The Noble Eightfold Path
1. Right Understanding
To understand and accept the Four Noble Truths.
2. Right Thought
To cultivate thoughts of generosity, loving-kindness and compassion.
3. Right Speech
To refrain from lying, slander, harsh words and gossip. To cultivate truthful, peaceful, kind and meaningful speech.
4. Right Action
To abstain from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. To cultivate harmlessness, honesty and faithfulness.
5. Right Livelihood
To avoid occupations involving killing (of both humans and animals), the sale of animal flesh, the trading of humans, weapons, poisons and intoxicants. Occupations which are unethical, immoral and illegal should also be avoided.
6. Right Effort
To apply mental discipline to prevent unwholesome thoughts from arising, and to dispel unwholesome thoughts that have arisen. To develop wholesome thoughts, and to maintain those wholesome thoughts that have arisen.
7. Right Mindfulness
To be aware of the body, and bodily postures and sensations. To be aware of the mind and its thoughts, emotions and feelings.
8. Right Concentration
To practice meditation to train the mind to be focused and disciplined in order to cultivate and acquire wisdom.
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths
On gaining enlightenment, the Buddha realized the Four Noble Truths.
All beings are subject to Dukkha.
Dukkha is usually translated as suffering but it actually encompasses a wide range of negative feelings including stress, dissatisfaction and physical suffering. Dukkha exists as all beings are subject to illness, separation from loved ones, not getting their desires, aging and death.
Dukkha arises from desire and craving.
All beings crave pleasant sensations, and also desire to avoid unpleasant sensations. These sensations can be physical or psychological, and dukkha arises when these desires and cravings are not met.
Dukkha can be overcome by the elimination of desire and craving.
Nibbana is the state of peace where all greed, hatred and delusion, and thereby dukkha, have been eradicated.
There is a way out of dukkha, which is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Dukkha can be reduced, weakened and finally eradicated and Nibbana thereby attained, by following this path as taught by the Buddha.
Buddhism is occasionally criticized as being overly pessimistic as it seems to focus on suffering rather than on happiness and joy. However, all conditions of happiness and joy are impermanent because all beings are subject to sickness, old age and death, and as a result, all beings are undeniably subject to dukkha.
Instead, Buddhism is actually realistic as the Buddha has taught us how to overcome or reduce dukkha, and how to achieve the permanent bliss of Nibbana. By following the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Buddha, Nibbana can be experienced even in this present lifetime.
On gaining enlightenment, the Buddha realized the Four Noble Truths.
All beings are subject to Dukkha.
Dukkha is usually translated as suffering but it actually encompasses a wide range of negative feelings including stress, dissatisfaction and physical suffering. Dukkha exists as all beings are subject to illness, separation from loved ones, not getting their desires, aging and death.
Dukkha arises from desire and craving.
All beings crave pleasant sensations, and also desire to avoid unpleasant sensations. These sensations can be physical or psychological, and dukkha arises when these desires and cravings are not met.
Dukkha can be overcome by the elimination of desire and craving.
Nibbana is the state of peace where all greed, hatred and delusion, and thereby dukkha, have been eradicated.
There is a way out of dukkha, which is the Noble Eightfold Path.
Dukkha can be reduced, weakened and finally eradicated and Nibbana thereby attained, by following this path as taught by the Buddha.
Buddhism is occasionally criticized as being overly pessimistic as it seems to focus on suffering rather than on happiness and joy. However, all conditions of happiness and joy are impermanent because all beings are subject to sickness, old age and death, and as a result, all beings are undeniably subject to dukkha.
Instead, Buddhism is actually realistic as the Buddha has taught us how to overcome or reduce dukkha, and how to achieve the permanent bliss of Nibbana. By following the Noble Eightfold Path taught by the Buddha, Nibbana can be experienced even in this present lifetime.
How to Accumulate Wealth
How to Accumulate Wealth is based on the Vyagghpajja Sutta, also known as the Dighajanu Sutta. It describes the conditions that improve the welfare of lay people.
In this sutta, the Buddha was approached by a lay person called Dighajanu who asked for his advice. Dighajanu said that as an ordinary person with a wife and children, he and his family enjoy worldly pleasures such as fine clothing, fragrant scents, and expensive gold and silver jewellery. He asked the Buddha to teach him how he could ensure his continued prosperity and happiness in this life, and in his future lives too.
The Buddha then proceeded to give this discourse to Dighajanu and in doing so, used the simile of a great water tank collecting rainfall. He showed how wealth, both material and spiritual, can be similarly accumulated by anyone with the right qualities.
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1. Material Wealth and Progress
Four qualities that create material wealth and progress
Persistent effort
By whatever means one engages in to earn a living, he or she should be hardworking and not lazy. He or she should understand what needs to be done, learn how to do it properly, do it well, and also delegate work to others where appropriate.
Proper vigilance
Any wealth that has been legally and rightfully accumulated should be looked after properly. Assets should be protected from fraud or misappropriation and be well managed to avoid unnecessary taxation or improper confiscation by the state. Possessions should be well protected from being stolen or destroyed. Property should not be allowed to be squandered away by irresponsible family members.
Good company
One should associate with the right kind of friends. It does not matter whether they are young or old as long as they are virtuous, charitable and have wisdom and spirituality. In this way, he or she will be positively influenced and thus live in the right way.
Balanced livelihood
One should be aware of one’s income and expenses and live within one’s means. One should be neither extravagant nor miserly, and ensure that one’s income will be more than one’s expenses and not the other way round. Anyone who lives beyond their means will have many problems and soon go to ruin. At the other extreme, a miser who hoards his or her wealth will live an unhappy life and come to a wretched end.
Four factors leading to the loss of material wealth and progress
Debauchery and promiscuity
Frequent drinking and intoxication
Addiction to gambling
Associating with bad company
Four factors leading to the gain of material wealth and progress
Abstinence from debauchery and promiscuity
Abstinence from drinking and intoxication
Abstinence from gambling
Associating with good company
Imagine a great water tank with four inlets and four outlets. The four inlets are the four factors leading to gain, and the four outlets are the four factors leading to loss.
If the inlets are kept open and the outlets kept closed, the water supply will not decrease, even if there is no rain.
For the same great water tank, if the inlets are kept open and the outlets kept closed, if there is rain the water supply will surely increase.
Therefore, always avoid the four factors of loss, and always abide by the four factors of gain.
In this sutta, the Buddha was approached by a lay person called Dighajanu who asked for his advice. Dighajanu said that as an ordinary person with a wife and children, he and his family enjoy worldly pleasures such as fine clothing, fragrant scents, and expensive gold and silver jewellery. He asked the Buddha to teach him how he could ensure his continued prosperity and happiness in this life, and in his future lives too.
The Buddha then proceeded to give this discourse to Dighajanu and in doing so, used the simile of a great water tank collecting rainfall. He showed how wealth, both material and spiritual, can be similarly accumulated by anyone with the right qualities.
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1. Material Wealth and Progress
Four qualities that create material wealth and progress
Persistent effort
By whatever means one engages in to earn a living, he or she should be hardworking and not lazy. He or she should understand what needs to be done, learn how to do it properly, do it well, and also delegate work to others where appropriate.
Proper vigilance
Any wealth that has been legally and rightfully accumulated should be looked after properly. Assets should be protected from fraud or misappropriation and be well managed to avoid unnecessary taxation or improper confiscation by the state. Possessions should be well protected from being stolen or destroyed. Property should not be allowed to be squandered away by irresponsible family members.
Good company
One should associate with the right kind of friends. It does not matter whether they are young or old as long as they are virtuous, charitable and have wisdom and spirituality. In this way, he or she will be positively influenced and thus live in the right way.
Balanced livelihood
One should be aware of one’s income and expenses and live within one’s means. One should be neither extravagant nor miserly, and ensure that one’s income will be more than one’s expenses and not the other way round. Anyone who lives beyond their means will have many problems and soon go to ruin. At the other extreme, a miser who hoards his or her wealth will live an unhappy life and come to a wretched end.
Four factors leading to the loss of material wealth and progress
Debauchery and promiscuity
Frequent drinking and intoxication
Addiction to gambling
Associating with bad company
Four factors leading to the gain of material wealth and progress
Abstinence from debauchery and promiscuity
Abstinence from drinking and intoxication
Abstinence from gambling
Associating with good company
Imagine a great water tank with four inlets and four outlets. The four inlets are the four factors leading to gain, and the four outlets are the four factors leading to loss.
If the inlets are kept open and the outlets kept closed, the water supply will not decrease, even if there is no rain.
For the same great water tank, if the inlets are kept open and the outlets kept closed, if there is rain the water supply will surely increase.
Therefore, always avoid the four factors of loss, and always abide by the four factors of gain.
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