The Noble Eight-Fold Path: The checklist to reduce suffering.

The Noble Eight-Fold Path: The checklist to reduce suffering.

For 2020 I have changed the format of our Sunday morning meditation intention. On the website www.thecenteredpath.org I have loaded some documents to help us study the basics of Buddhist philosophy, practice, religion and spirituality to be applied to our lives as we live them as 'householders'. We do not live like monks or ascetics. We don't have the ability to study like they do, to understand it and be so immersed in it that it becomes the very air we breathe. But we can get pretty close if we can realistically apply it all to our daily lives.

Each Sunday we sit for stillness, following the breath. Then we read a page or two to get an intent and reason to contemplate. This is a good way to apply this teaching for ourselves and to better understand it. I do this so that I can really 'own' the material. When I was in medic school (I was an EMT for over 10 years in Los Angeles) we would teach people by making sure they 'hear one, see one, do one, teach one' This way we get all parts of the learner's ability whether kinesthetic, visual or auditory learning.

I will be discussing these as well in my series on YouTube (the channel is also 'The Centered Path' Here is the second of many that we had for our class. Remember to go to the website and download the 'cheat sheet' as well as the paper we use for class. Perhaps you can follow along in spirit and intent on your own during your own practice.

You are always welcome to come by or contact me for more information. Come on by and sit with me!

Thus, I have heard…

The fourth part of the Four Noble Truths:  Known as the Path. The Buddha taught for 45 years, and this is the Buddhist guide for living a simpler life.  It was explained again and again, differently for different people and their situations. For a person to be in balance there are two qualities to develop equally; compassion (Karuna) and wisdom (Panna).   This is often viewed as the eight spokes of a wagon wheel. There is not one really above or before another, they all hold the hub and wheel together.

The ‘right’ or skillful way of. Often it is displayed as a Dharma Wheel with eight spokes relating to the path itself. There is also the insinuation that there is not one ahead or above another, and that it is all part of the cycle of practice.

Prajna/Wisdom)

1.       View, belief or understanding – Am I seeing what is there, or what I want to see?  “It is what it is”. Seeing things in their true nature, without name, judgement or label.  This is possible when the mind is free of impurity and developed through meditation. This is the process of understanding the Four Noble Truths.

2.       Intention /thought– Am I truly living compassionately and wisely? Offering thoughts of love and non-violence toward all beings with selfish detachment.  Unconditional. Making spiritual growth and having/making a good life our purpose.

Silla/Morality or virtue

3. Speech – Am I saying anything behind anyone’s back I would not say to them directly?  This includes any talk that would bring about suffering; slander, harsh, ide, useless, gossip… Sometimes the only answer is ‘noble silence’

4. Action – Do I practice what I study and preach?  Promotion of honorable, moral and peaceful conduct. Avoid taking what is not given, destroying life, harmful sex actions, speech and thought.   We realize our actions have consequences.

5. Livelihood- Have I lost sight of my calling?  Am I living my calling? Avoid a profession that harms; weapons, war, killing animals, making intoxicants or poisons, cheating…

Samadhi/ Concentration

6. Effort -Am I pushing myself too hard or not hard enough?  Prevent evil and unwholesome states of mind, get rid of those already arisen, promote and cause good to arise in the mind and action.  The action of holding onto good and avoiding bad in mind, body and spirit.

7. Mindfulness/Meditation- Am I fully aware of this moment?  Diligently aware of our minds, attentive to the body (Kaya), sensations (Vedana), mind and thoughts (Citta) and things (Dhamma).  Being aware of one’s own mind is key. This is where you really can have control of your mind and its processes.

8. Concentration- Am focusing on the right things? This leads naturally to the four stages of Dhyana or trance.  1. Passionate desires and unwholesome thoughts are discarded, and happiness is maintained, even in daily life. 2. Tranquility and one pointedness of the mind, with joy and happiness remaining from 1.  3. Joy as an active feeling also subsides and equanimity is maintained. 4. All sensation, happiness and unhappiness, joy and sorry disappear and pure awareness remains. It is a feeling that you have awakened from a dream, the dream and delusion of being (independent).