought of clinging. [4]
(b) Right Thought of benevolence. [5]
(c) Right Thought of harmlessness. [6]
Morality:
(3) Right Speech---engage oneself in right speech [7] and the noble speech [8]
(a) Refraining from false speech.
(b) Refraining from harsh words.
(c) Refraining from slanderous speech.
(d) Refraining from frivolous talk. [9]

(4) Right Action [10]
(a) Refraining from killing.
(b) Refraining from stealing.
(c) Refraining from sexual misconduct.

(5) Right Livelihood [11]
(a) Avoid dealing in weapons and arms.
(b) Avoid dealing in human beings.
(c) Avoid dealing in animals and flesh.
(d) Avoid dealing in intoxicating drinks.
(e) Avoid dealing in poison.
Concentration:
(6) Right Effort [12]
(a) To prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome mental states.
(b) To discard unwholesome mental state that has arisen.
(c) To develop the wholesome mental states.
(d) To promote the wholesome mental states that has arisen.

(7) Right Awareness [13] or mindfulness
(a) Mindfulness of the body.
(b) Mindfulness of feelings.
(c) Mindfulness of states of mind.
(d) Mindfulness of mental objects or phenomena.

(8) Right Concentration [14]
(a) First jhana.
(b) Second jhana.
(c) Third jhana.
(d) Fourth jhana.