The Eight Fold Pat

The Path of a Buddhist

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. Today, Buddhism has an estimated seven hundred million followers, known as Buddhists. Most practicing Buddhists believe in ideas such as karma, dharma, samsara and nirvana. In addition to these, Buddhists base their lives and actions on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Taught by Gautama, the Noble Eightfold path is a theory, that when put into action, serves as a way to end suffering (The Noble Eightfold Path). In Buddhism, the belief is that life is suffering. Through out his life, Gautama, searched endlessly for a means of liberation from this suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path is a series of principles that serve as guidelines to ethical and mental development which ideally lead to understanding the truth about all things. These principles are also intended to teach discipline and proper ways to interact in relationships with others (Bodhi).

In order to follow the Noble Eightfold Path one must not only know about each path but also put it in to action. The Noble Eightfold Path can be divided into three sections; wisdom, ethical conduct or virtue, and mental development or concentration. Each section contains a different number of principles. The category of wisdom includes Right Understanding or Right View and Right Thought or Right Intention. Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood can be found in the category of Virtue and finally Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration fall under Mental Development.

Right View means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truths. It is a teaching used to help one veer away from the politics of our everyday society and helps one to see the need to avoid harmful ways of life and negative thoughts. It also provides a means to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly things, and to understand the law of karma. It is the first teaching because one's worldview will determine one's thoughts and right view yields right actions (The Noble Eightfold Path).

Right Intention deals with positive and negative energy and the commitment to mental self-improvement. The Buddha explains right intention as threefold: "the intention of renunciation, the intention of good will, and the intention of harmlessness". These intentions include the resistance of desire, aversion or anger, and acts of cruelty or aggressiveness (Bodhi).

Right Speech is deeply emphasized among all Buddhist because of the severe consequences of speech; words can save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained his third principle as abstinence from false speech, abstinence from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, abstinence from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and finally abstinence from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth (The Noble Eightfold Path).

Right Action encompasses many ideas in one principle. It gives restriction to the way one should use their body. To a Buddhist Right Action includes but is not limited to abstaining from taking another's life or one's own life, stealing and behaving unchastely. The idea of Right Action is based in respect; self-respect and respect for everything else that is good (Noble Eightfold Path).

The fifth of Buddha's principles is Right Livelihood. Right Livelihood preaches that one should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. Buddha specifically mentions that one should avoid dealing in weapons, dealing in living beings which includes slavery and prostitution, working in meat production and butchery, and finally avoid selling intoxicant, such as alcohol and drugs (The Noble Eightfold Path).

Right Effort, the sixth of Buddha's principles is directed by the idea of what one should do rather than what one shouldn't do. Backed by one's mental energy, effort along with persistence allows for actions to have more positive outcomes. One must pursue their faith with passion otherwise the fruit of their actions will have no value (Noble Eightfold Path).

Right Mindfulness is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. The process begins with impression which quickly changes into interpretation, experience, and eventually influences action. Right Mindfulness allows for one to have control over their thoughts. Buddha broke this principle into the four foundations of mindfulness: contemplation of the body, contemplation of feeling, contemplation of the state of mind, and contemplation of the phenomena (The Noble Eightfold Path).

The last of the principles of the Noble Eightfold Path is Right Concentration. Most often through meditation, concentration is achieved by focusing on a selected object or idea. By directing all of one's energy and thought in one area, one can come to understand and appreciate the universe which can bring one closer to