The UWF Buddhist Lecture Series, Part 6
The gift of Dharma excels all other gifts.
—Dhammapada, 354
Lecture Number Six: April 25, 2009
The Noble Eightfold Path: Right View
Scope: Right Understanding (or Right View), Samma Ditthi, comes first in the list of the Noble Eightfold Path, because it is our view that determines the direction our lives will take. With Right Understanding, Right Thought is possible; and with Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood are possible. Right Understanding guides us to ensure Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.
Outline
I. The Four Noble Truths sum up the entire Buddhist principles of dhamma-vinaya (doctrine and discipline).
A. The First, Second, and Third Noble Truths embody the doctrine part.
B. The Fourth Noble Truth embodies the discipline part.
II. Freedom from suffering—Nirvana—is the final end, the whole purpose, of all Buddhist doctrine and practice. It is to this end—complete, total, permanent liberation from bondage—that the Buddha has pointed out a path: The Noble Eightfold Path.
A. Caught in samsaric existence, we are like confused travelers at a parting of roads, not knowing which road to take.
B. We look around for assistance, and to our delight, we see a signboard.
1. The Buddha stands for that “signboard.”
2. A signboard, however, merely points the way; it is left to us to tread along the path.
3. The signboard cannot take a traveler to his destination.
2. A signboard, however, merely points the way; it is left to us to tread along the path.
3. The signboard cannot take a traveler to his destination.
C. All the instructions to remove obstructions and to end suffering are to be found in the Noble Eightfold Path.
III. Why is Right View, which is the last stage in the discipline, placed on top of the list?
A. Right View is necessary at the start of any enterprise, because it provides us a clear perspective of the whole journey.
B. We begin with Right View, because to climb Mount Everest, for example, we must have the summit, the goal, clearly in view.
C. Right View gives direction to all the other steps we take in our ascent to the top.
D. To arrive at some desired destination, we must have a general idea of how to get there. To embark on a journey without the right view is to risk getting lost along the way. Rather than arriving at our destination, wrong view is more likely to cause us to move in another direction, thus wasting our time and effort.
E. In its lower stage, Right View is understanding moral causation, which is understanding of the ten karmically wholesome actions and the ten karmically unwholesome actions.
1. Karmically wholesome actions are meritorious and lead to happiness here and hereafter.
2. Karmically unwholesome actions are demeritorious and lead to unhappiness here and hereafter.
F. Right View is the understanding of dukkha—its arising, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. In its highest sense, Right View is full comprehension of the Four Noble Truths.
“Monks, it is through not understanding, not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that we have run so long, wandered so long in samsāra…. But when these Four Noble Truths are understood and penetrated, rooted out is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no more coming to be.” (Samyutta-nikaya, v. 431)
G. Right View is the understanding of things are they really are, and not as they appear to be. It is seeing the true nature of things exactly as described in the Four Noble Truths.
H. Right View is the application of Insight to the Five Aggregates of Clinging. It is understanding Dependent Origination, The Three Dharma Seals, Karma and Rebirth.
I. In its fullest sense, Right View means right understanding of the Buddha Dharma.
IV. This “first step” in the practice part of Buddhism advises us to “wipe the dust from our eyes.” It tells us to “get real.”
A. When we have the right view, we do not choose what we see. We just see what is, how things actually are.
B. There are two conditions conducive to Right Understanding: hearing from others and systematic attention.
1. Hearing the saddhamma, the Good Law, from others (paratoghosa) means listening only to that which is conducive to Right Understanding.
2. It also means avoiding all harmful and unwholesome utterances of others which prevent Right Understanding.
3. Systematic attention means seeing deep (yoniso-manasikāra). Yoniso literally means by way of the womb, i.e., not seeing on the surface.
4. Systematic attention helps us to consider conditionality, to analyze the aggregates.
5. Systematic attention dives deep and sees what is beyond external appearances.
6. Systematic attention is radical, reasoned attention. It is discriminative and analytical to the highest degree.
V. The Eight Steps are not steps to be followed in sequence. Each of them supports and is supported by the others. Until liberation is reached, however, some sequence is necessary. Thus, the order of arrangement. In our next lecture, we shall discuss the second of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Thought.
III. Why is Right View, which is the last stage in the discipline, placed on top of the list?
A. Right View is necessary at the start of any enterprise, because it provides us a clear perspective of the whole journey.
B. We begin with Right View, because to climb Mount Everest, for example, we must have the summit, the goal, clearly in view.
C. Right View gives direction to all the other steps we take in our ascent to the top.
D. To arrive at some desired destination, we must have a general idea of how to get there. To embark on a journey without the right view is to risk getting lost along the way. Rather than arriving at our destination, wrong view is more likely to cause us to move in another direction, thus wasting our time and effort.
E. In its lower stage, Right View is understanding moral causation, which is understanding of the ten karmically wholesome actions and the ten karmically unwholesome actions.
1. Karmically wholesome actions are meritorious and lead to happiness here and hereafter.
2. Karmically unwholesome actions are demeritorious and lead to unhappiness here and hereafter.
F. Right View is the understanding of dukkha—its arising, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. In its highest sense, Right View is full comprehension of the Four Noble Truths.
“Monks, it is through not understanding, not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that we have run so long, wandered so long in samsāra…. But when these Four Noble Truths are understood and penetrated, rooted out is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no more coming to be.” (Samyutta-nikaya, v. 431)
G. Right View is the understanding of things are they really are, and not as they appear to be. It is seeing the true nature of things exactly as described in the Four Noble Truths.
H. Right View is the application of Insight to the Five Aggregates of Clinging. It is understanding Dependent Origination, The Three Dharma Seals, Karma and Rebirth.
I. In its fullest sense, Right View means right understanding of the Buddha Dharma.
IV. This “first step” in the practice part of Buddhism advises us to “wipe the dust from our eyes.” It tells us to “get real.”
A. When we have the right view, we do not choose what we see. We just see what is, how things actually are.
B. There are two conditions conducive to Right Understanding: hearing from others and systematic attention.
1. Hearing the saddhamma, the Good Law, from others (paratoghosa) means listening only to that which is conducive to Right Understanding.
2. It also means avoiding all harmful and unwholesome utterances of others which prevent Right Understanding.
3. Systematic attention means seeing deep (yoniso-manasikāra). Yoniso literally means by way of the womb, i.e., not seeing on the surface.
4. Systematic attention helps us to consider conditionality, to analyze the aggregates.
5. Systematic attention dives deep and sees what is beyond external appearances.
6. Systematic attention is radical, reasoned attention. It is discriminative and analytical to the highest degree.
V. The Eight Steps are not steps to be followed in sequence. Each of them supports and is supported by the others. Until liberation is reached, however, some sequence is necessary. Thus, the order of arrangement. In our next lecture, we shall discuss the second of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Thought.
III. Why is Right View, which is the last stage in the discipline, placed on top of the list?
A. Right View is necessary at the start of any enterprise, because it provides us a clear perspective of the whole journey.
B. We begin with Right View, because to climb Mount Everest, for example, we must have the summit, the goal, clearly in view.
C. Right View gives direction to all the other steps we take in our ascent to the top.
D. To arrive at some desired destination, we must have a general idea of how to get there. To embark on a journey without the right view is to risk getting lost along the way. Rather than arriving at our destination, wrong view is more likely to cause us to move in another direction, thus wasting our time and effort.
E. In its lower stage, Right View is understanding moral causation, which is understanding of the ten karmically wholesome actions and the ten karmically unwholesome actions.
1. Karmically wholesome actions are meritorious and lead to happiness here and hereafter.
2. Karmically unwholesome actions are demeritorious and lead to unhappiness here and hereafter.
F. Right View is the understanding of dukkha—its arising, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. In its highest sense, Right View is full comprehension of the Four Noble Truths.
“Monks, it is through not understanding, not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that we have run so long, wandered so long in samsāra…. But when these Four Noble Truths are understood and penetrated, rooted out is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no more coming to be.” (Samyutta-nikaya, v. 431)
G. Right View is the understanding of things are they really are, and not as they appear to be. It is seeing the true nature of things exactly as described in the Four Noble Truths.
H. Right View is the application of Insight to the Five Aggregates of Clinging. It is understanding Dependent Origination, The Three Dharma Seals, Karma and Rebirth.
I. In its fullest sense, Right View means right understanding of the Buddha Dharma.
IV. This “first step” in the practice part of Buddhism advises us to “wipe the dust from our eyes.” It tells us to “get real.”
A. When we have the right view, we do not choose what we see. We just see what is, how things actually are.
B. There are two conditions conducive to Right Understanding: hearing from others and systematic attention.
1. Hearing the saddhamma, the Good Law, from others (paratoghosa) means listening only to that which is conducive to Right Understanding.
2. It also means avoiding all harmful and unwholesome utterances of others which prevent Right Understanding.
3. Systematic attention means seeing deep (yoniso-manasikāra). Yoniso literally means by way of the womb, i.e., not seeing on the surface.
4. Systematic attention helps us to consider conditionality, to analyze the aggregates.
5. Systematic attention dives deep and sees what is beyond external appearances.
6. Systematic attention is radical, reasoned attention. It is discriminative and analytical to the highest degree.
V. The Eight Steps are not steps to be followed in sequence. Each of them supports and is supported by the others. Until liberation is reached, however, some sequence is necessary. Thus, the order of arrangement. In our next lecture, we shall discuss the second of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Thought.
III. Why is Right View, which is the last stage in the discipline, placed on top of the list?
A. Right View is necessary at the start of any enterprise, because it provides us a clear perspective of the whole journey.
B. We begin with Right View, because to climb Mount Everest, for example, we must have the summit, the goal, clearly in view.
C. Right View gives direction to all the other steps we take in our ascent to the top.
D. To arrive at some desired destination, we must have a general idea of how to get there. To embark on a journey without the right view is to risk getting lost along the way. Rather than arriving at our destination, wrong view is more likely to cause us to move in another direction, thus wasting our time and effort.
E. In its lower stage, Right View is understanding moral causation, which is understanding of the ten karmically wholesome actions and the ten karmically unwholesome actions.
1. Karmically wholesome actions are meritorious and lead to happiness here and hereafter.
2. Karmically unwholesome actions are demeritorious and lead to unhappiness here and hereafter.
F. Right View is the understanding of dukkha—its arising, its cessation, and the path leading to its cessation. In its highest sense, Right View is full comprehension of the Four Noble Truths.
“Monks, it is through not understanding, not penetrating the Four Noble Truths that we have run so long, wandered so long in samsāra…. But when these Four Noble Truths are understood and penetrated, rooted out is the craving for existence, destroyed is that which leads to renewed becoming, and there is no more coming to be.” (Samyutta-nikaya, v. 431)
G. Right View is the understanding of things are they really are, and not as they appear to be. It is seeing the true nature of things exactly as described in the Four Noble Truths.
H. Right View is the application of Insight to the Five Aggregates of Clinging. It is understanding Dependent Origination, The Three Dharma Seals, Karma and Rebirth.
I. In its fullest sense, Right View means right understanding of the Buddha Dharma.
IV. This “first step” in the practice part of Buddhism advises us to “wipe the dust from our eyes.” It tells us to “get real.”
A. When we have the right view, we do not choose what we see. We just see what is, how things actually are.
B. There are two conditions conducive to Right Understanding: hearing from others and systematic attention.
1. Hearing the saddhamma, the Good Law, from others (paratoghosa) means listening only to that which is conducive to Right Understanding.
2. It also means avoiding all harmful and unwholesome utterances of others which prevent Right Understanding.
3. Systematic attention means seeing deep (yoniso-manasikāra). Yoniso literally means by way of the womb, i.e., not seeing on the surface.
4. Systematic attention helps us to consider conditionality, to analyze the aggregates.
5. Systematic attention dives deep and sees what is beyond external appearances.
6. Systematic attention is radical, reasoned attention. It is discriminative and analytical to the highest degree.
V. The Eight Steps are not steps to be followed in sequence. Each of them supports and is supported by the others. Until liberation is reached, however, some sequence is necessary. Thus, the order of arrangement. In our next lecture, we shall discuss the second of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Thought.
