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The Noble Eightfold Path is often represented as an eight-spoked wheel.
So the Fourth Noble Truth of the Buddha was the actual cure for suffering. In other words, the Fourth Noble Truth of the Buddha was basically “being Buddhist”, and how one was to be a Buddhist was spelled out as the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path should not be understood as a progressive series of steps, sorting out one and then moving on to the next. Instead, each of the eight elements mutually support each other – like so many things in Buddhist, to practise one of them properly is to practise all of them, in a way.
Each element of the Eightfold Path starts with the word “right”, which many people feel compelled to comment on, but I think that it’s a pretty sweet translation and gets the point across pretty well.
So, without further ado, the Noble Eightfold Path consists of…
Right Understanding
Fairly obvious – being a Buddhist involves believing the right things about the world, and seeing the world in the right way. This division of the Eightfold Path works on several levels, most particularly the intellectual and intuitive levels. What I mean is, it’s all very well to intellectually accept Buddhist claims about the world, and that does count as right understanding, at the deeper level there is that intuitive change in understanding that comes from insight in meditation.
Right Intention
This one’s basically being dedicated to liberation from suffering, dedication to ending suffering, not having your motivation split between worldly goals and spiritual goals. Of course, as one’s practice deepens, motivation naturally becomes a bit purified and it’s easier to distinguish between right and wrong intention in oneself.
Right Speech
Even though the next division is “Right Action”, Gautama gave speech a category all of its own. That’s apparently how important speech was to his ethical concerns. What constitutes Right Speech is provided in Buddhist scriptures both in a negative sense (what not to say) and a positive sense (what kind of things to say). For example, rather than just saying, “Abandon divisive speech,” Gautama follows it up with, “Thus reconciling those who have broken apart or cementing those who are united, he loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord…”
There’s sort of a dual function to Right Speech. On the one hand, what kind of things someone says and to whom is a strong indication of where they’re at in their head – compassionate words tend to come from a compassionate mindset, abusive words tend to come from a deluded mindset. On the other hand, indulging in those words that cause division and suffering or are just idle chatter and gossip – that act of unthinking speech actually reinforces the mindset that gives rise to them. That same observation holds true for the next division…
Right Action
This is another sneaky place for fitting in more elements than was on the list’s title, really. Buddhism has a foundation for moral conduct in the “Five Precepts”, which will be addressed more fully in a separate post (when will it end?!) Basically, though, Right Action is that conduct that is both reflective of and encourages an undeluded mindset – which happens to also be an infinitely compassionate mindset.
Right Livelihood
The Buddha also laid down rules for what kind of jobs were acceptable to work. Well, mainly what’s unacceptable. Here’s the list.
Trading in weapons
Trading in people – including slavery and prostitution
Trading in meat – including raising animals for slaughter
Trading in intoxicants – drugs and alcohol
Trading in poisons
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An example of Wrong Livelihood
Of course, it wouldn’t be hard to extend these 2600-year-old professions to a slightly broader collection of modern-day professions. Poisons could include work in the tobacco industry. Intoxicants could include tabloid magazines and reality TV. And so on. The general theme here is that Buddhism emphasises considering the full possible and probable consequences of your actions.
Right Effort
Right Effort is sort of a matter of consciously cultivating those habits of deed and mind Gautama called “wholesome” and culling those habits he called “unwholesome”. How is it different from Right Intention? Maybe Gautama just liked the number eight. No, don’t worry, I’m kidding. As far as I can tell, Right Intention is about having the right goals, while Right Effort is about striving actively to become the kind of person who can attain those goals.
Right Mindfulness
“Mindfulness” is such an important concept in the practice of Buddhism that it’s probably going to get its own article too, but it’s worth giving a quick summary here. Right Mindfulness is the activity of being aware, in the present moment, of whatever feelings, sensations, perceptions, thoughts, etc., are arising in the practitioner – and observing them without judgement, without attachment or revulsion. It is the primary activity of the Buddhist meditation practice called “vipassana”.
Right Concentration
In one way, this can seem like the culmination of the other seven divisions in the Eightfold Path – various states of deep concentration or “jhanas” in meditation. And, in another way, it’s the foundation of all of the others.
Putting Them All Together
A practising Buddhist, then, is someone who agrees with the Buddha’s basic observations about life; is motivated by compassion and a desire for liberation from suffering and ignorance; speaks, acts and makes a living in unharmful, compassionate ways; actively cultivates wholesome qualities; practises Buddhist meditation and attains insight from that meditation.
There. That doesn’t sound so hard, now, does it?
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