Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Noble Eightfold Path to help sentient beings bring their suffering to an end. The Noble Eightfold Path is a detailed version of the Four Noble Truth, and it is basic to all Buddhist practice. The Noble Eightfold Path is called Eightfold because it has eight parts or facets. It is called Noble because it is morally correct and because it contains nothing that will leads us astray. It is called a “PPath because it must be followed over a period of time in much the same way that one follows a path and because it leads directly to the goal of liberation from suffering and delusion.

Following the Noble Eightfold Path is the single best and the single most basic way to practice our belief in the teachings of the Buddha. The Noble Eightfold Path consists of the following eight parts or aspects; Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Work, Right Progress, Right Mind, Right Concentration. Ideally, all of these parts should be practiced at once.

Having Right View is extremely important because all of the rest of Buddhism flows directly from them. In the beginning we cannot expect our views to be in perfect accord with the Dharma; if that were true, we would have nothing to learn. Thus, a fundamental aspect of Right Views is the willingness to question our behavior. Most people spend enormous amounts of time justifying what they have done or what they want to do. As Buddhist, we must begin to reverse this process; instead of justifying our transgressions we must begin discovering what they are and learning how to change them.

The word  Right Views means how we see life or understand it. Our views establish our philosophy of life. Right Views basically means views in accord with the Dharma. To have Right Views, it is essential to have a clear understanding of dependent origination, cause and effect, karma, the Four Noble Truths and the difference between good and bad.

In addition to understanding the basic concepts of Buddhism, an important part of having Right View is a profound understanding of the truths of Buddhism. The Dharma is true. The enlightenment of a Buddha is real. The Dharma adapts to conditions wherever it goes, but in essence the Dharma never changes because in essence the Dharma always points to the enlightened Buddha mind.

No one can have Right View or Right Thought just by wanting them. Even the Buddha himself needed six years of intense ascetic practice to fully realize them. The essential foundation of Right Thought, as with Right Views is willingness to question our selves and our belief. No one can attain either Right Views or Right Thought without spending long periods of time in intense and honest introspection.

Right speech, keeps us from creating bad karma by what we say. Most people create most of their bad karma through intemperate speech. No one should be afraid to speak the truth, but they way that we say things and the times that we choose to say them are very important. A truth spoken at the wrong time-correcting someone in front of other people, for example-may cause immense suffering. If even a truth can cause harm, imagine how much worse outright lying, harshness, or tale telling can be.

Right Speech can be defined as not lying, not being two-faced or duplicitous, not being harsh, and not being sarcastic or mocking when speaking to others. Beyond these basic distinctions, Right Speech is also speech that is not irritating, not slanderous, not prideful or haughty, not insulting or critical, not bitter or caustic, not pointlessly fanciful or overblown. All Buddhists would do well to pay close attention to this list. It bears repeating that most people create most of their bad karma through speech. Examine your own life and see if this is not true.

There are four basic guidelines concerning speech that all of us can and should follow. First, tell the truth. Second, be compassionate in your speech, Third, Be encouraging. Fourth, be helpful. Use words to help others. Our words can help others in many ways. We can explain and teach with our word, and we can also use words in such a way that others feel encouraged to discuss things with us. This point is quite important since the Dharma is best learned by discussing it with others.

Right Action, Right Thought pertains to the workings of our minds. Right speech pertains to our uses of language. Right Action pertains to all of the things that we do with our bodies. Right Action includes good sleeping and eating habits, proper rest and exercise, work habits, and anything else that has to do with our bodies and the karma we generate by their behavior. Right Action means following the Five Precepts of Buddhism. It means using our bodies to implement and express the right conclusions we have drawn from Right Thought and Right Views.

Right Work, or Right Profession pertains to how we earn our living. This can be problematical in our complex, modern world. Right Work means not doing anything or causing anyone else to do anything that violates the precepts of Buddhism. The work we do in this world lays many karmic seeds. Buddhism is often called the Middle Path because the Buddha always taught his followers to avoid extremes in all things. Balance and good judgment are fundamental aspects of wisdom. In examining our work and comparing what we do with the truths of the Dharma, we must be sure that we are not being extreme in our interpretations. If we discover on analysis that our work runs counter to the teachings of the Buddha, we should either change the way we do things or change jobs. Changes like this, however, should not be rushed into; proper consideration must be given to family members, employers, employees, and anyone else who might be affected by our decisions.

Right Progress, once we have our lives in order-once we have Right Views, Right Thought, Right Speech, and Right Work ?we will naturally begin to make Right Progress. Progress means changing for the better. It means becoming wiser, calmer, and more correct morally. Right Progress means that each day we come to understand a little more of the Dharma, and that each day we learn how to apply it a little more in our lives.

In the practice of Buddhism, as in anything else, it is important to apply our energy steadily. As soon as we become lazy and inattentive, we begin to backslide. The Dharma is a deep treasure house. No one can see its depths in a short time. By constantly applying ourselves to the teachings of the Buddha, we will gradually learn to appreciate just how vast the Dharma is and wise the Buddha was. Our wisdom will grow as long as we stay close to the Dharma and allow it to show us how to behave.

Right Mind, means finding and dwelling within the inherent purity of the Buddha mind that lies within you. Right Mind means not letting that purity be obscured by greed, anger, or ignorance. Right Mind is that pure part of us that continues to grow as long as we practice the Dharma.

The Sutra of Bequeathed Teachings says, “If Mind is strong, then even if one enters the thieving realm of the five desires, no harm will come to one. It is like wearing armor into battle; one need fear nothing.? Buddhists should always emphasize Right Mind over delusive reasoning. If our Mind is Right, then we will not be swayed by the false distinctions of duality. We will not be trapped by the delusions of self versus other, loss versus gain, or life versus death. Right Mind teaches us how to dwell in the awareness that things are the way they should be and that all we can ever really do is bring a little more kindness into the world.

The Buddha taught four basic contemplations to help us achieve and maintain Right Mind. Right Mind is a state of not being attached to any of the incessant vagaries of delusion. The following contemplations are designed to help us break free of our fascination with the realm of delusion. Once that fascination is broken, we can begin to perceive the purity and beauty that lies at the heart of a Right Mind.

The Contemplation of Uncleanness, one of the most basic causes of people’s attachment to delusion is they love their bodies too much. An enormous amount of greed and anger comes from love of the body. The body should be cared for and it should not be mistreated, but it also should never be indulged. All of us should be fully aware that our bodies will become diseased and that they will die. Even when they are healthy, they are full of waste products, half-digested food, mucous, lymph, blood, urine, and many other substances that are fundamentally unclean. The Buddha taught us to contemplate the uncleanness of the body to help us overcome our attachments to it. This contemplation should not make us feel revolted; it should only help us free ourselves from clinging to the realm of the flesh.

The Contemplation of Suffering, contemplate that all sensation is either painful or that it leads to pain. This contemplation is basically a reemphasis of the First Noble Truth. No Matter what happens to us, in the end, none of us can escape the suffering caused by impermanence, disease, parting from loved ones, and death.

The Contemplation of Impermanence, contemplate the impermanence and brevity of thought. Our thoughts come and go with a rapidity that almost no one can fully comprehend, let alone control. In one moment we are in heaven, in the next the door of hell open before our eyes. None of it is permanent. None of it remains the same. The mind moves ceaselessly among the disorganized data of the sensory world. By contemplating the frailties and inconstancies of our own thoughts, we teach ourselves that all things are impermanent and that nothing we can conceive of will remain.

The Contemplation of No Self-Nature, contemplate the absence of a permanent, unchanging self-nature that exists absolutely in anyone or anything.

Right Concentration. Buddhist practice is based on morality, meditation, and wisdom. Right Speech, Right Action, Right Work, and Right Progress are essentially designed to help us improve morally. Right Views, Right Thought, and Right Mind are essentially designed to help us learn to meditate and to benefit from meditation. The calmness and peace one finds in meditation are the foundations of The Buddhist wisdom.

The Dharma can be expressed in words, but it can never by fully grasped unless it is put into practice. To simply read about the Dharma without practicing it would be tragic. It would be like reading about how to save a drowning swimmer without actually doing anything to save him.

The Noble Eightfold Path is based on morality, belief, and wisdom. It is a perfect guide to all of the Buddha’s teaching. Diligent practice of the Noble Eightfold Path ultimately will lead to perfect enlightenment.

(Sources: Denver Buddhist Cultural Society)¡@