The Noble Eightfold Path: Meaning and Practice - Term Paper Example

The Noble Eightfold path embodies the practical nature of Buddhism and its emphasis on practice and application in everyday life. This path delineates the way to nirvana, or ultimate salvation, from the bonds of desires, attachments and delusions, with a final understanding of the truth underlying all things. Siddhartha Gautama laid it out as the ethical and spiritual guideline with the eight steps connected in parallel and not in series. None of them is higher than the other, and each must be practised at all times, in coordination with each of the others, in order to reach the final goal. The Noble Eightfold path emphasises the role of positive application coupled with abstinence from negative aspects so as to gain complete mastery over all the steps, which are: Right View and Right Intention, which are part of wisdom; Right Speech , Right Action and Right Livelihood, which form the Buddhist basis for ethical conduct; and Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration, which encourage mental development. The Right View entails intuitively perceiving everything as it really is, transient and imperfect in nature, according to the precepts of the Four Noble Truths. This is the cognitive form of wisdom. The Right Intention reinforces the positive aspects of the human will, which leads to renunciation, good will and harmlessness. The importance of speech in Buddhist philosophy cannot be underestimated, and the path of Right Speech expects one to abstain from false speech, malicious talk, idle chatter and hurtful words. The second part of Buddhist ethical conduct lies in Right Action which forbids harming sentient beings and taking of life, including suicide. It also advises against taking of anything that is not given freely, without the use of deceit or force, and rules out sexual misconduct. The third principle of ethical conduct is the path of Right Livelihood, which advises against any profession that goes against right speech or action or involves violence, like slave trade, raising animals for slaughter, butchery, prostitution, dealing in weapons, intoxicants and other poisons. The last three principles of the Noble Eightfold path emphasise mental development: Right Effort encourages the focus of the mental energy and will on positive and wholesome states and actively discourages unwholesome states. Right Mindfulness talks about the purity of perceptions uncorrupted by sense impressions, thoughts and concepts, the four foundations of this path are the contemplation variously of the body, of feeling, of the state of mind and of phenomena. The last principle of Right Concentration describes the concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions through the practice of meditation, in order to have naturally elevated levels in concentration even in every day life in general. Simple as they are, the principles of the Noble Eightfold path have their merit not in theory alone, but in arduous, repeated, practice. It is hard for a twenty one year-old in a developed country like Canada to grasp the transient nature of this world, when he is young and living in relative affluence. All of existence seems to be in an everlasting state of pleasantness. The principle of the Right View is still to be realised thoroughly through the experiences of mortality and decay. The stories in the media of misfortunes that occur in distant lands; or closer home, the illness and death of a friend, relative, or a well-loved pet drives home the perception of mortality and impermanence in our world. When dealing with such setbacks, the principle of Right View can guide a a twenty-one year old, thus providing him with an intuitive insight and saving him from despair. The principle of Right Intention will allow the youth to resist the pull of desires and not crave for an excess, will prod him to be self-contained, and not get angry, full of hate or violent. This can be an asset to the youth because at this age, a lot of time could be spent in negative activities, in an environment of peer pressure. Being balanced, tranquil and not given to any excessive desire could give him an edge in his day to day activities, be it in class, in sports, exams or while out for the evening, because he does not spend his time and energy in negative thoughts, desires and activities. This is not to be confused with laziness or cowardice, because the principle of Right Intention does not recommend that he resist the desire for high self-performance or not stand up for his rights in the name of non-violence. The principle of Right Speech is one that is very applicable in day-to-day life, it guides the youth not to tell lies, which can be a very difficult proposition, with no obvious merits, but it is a part of the Noble Eightfold path without which the other principles are meaningless. If more people took up the practice of truth, the world would indeed be a better place. Abstaining from malicious gossip, idle chatter and hurtful words helps the youth keep the atmosphere at his educational or professional institution positive, make good friends and leaves him with more time for other positive, even leisure activities. After speech comes action, and the principle of Right Action expects the young person to act compassionately towards his fellow beings, to be honest and keep his sexual relationships harmless. These could be good guides to follow, if for nothing else than to behave unto others as he would have them behave unto him. He wouldn't like his things stolen or his girlfriend molested and he would like others to be kind towards him. So, logically, he should hand out the same upright behavior to others. The twenty-one year old is presumably at the beginning of a career path at his juncture in life, and the principle of Right Livelihood can be an excellent guide for which professions to choose, and which to avoid. The idea is to avoid all professions harmful for life, like those dealing in weapons, poisons, intoxicants, prostitution, and butchery etc. But, in today's world where jobs are difficult to get, it is a tricky question: whether a person should not opt for a comparatively honest profession in weapons, a wine or liquor company or even the slaughterhouse or a restaurant selling non-vegetarian food on the menu. This is a genuine dilemma because either the young man has a talent in these fields or the alternative is a fall into deception, stealing, robbery or extortion, or even more harmful and negative activities.It is upto the young man to decide if he would be able to follow this principle in its entirety. The principle of Right Effort which emphasises wholesome states of mental energy as opposed to unwholesome states may come in handy for a twenty one year old because it helps him direct his energies in the right direction, for example for attaining better grades, searching for the right avenue of employment, and being a useful, contributing member of the society. The efforts he makes, which in themselves are results of directed mental energies in a wholesome state, are sure to bear him positive results. For the youth, it is important to grasp his own existence, the truth about his feelings, the state of his mind and the phenomena around him in order to make split-second, yet correct decisions which today's developed world may call upon him to do. By knowing things in their essence through contemplation, as recommended by the principle of Right Mindfulness, the young man can make significant decisions about his life, the direction it is to take and the setbacks it has to offer without being confused, and with an untrammeled mind. The untrammeled mind achieved as a result of the last principle is the perfect basis for wholesome concentration recommended by the eighth and the last principle, that of Right Concentration. Through meditation, according to this principle, higher levels of concentration can be achieved, so crucial for the youth in his student life, and the professional life he would be likely to embark upon. The Noble Eightfold path therefore can be adopted by a Canadian twenty one year-old in his practical day -to-day living conditions. After he has elected to try and follow the principles, he would face a lot of resistance from himself and his surroundings, because it is seemingly easier to live without them. But once he has increased levels of peace of mind, untroubled existence, the ability to handle crises, to make friends and keep them, and attain higher and higher mental concentration and control, the effort would have been worth it in terms of the tranquility, success, and confidence he achieves in life. Read More