He created an educational system. A system for the teaching of reality, not the imposing of beliefs. Buddhism is an educational system aimed at helping us regain our original nature. That original nature, the clarity of that original nature, is represented by the bowl of water on the altar.
The Four Noble Truths are the foundation of the Buddha’s Teaching. If someone were to ask you, “What is Buddhism?” You may answer, “The Four Noble Truths.”
The First Truth; there is dukkha; discomfort, dissatisfaction, non-ease.
The Second Truth; dukkha has a cause. That cause is desire or thirst.
The Third Truth; there is end to dukkha.
And the Fourth Truth; there is a Path to the ending of dukkha. That Path is the Eightfold Path.
Sometimes we overlook the Eightfold Path. We might even forget it’s the Buddha’s central teaching. It is, the Buddha assured us, the same path he traveled to reach the end of dukkha which is Nirvana.
The Buddhist commentator Eknath Easwaran wrote, “One of the reasons so little is said about the Eightfold Path is the highly intellectual bent of many Buddhist thinkers, who might have found matters like right occupation rather mundane.”
He also wrote, “...the Path remains far more important than philosophy. It is, in the Buddha's own estimation, his foremost gift to mankind.”
We should remember that thought. The Path is not theorizing, it’s practical application we can begin at this moment.
We should also keep in mind the Eightfold Path is not a set of commandments or regulations we’re obligated to follow. The Path is a set of guidelines and practices that’ll help us develop the capacity to realize the Truth.
It’s as if the Buddha was a map maker -- the Eightfold Path is the map he offered us.
The Buddha called this map of guidelines the Noble Eightfold Path; the Chinese translate it as the “Path of Eight Right Practices.” Whatever name we give these guidelines we should always remember that this Path is not something we follow sequentially. The elements are something we do as a whole. We take them on as a whole. We apply them as a whole. It’s been said one element on the Path contains the other seven elements.
Buddhism is not a belief system, it’s a practice. To be a Buddhist, to call yourself a Buddhist, you do something. What do you do? You look to the Eightfold Path for inspiration and guidance.
The first teaching the Buddha gave was to the five ascetics with whom he had practiced austerities. In that first teaching the Buddha spoke of two extremes. The extreme of indulgence in desire and the extreme of self-denial. He said both extremes are unprofitable.
He told the ascetics he had realized a Middle Path between the two extremes and that Path is the Eightfold Path.
The Buddha told the five ascetics during his first teaching, “…this, monks, is the noble truth of the way of practice leading to the cessation of dukkha: Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path…”
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path that leads to the refraining from doing the things that cause us to experience dukkha; suffering, discontent, dissatisfaction, and non-ease.
When the Buddha was eighty years old and about to pass away, a young man named Subhadda came to see him. Ananda, the Buddha’s attendant, thought it would be too exhausting for his master to see anyone, but the Buddha overheard the request and asked Ananda to invite the young man in.
Even as he was dying, the Buddha was willing to speak with a person requesting help.
When he came before the Buddha, Subhadda asked, “Are other religious teachers fully enlightened?”
The Buddha knew he had a very short time to live and that answering such a question would be a waste of precious moments. Remember that, if you ever have the opportunity to ask a great teacher a question make it a question that can change your life, not something that’s unimportant and trivial.
The Buddha answered the young man, “It’s not important whether the other teachers are fully enlightened. The question is whether you want to liberate yourself. If you do, practice the Noble Eightfold Path. Wherever the Eightfold Path is practiced, joy, peace, and insight are there.”
Wherever the Eightfold Path is practiced, joy, peace, and insight are there.
The Buddha offered the Eightfold Path in his first Dharma talk, he continued to teach the Eightfold Path for forty-five years, and in his last Dharma talk, the one he gave to Subhadda, he offered the Eightfold Path. This tells us the importance of the Path, the centrality of it to our practice.
Wherever the Eightfold Path is practiced, joy, peace, and insight are there.
No one can tell you how to follow the path. Others can offer suggestions and support but each of us uses our own intelligence, our own understanding, our own wisdom, and our own compassion to follow the Path.
The Eight elements of the Path are grouped into one of three divisions; Wisdom, Ethics or Morality, and Concentration.
Within the division of Wisdom (Prajna) we find: Perfect Understanding and Perfect Thought.
Perfect Understanding (View, Perspective, Outlook) is both an understanding of the Buddha’s Teaching and also an acknowledgement of why we have chosen to follow these teachings: These teachings include the Four Noble Truths, Cause and Effect, Impermanence, and Non-Self.
Perfect Thought (Resolve, Conception, Aspiration, Intention) refers to the Practices of Non-Attachment, Loving-Kindness, and Harmlessness
Within the division of Ethics or Morality (Sila) we find: Perfect Speech, Perfect Action, and Perfect Livelihood.
Perfect Speech is respect for the Truth and the avoidance of Lying, Backbiting, Slander, Harsh Speech, and Idle Talk
Perfect Action (Conduct) is expressed by the Five Precepts. These Precepts help us do our best to protect living beings and all living things, to respect the property of others, to be sexually mature, to use words truthfully and compassionately, and to respect and care for our own body and mind.
Perfect Livelihood advises that we not engage in an occupation that’s at variance with the ideals of Perfect Action, of Compassion, and of Wisdom. These traditionally are listed as the buying and selling of human beings, the buying and selling of weapons, the sex trade, the buying and selling of intoxicating drinks or drugs, and the creation and the buying and selling of poisons. I’m sure each of us could add to this list.
Within the final division, the division of Concentration (Samadhi), we find: Perfect Effort, Perfect Mindfulness, and Perfect Concentration.
Perfect Effort (Endeavor, Diligence) is the effort to reject and deny the unwholesome and the effort to develop and grow the wholesome that is within all us.
Perfect Mindfulness (Awareness, Attention) is to be constantly aware of our body, our words, our feelings, and our thoughts.
And Perfect Concentration (Meditation) means no distractions in our practice of Perfect Mindfulness of our practice of the Path as a whole. This is why we practice meditation, to help us in our Mindfulness our Awareness. And this is why we practice the Eightfold Path.
We look to the Eightfold Path to develop insight into the true nature of phenomena, of reality. We look to the Path to help eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion.
So, if someone asks you, “What makes you a Buddhist?” You might answer, “I look to the Eightfold Path. I’m a student of the Compassionate Teacher.”
---Reverend Bup Jih---
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