The UWF Buddhist Lecture Series, Part 5
—Dhammapada, 354
Lecture Number Five: April 18, 2009
The Fourth Noble Truth: Introduction to
The Noble Eightfold Path
Scope: Freedom from suffering entails following a strict regimen laid out by the Buddha in the Fourth Noble Truth. Our lecture this afternoon introduces the three main divisions of the NobleEightfold Path.
Outline
I. The Third Noble Truth of the cessation of suffering says it clear: If you want to end suffering, stop craving. This is easier said than done. Because tanha is deeply programmed into our system, ending it requires more than just will power; it requires following a methodical, incremental regimen.
A. Doctrine is knowledge, discipline is conduct.
B. The two constitute a single process. “As hand washes hand, and foot washes foot, so does conduct purity wisdom and wisdom conduct.” (Dīgha-nikāya, 4)
III. The Fourth Noble Truth is the “practice” part of Buddhism. It is the Path or the Practice that leads to the cessation of suffering.
A. The Buddha calls it the Middle Path because it avoids the extremes of the pleasures of the senses and excessive asceticism.
B. The Middle Path is generally called the Noble Eightfold Path, because it is composed of eight factors, namely:
1. Right Understanding
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration
C. The word “right” means more than just “right” as opposed to “wrong.” It suggests that which promotes the end of suffering.
D. The whole teaching of the Buddha deals in one way or the other with the Eightfold Path.
E. These eight factors are interdependent and interrelated; they are not to be practiced in numerical order, in a linear fashion, but rather simultaneously, because they are linked together, each contributing to the cultivation of the others.
IV. The Noble Eightfold Path promotes and perfects the three essentials of Buddhist discipline and practice: Virtue (sila), Mental Discipline (samādhi), and Wisdom (pañña).
A. This is sometimes referred to as the Triple Practice.
B. None of the above three can stand alone, independent of the other two, as in the case of a tripod, for example, which falls to the ground if a single leg is missing.
V. Sila is ethical conduct rooted in our innate compassion for all sentient beings. Therefore, its function is to avoid evil and to do good.
A. Sila is concerned with qualities of the heart—compassion—while samadhi and pañña are concerned with the discipline of the mind.
1. In Buddhism, wisdom and compassion are inextricably linked.
2. They are like the pair of wings that enable the bird to fly.
B. Sila involves Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.
1. Right Speech means no lying, no slander, no harsh words, no idle talk, especially gossip.
2. Right Action means no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no taking of intoxicating substances.
3. Right Livelihood means no livelihood that brings harm to others, like trafficking in arms and lethal weapons, poison, drugs, alcohol, tobacco; no human trafficking, no livelihood that involves animal slaughter.
VI. Samadhi is Mental Discipline.
A. The mind is not a static entity but the total of feelings, sensations, perceptions, thoughts, consciousness that rise and fall form moment to moment.
B. The untrained mind is unruly, like an untamed horse. To bring it under control requires persistent training. “Mind your mind,” says the Buddha.
C. Mental discipline involves Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
1. Right Effort is persevering will to prevent evil thoughts from arising, to get rid of evil thoughts that have arisen, to cause to arise good thoughts not yet arisen, and to promote and maintain good thoughts that have arisen.
a. The function of Right Effort is to be vigilant and to check all unhealthy thoughts.
b. Another function of Right Effort is to promote, cultivate, and maintain pure and wholesome thoughts.
2. Right Mindfulness is attentiveness in regard to the activities of the body, sensations, mental activities, and ideas.
3. Right Concentration is the one-pointed steadiness of the mind, like the steady flame of a lamp in a windless place. It is concentration that fixes the mind right and causes it to be undisturbed and undistracted by sense objects.
VII. Pañña consists of two stages of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Intention and Right View.
A. Right Intention (or Right Thought) includes thoughts of renunciation, goodwill, non-violence extended to all sentient beings.
1. These abovementioned thoughts fall under the category of Wisdom, which clearly shows that true wisdom includes thoughts of love and non-violence.
2. No matter how intelligent or learned you are, if you lack Right Thought (that is, if you harbor thoughts of greed, hatred, and violence), you are a fool.
B. Right view is the understanding of life as it really is.
1. That which makes us understand life as it really is are the Four Noble Truths.
2. Real, deep understanding is called penetration. This is possible only after continued cultivation or steady practice of meditation.
VIII. The three groups—Virtue, Concentration, and Wisdom—comprise the practice side of Buddhism, the discipline of body, speech, and mind, for one common goal: Deliverance of the Mind.
A. Deliverance means living experience of the cessation of the poisons of Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance.
B. These root causes are eliminated through training in Virtue, Concentration, and Wisdom.
IX. The Noble Eightfold Path is the supreme path that leads to the end of all suffering.
A. It is an intensive process of cleansing one’s body, speech, and mind.
B. It is self-culture and self-sensitization.
C. It is a practical teaching that awakens us from ignorance to full knowledge, full deliverance, enlightenment, Nirvana.
D. Like a good physician, the Buddha prescribes to us the medicine to Perfect Health.
E. The taking of the medicine, however, is left entirely to us.
