The Noble Eightfold Path - Outline

Understanding the Path

Wisdom, ethical behavior, and mental training depend on each other, they are all developed together. Moral discipline allows the mind to be developed and unified, which brings forth wisdom. Preliminary right view and right intention are necessary to begin.

Right view

Mundane right view - understanding the truth of karma

Karma means action, it is about the moral quality of your intentional actions. Actions are expressed through the body, speech and mind.

The 10 courses of unwholesome action arise from the 3 unwholesome roots, greed, aversion, and delusion, and involve breaking four of the five precepts:

Bodily action - Destroying life, taking what is not given, wrong conduct in regard to sense pleasures
Verbal action: - false speech, slanderous speech, harsh speech, Idle chatter
Mental action - covetousness, ill will, wrong view

Understanding karma means understanding that our actions matter, that they affect our future state, and that morality is not relative.

Issues with Karma:

Ethical behavior by itself won’t lead to nirvana, but it is necessary for the path.
Old karma vs. new karma
Types of karma - personal karma vs. the karma resulting from being born as a human being
Karma is too complex for us to fully understand, it is one of the 4 imponderables - do not use it as a crutch or excuse
Karma is affected by our intention and our state of mind, but an action isn’t wholesome just because you believe it is if you have wrong view.
Mental states are just as important as physical actions, see Salt Crystal Sutta

Superior right view - Understanding the Four Noble Truths (The symptoms, the disease, the cure, and the prescription)

First Noble Truth - Understanding suffering (see the Buddha’s traditional first sermon on the Four Noble Truths)

Birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair
Association with the unpleasant, separation from the pleasant
Not getting what one wants
“In brief” the five aggregates of clinging - form (rupa), feeling (vedana), perception (sanna), mental formations (sankhara), sense-consciousness (vinnana) (see below)
The three traditional types of dukkha - pain, change, and conditioned existence (see below).

Second Noble Truth - the origin of suffering - craving and aversion, which arise from ignorance.

Ignorance causes selfish desire (tahna). The Pali word tanha is related to the idea of thirst or greed. Wholesome desire that doesn’t involve clinging or selfishness is sometimes called dhamma-chanda. Examples of dhamma-chanda would be an aspiration to follow the path and a commitment to hold the right intentions oulined in the 2nd fold of the path.
When we feel pain, we then feel aversion to the pain which can make us suffer even more than the original pain did. We then crave pleasure to escape from all this suffering, causing more problems (Dart Sutta) .
The specific way craving arises and causes problems are outlined in the chain of dependent origination (see below).
The teachings explain craving in several different ways to help us recognize and understand it, such as the Three Poisons, the Four Nutriments, and the Eight Worldly Winds (see below)

Third Noble Truth - The cessation of suffering - Nirvana/Nibbana (see notes below)

There is a way to be free of clinging, craving, and suffering.
See the Buddha’s sermon on non-self and the three marks of existence
Looking at the world in terms of the three marks of existence and observing how craving and clinging cause suffering is a good daily practice.

Fourth Noble Truth - The way leading to cessation, which is the Eightfold Path

Right intention (These counteract desire, ill will, and harmfulness)

Traditionally there are three right intentions:

Renunciation (nekkhamma). Renunciation is developed by mindfulness and right effort, not force.
Goodwill or loving-kindness (metta)
Harmlessness (ahimsa)

There is a famous sutra on metta - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.amar.html

Metta is one of the four Bhrama Viharas, which are another traditional set of right intentions the Buddha taught specifically as a way to attain a better rebirth (such as in the Brahma realm).

The Brahma Viharas are:
- Goodwill (Metta)
- Compassion (Karuna)
- Sympathetic Joy (Mudita)
- Equinimity (Upekka)
The way to practice metta meditation in the sutras is to send metta and the other Brahma Viharas to beings in each of the four directions, above, below, and then to all as to himself.
Buddhagosa was taught an additional method, to wish metta toward oneself, then a loved one, a neutral person, a difficult person, then all beings.

Right speech

To improve your moral sense, see The Guardians of the World below. To learn why being moral is so helpful for the path, see the Cetana Sutta.

Abstaining from false speech

Abstaining from slanderous speech

Abstaining from harsh speech

Abstaining from idle chatter

Right action

Abstaining from taking life

Abstaining from stealing

Abstaining from sexual misconduct

Right livelihood

Qualities: legal, peaceful, honest, not harmful

Wrong things to deal in: Weapons, Living beings, Meat, Poisons, Intoxicants

Wrong methods: Deceit, Treachery, Soothsaying, Trickery, Usery

Right effort

Prevent the arising of unwholesome states such as the 5 hindrances listed here by mindfully guarding the six senses (see below)

Sensual desire (greed)
ill will (aversion)
Dullness/drowsiness,
Restlessness/worry
Doubt (inability to commit)

Abandon arisen unwholesome states:

Replace unskillful thought with opposite
- Impermanence / unsatisfactoriness for greed / desire
- Metta for ill will
Visualizing energy for dullness
Focus on breath to counteract worry
Inquire into teachings to dispel doubt
See thought as vile or having bad consequences
Divert attention
Scrutinize, investigate its source
Suppress with willpower as last resort

Develop wholesome states (7 factors of enlightenment)

Mindfulness (sati)
Investigation (dhammavicaya)
Energy (viriya)
Rapture (piti)
Tranquility (passaddhi)
Concentration (samadhi)
Equanimity (upekkha)

Maintain wholesome states (7 factors)

Right mindfulness

Mindfulness is something that can be practiced at all times in any situation.

The Satipatthana Sutta on the Foundations of Mindfulness

Body / Rupa (body scan, parts of the body)
Feelings / Vedana (positive, negative, or indifferent)
Mind / Citta / Heart (moods)
Phenomena/Dhamma (mental factors, 5 hindrances, 5 aggregates, 6 senses, 7 factors of Enlightenment, 4 Noble truths)

The Anapanasati Sutta on Mindfulness of Breathing

Observing the breath in relation to the four foundations of mindfulness
Practicing the foundations of mindfulness develop the seven factors of enlightenment
The seven factors of enlightenment help to bring about awakening

Right concentration / Samadhi

Samadhi means to gather, unify, and still the mind. It begins with shamatha, calm abiding.

Jhana factors are experiences that can arise from meditation

Applied thought and evaluation, wholesome thinking (Vitakka and Vicara)
Rapture / glee (piti)
Happiness (sukha)
One-pointedness (ekaggata)
Equanimity (upekkha)

4 Material or body Jhanas - The mind progresses from energetic states of thinking and rapture to a state of one-pointed equanimity

4 Immaterial or formless Jhanas - Additional subtle states of meditation

Wisdom

Right view as insight into reality

Right intention as final renunciation of defilements

The eightfold path gives you the discipline and insight to break the first 3 fetters to reach stream entry. Breaking the remaining 7 leads to becoming enlightened, an Arahant or Noble One (see below).

Resources

Six Senses

Sight
Hearing
Touch
Taste
Smell
Mind-sense (Mano) - We sense thoughts using a specialized part of our mind in the same way we sense light using a specialized part of our body, the eyes.

The Five Clinging Aggregates (Skandhas)

The five aggregates are all things we imagine to be ourselves, By clinging to them we generate a comforting sense of self that blinds us to our true nature. The way to use the five aggregates in your practice is to notice that every experience you have, every thought, feeling, or sensation, can be categorized as one or more of the aggregates. The aggregates are like the machinery of the mind and body, they operate on their own and are not “you” in any fundamental sense. You can read more about the five aggregates in the book What the Buddha Taught about halfway thorough the chapter on the First Noble Truth.

Form (Rupa) - This refers to the physical body, our physical sense organs, and physical objects in general.
Feeling (Vedana) - an instant reaction, either positive, negative, or neutral, to any sense-experience or thought. It is the “taste” of an experience, a “gut feeling” about something. Vedana arises before we have time to think.
Perception (Samjna or Sanna) - assigning a name or concept to sense-experience. This is where we assign a label to everything we experience and categorize it so that we can think about it. This labeling and categorizing can at times completely obscure the original experience, causing projections and shadows.
Volition / Mental Formations (Samskara or Sankhara) - our intentional or habitual thoughts and our reactions to sense-experience. Sankharas contain our beliefs, values, ideas, habits, assumptions, and judgments. They are a result of our past experience and cause us to respond to the world in ways that create our future experience. Our intentional actions, and thus our karma, are caused by the Sankharas.
Sense-consciousness (Vijanana or Vinnana) - the part of the mind that sees us as an object in a world of objects. It combines our sense-experience and the other aggregates into a compelling story that we believe is true. Sense-consciousness is what creates the movie of our lives that constantly plays in our heads, the story we repeat to ourselves about what our life means.

Three Types of Dukkha (The explanation of the first two are adapted from What the Buddha Taught) —

The conception of dukkha may be viewed from three aspects: (1) dukkha as ordinary suffering (dukkha-dukkha), (2) dukkha as produced by change (vipariṇāma-dukkha) and (3) dukkha as conditioned states (saṃkhāra-dukkha).

The Pain of Pain - dukkha-dukkha

All kinds of suffering in life like birth, old age, sickness, death, association with unpleasant persons and conditions, separation from loved ones and pleasant conditions, not getting what one desires, grief, lamentation, distress – all such forms of physical and mental suffering, which are universally accepted as suffering or pain, are included in dukkha as ordinary suffering (dukkha-dukkha).

The Pain of Change - vipariṇāma-dukkha

A happy feeling, a happy condition in life, is not permanent, not everlasting. It changes sooner or later. When it changes, it produces pain, suffering, unhappiness. This vicissitude is included in dukkha as suffering produced by change (vipariṇāma-dukkha).

The Pain of Conditioned Existence - saṃkhāra-dukkha)

This type of pain is the most subtle of the three. Because all objects and events are a result of past causes, nothing in this world can be said to have its own essential nature. It is “empty” of a true nature. In addition, conditioned things, including ourselves, are always changing because of events outside of our control. We have no ownership of them, so they are unpredictable and uncertain. We cannot make anything in the world behave as we wish, including our own bodies and minds.

A couple of sutras on suffering

Pain vs. suffering - what is avoidable in our current life
The Dart - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.nypo.html

Raṭṭhapāla’s summary of suffering https://suttacentral.net/mn82/en/sujato

The world is unstable and swept away.
The world has no shelter and no savior.
The world has no owner—you must leave it all behind and pass on.
The world is wanting, insatiable, the slave of craving.

12-Step Chain of Dependent Origination

What creates and sustains “the world”? Each step leads to the next. Note how the aggregates are intertwined throughout the first few steps. The Loka Sutta identifies the easiest point at which to break the chain, at Vedana (feeling).

The mysterious first two:

Ignorance (Avijja)
Formations (Sankharas)

The 7 steps we consciously experience

Sense-consciousness (Vijnana)
Mind and body (nama-rupa)
Sense-organs (Ayatana)
Contact (Phassa) - 6 sense bases perceiving:
- Sights
- Sounds
- Smells
- Tastes
- Touches
- Thoughts
Feelings (Vedana):
- There are three traditional types of feelings:
  - Positive
  - Negative
  - Neutral
- The aggregates work together, so “Vedana” is usually thought to include the other four aggregates.
Craving (Tanha):
- There are three traditional types of craving taught as part of dependent origination:
  - Kama Tanha - sense-pleasure
  - Bhava Tanha - becoming, fulfilling a vision of ones self
  - Vibhava Tanha - not-becoming, getting rid of what is unwanted, rejecting a vision
- The Three Poisons are an alternate understanding of craving:
  - Greed (Kama and Bhava Tanha)
  - Aversion (Vibhava Tanha) - hatred, fear, and indifference
  - Delusion (Ignorance)
- The Four Nutriments are yet another way to understand craving based on the Aggregates
  (see discussion at accesstoinsight.org):
  - Food - material food which creates and sustains the body (rupa)
  - Sensation - (sensory and mental) impressions (phassa) which create and sustain feelings (vedana)
  - Volition - mental volitions (mano-sañcetanā) which create and sustain karma
  - Sense-consciousness (viññāna) which creates and sustains our existence as an object in a world of objects
Clinging (Upadana) - our craving narrows our attention to a particular type of clinging.
- There are four traditional types of clinging:
  - Sense pleasure
  - Views and beliefs
  - Rules, practices, cultural conventions (often translated as rites and rituals)
  - Self view
- The 8 Worldly Winds are an alternate understanding of clinging focused on what society values:
  - Pain and Pleasure
  - Gain and Loss
  - Praise and Blame
  - Good and Bad Reputation - Status

The last 3 steps - Dependent Origination creates a new existence, either in our experience or in a new life:

Becoming (Bhava) -
- Single-life view - craving and clinging cause you to attach to an object or situation
  - Our attention becomes focused on the one thing we think will save us
  - The object becomes magical to us, it glows.
  - It can be a new relationship, a new job, a new phone, a new purpose, a new philosophy, etc.
- Multi-life view - becoming attached to a new life in one of three realms
  - Sensual Realm (You are here)
  - Fine Material Realm (Rupa-Jhanas)
  - Formless Realm (Arupa-Jhanas)
Birth (Jati) - We got the thing or the situation or the new life that we wanted! Now what? Reality sets in. We become subject to a new set of conditions and new desires begin to arise.
Aging and Death (Jaramarana) - No worldly thing or situation is reliable or permanent.

Nirvana

Quote from Ajahn Sumedho: A difficulty with the word Nibbana (Nirvana) is that its meaning is beyond the power of words to describe. It is, essentially, undefinable. Another difficulty is that many Buddhists see Nibbana as something unobtainable – as so high and so remote that we’re not worthy enough to try for it. Or we see Nibbana as a goal, as an unknown, undefined something that we should somehow try to attain.

Sariputta’s conversation with Anuruddha - “It would be good, friend, if rather than occupying yourself with these concerns, you turned your attention to the deathless element”. Can also be translated as “attend to the deathless”, or “turn to the deathless”.

Kappa’s Question about being stranded in the flood - https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.5.10.than.html

Alternate translation of the Buddha’s reply - “There is an island, an island which you cannot go beyond. It is a place of nothingness (no-thing-ness), a place of non-possession and of non-attachment. It is the total end of death and decay, and this is why I call it Nibbana.”

Ajahn Amaro’s Book - The Island - https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/the-island/

Synonyms for Nibbana - https://dhammawiki.com/index.php/33_synonyms_for_Nibbana

The Guardians of the World

Suttas such as this one mention two guardians:
- Ethical Intution (Hiri) - Often translated as moral shame
- Ethical Logic (Ottappa) - Often translated as moral dread
Buddhaghosa’s metaphor of an iron rod, glowing hot on one end and covered in crap on the other.
Morality is not a list of rules, it’s a state of mind. It is an understanding of right behavior that arises when the mind is free of selfish thoughts and delusions.
Only moral people can be free - my own interpretation
Hiri and Ottappa work together to sharpen each other - my own interpretation

The Ten Fetters

Belief in a self (sakkāya-diṭṭhi)
Doubt or uncertainty, especially about the Buddha's teachings (vicikicchā)
Attachment to rites and rituals, or cultural conditioning as Ajahn Sumedo calls it (sīlabbata-parāmāsa)
Sensual desire (kāmacchando)
Ill will (vyāpādo or byāpādo)
Desire for material existence, rebirth (rūparāgo)
Desire for immaterial existence (arūparāgo)
Conceit - a subtle sense of self (māna)
Restlessness (uddhacca)
Ignorance (avijjā)

Miscellaneous Topics

The Protection Sutta - I love this sutta, and here is my favorite version which I cobbled together from various translations — see my google doc

The 10 Paramitas (from Wikipedia)

Dāna pāramī: generosity, giving of oneself
Sīla pāramī: virtue, morality, proper conduct
Nekkhamma pāramī: renunciation
Paññā pāramī: wisdom, discernment
Viriya pāramī: energy, diligence, vigour, effort
Khanti pāramī: patience, tolerance, forbearance, acceptance, endurance
Sacca pāramī: truthfulness, honesty
Adhiṭṭhāna pāramī: determination, resolution
Mettā pāramī: goodwill, friendliness, loving-kindness
Upekkhā pāramī: equanimity, serenity

The 10 Duties of a King (also from Wikipedia)

Dāna (charity) – being prepared to sacrifice one's own pleasure for the well-being of the public, such as giving away one's belongings or other things to support or assist others, including giving knowledge and serving public interests.
Sīla (morality) – practicing physical and mental morals, and being a good example of others.
Pariccāga (altruism) – being generous and avoiding selfishness, practicing altruism.
Ājjava (honesty) – being honest and sincere towards others, performing one's duties with loyalty and sincerity to others.
Maddava (gentleness) – having gentle temperament, avoiding arrogance and never defaming others.
Tapa (self controlling) – destroying passion and performing duties without indolence.
Akkodha (non-anger) – being free from hatred and remaining calm in the midst of confusion.
Avihimsa (non-violence) – exercising non-violence, not being vengeful.
Khanti (forbearance) – practicing patience, and trembling to serve public interests.
Avirodhana (uprightness) – respecting opinions of other persons, avoiding prejudice and promoting public peace and order.

Advice to a King about Governing from the Buddha in a Past Life

How should a king keep his country peaceful? A ruler once wanted to raise taxes make a great sacrifice to the gods but his chaplain, who was the Buddha in a past life, had different ideas. This is from the Kūṭadanta Sutta:

And he (the King) had the Brahman, his chaplain, called; and telling him all that he had thought, he said: “So I would fain, O Brahman, offer a great sacrifice—let the venerable one instruct me how—for my weal and my welfare for many days.”

Thereupon the Brahman who was chaplain said to the king: “The king’s country, Sire, is harassed and harried. There are dacoits abroad who pillage the villages and townships, and who make the roads unsafe. Were the king, so long as that is so, to levy a fresh tax, verily his majesty would be acting wrongly. But perchance his majesty might think: ‘I’ll soon put a stop to these scoundrels’ game by degradation and banishment, and fines and bonds and death!’ But their licence cannot be satisfactorily put a stop to so. The remnant left unpunished would still go on harassing the realm. Now there is one method to adopt to put a thorough end to this disorder. Whosoever there be in the king’s realm who devote themselves to keeping cattle and the farm, to them let his majesty the king give food and seed-corn. Whosoever there be in the king’s realm who devote themselves to trade, to them let his majesty the king give capital. Whosoever there be in the king’s realm who devote themselves to government service, to them let his majesty the king give wages and food. Then those men, following each his own business, will no longer harass the realm; the king’s revenue will go up; the country will be quiet and at peace; and the populace, pleased one with another and happy, dancing their children in their arms, will dwell with open doors.”

The King accepted the word of his chaplain, and did as he had said. And those men, following each his business, harassed the realm no more. And the king’s revenue went up. And the country became quiet and at peace. And the populace, pleased one with another and happy, dancing their children in their arms, dwelt with open doors.

Books and Suttas about the Four Noble Truths and Related Topics

Ajahn Sumedho’s Book https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/the-four-noble-truths
“What the Buddha Taught” by Walpola Rahula https://sites.google.com/site/rahulawhatthebuddha/home
First Sermon Sutta - Four Noble Truths https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html
The Dart Sutta https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn36/sn36.006.nypo.html
Raṭṭhapāla https://sutta central.net/mn82/en/sujato
Second Sermon - Not Self / Aggregates https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.059.mend.html
Loka Sutta (The World) https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn12/sn12.044.than.html