1. Right View/Understanding(Understanding the Four Noble Truths)See things as they truly are without delusions or distortions for all things change. Develop wisdom by knowing how things work, knowing oneself and others.
2. Right Thinking
Decide to set a life on the correct path. Wholehearted resolution and dedication to overcoming the dislocation of self-centered craving through the development of loving kindness, empathy and compassion.
3. Right Speech
Abstinence from lies and deceptions, backbiting, idle babble and abusive speech. Cultivate honesty and truthfulness; practice speech that is kind and benevolent. Let your words reflect your desire to help, not harm others.
4.Right Conduct
(Following the Five Precepts) - Practice self-less conduct that reflects the highest statement of the life you want to live. Express conduct that is peaceful, honest and pure showing compassion for all beings.
5. Right Livelihood
Earn a living that does not harm living things. Avoidance of work that causes suffering to others or that makes a decent, virtuous life impossible. Do not engage in any occupation that opposes or distracts one from the path. Love and serve our world through your work.
6. Right Effort
Seek to make the balance between the exertion of following the spiritual path and a moderate life that is not over-zealous. Work to develop more wholesome mind states, while gently striving to go deeper and live more fully.
7. Right Mindfulness
Become intensely aware of all the states in body, feeling, and mind. Through constant vigilance in thought, speech and action seek to rid the mind of self-centered thoughts that separate and replace them with those that bind all beings together. Be aware of your thoughts, emotions, body and world as they exist in the present moment. Your thoughts create your reality.
8. Right ConcentrationDeep meditation to lead to a higher state of consciousness (enlightenment). Through the application of meditation and mental discipline seek to extinguish the last flame of grasping consciousness and develop an emptiness that has room to embrace and love all things.
11 comments:
Yes, the eight fold path of the Buddha towards enlightenment. Still valid today if you can handle it.
Steiner sort of modified it a bit to suit "western-present- consciousness", but that's an other story.
What a beautiful, peaceful post.
I feel a bit enlightened at the moment just reading these words.
Zee, are you a philosphy major, or do you just study it on your own?
A continuum of hard work for those devotees who follow its path to enlightenment
I think Buddhism is a religion and has commonalty with many religions and particularly aspects of contemplative Catholicism.
It’s a source of nourishment and peaceful co existence within the world. It’s professes a truth just as each religion professes its own truth.
Since I don’t think there is universal truth, I think what true can only be true for us individually, what we choose to believe.
Many individually will find aspects or all of Buddhism an appeal to their philosophy of life.
Thanks DA. And of course, you and the Buddha are 'right'!
I, too, find some universal sense in the eightfold path. I have to say it appeals to me rationally, emotionally and on a level of life or spirit.
I rant about the pain and suffering caused by religion (easy to do) - but find the core of Buddhism - and its fruits, more difficult to do that with.
elisabeth
I just study life but I can not claim that I have "majored" doing so...
Love that little fat dude. ;)
So do I Matt, I think my favourite Buddha is the laughing Buddha with children climbing on him.
I used to have a ceramic one that I bought in Thailand, tradition is that if you rub his tummy you may expect a baby in the family :>)
Course you might have to work other magic as well ;>)
The "right livelihood" concept is a pretty difficult one. I heard one lady describe her craft-making sales (all from natural materials, but a useless end-product) as "right livelihood". I'd question that. Sure, she was using cast-off materials that would otherwise be compost, not such a bad fate in itself. But the things she made were just more clutter, and paid for by the earnings other people made from their "not-right" livelihood. The whole monetary system is a snare, not that I'm any less entrapped by it than anyone else. It just makes it hard to make these calls.
I wonder if anyone can fully handle it Zee. I once bought all Steiners books in the Ramsj but never read them all. It isn't similar to Buddhist books is it?
Thanks for stopping by Barbara.
A part of a beautiful journey with river deeps and mountain highs PT..
Thank you Lindsay, I hope one day you will post on contemplative Catholicism to tell us more..
I agree Gary, I found so much discomfort in other beliefs. But then again, Buddhism isn't really a belief, it's more a way of living..
Hi Matt and MD, the fat guy is my favourite too. I also like some magic:-)
Thx for your memory worried. So many people are afraid of the unknown. So was I..
I find it difficult too most of the time Madcap. On the other hand, helping people or at least not harming them is something anyone should be able to understand. Looks to me that that woman is doing rather harmless things..
Contemplative Catholicism involves a reflective mediation. The idea is to have a reflective “manta “that concentres the mind on that aspect to the exclusion of all other thoughts and centres one thinking.
Its not unusual for a parish to have weekly meeting of interested parishioners, who meditate in this manner.
Some parishioners also go on regular Buddhism retreats for reflective contemplation, undertaken to obtain a greater sense of self. That is as distinct from a perceived Ego self. That's the theory.
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