The Eightfold Path: Right Mindfulness

The Eightfold Path, Part Seven (an introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

 

Right mindfulness is pure awareness of the present moment; transparent perception, an awareness that penetrates our biased interpretations of reality.

Humans have a propensity to interpret with the bias of an ego-filter: an evaluation based on previous experiences. The goal of mindful perception is to live in the present moment without bias.

Meditation plays a key role in right mindfulness, and the purpose of meditation is to be fully aware in the present moment: any other goal invites the specter of dukkha (grasping, frustration, et cetera).

There are four foundations of mindfulness, which are the basis of meditation practice as taught by Shakyamuni Buddha (Maha Satipatthana Sutta):

• Contemplation of the body
• Contemplation of feelings (revulsion, attraction, neutral)
• Contemplation of the state of mind (a dispassionate observation)
• Contemplation of phenomena (dharmas: irreducible, fundamental units of experience)

No amount of effort will yield a profound result without mindfulness; it is the root of Buddhism.

 

“Breathe and you know you are alive.” Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh

 

The Eightfold Path: Right Effort

The Eightfold Path, Part Six (an introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

Mental energy can be either wholesome (generosity, compassion, willpower, and empathy) or unwholesome (craving, aggression, and violence). Wholesome energy evolves from right effort; and, to be precise, right effort engages wholesome states of awareness that are guided by right view and right intention (aimed at liberation from dukkha). The Buddha provided the path and assured us that anyone can be successful, but the practitioner must apply energy in a persistent effort to transform his/her mind into a liberated state.

There are four endeavors associated with Right Effort:

1. To prevent the emergence of unwholesome states;
2. To discard unwholesome states that have already arisen;
3. To awaken wholesome states that have not yet arisen;
4. To preserve and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

There are also five hindrances associated with Right Effort (the first two are the most difficult and poison the mind to a greater extent; the others are less toxic, but are obstacles nonetheless):

1. Craving (greed) for sensual pleasures (agreeable sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches), opulence, power, position, fame…
2. Ill-will (aversion): hatred, anger, bitterness, and revulsion (directed towards other people, oneself, objects, or situations).
3. Dullness (mental apathy), and Drowsiness (mental sinking, heaviness of mind, or extreme tendency to sleep)
4. Restlessness (agitation or excitement), and Worry (regret of mistakes and angst regarding possible negative consequences of the mistake).
5. Doubt: chronic indecisiveness.

The Buddha revealed remedies for the hindrances (some of which are applicable to all five, while others are useful for a specific hindrance); and, in important discourses, he described techniques for eliminating distracting thoughts and cultivating wholesome states of mind.

That’s all I wanted to say as an introduction, but there is much more information available about Right Effort; and, of course, it is intertwined within the other ‘steps’ on the eightfold path.

 

The Eightfold Path, Right Livelihood

The Eightfold Path, Part Five (an ongoing introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

 5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

We should earn our living legally and peacefully; in addition, we should be aware of the consequences of our vocation: how we make our living can either cultivate or corrode compassion.

The Buddha specified four professions that harm sentient beings and should be avoided: dealing in sentient beings (e.g.: prostitution), dealing in weapons, selling intoxicants and poisons, and working in meat production and butchery.

Of course, we are all interconnected, and it is impossible to be completely separated from ‘impurity.’ For example, a construction worker may find herself erecting a building that is used to sell alcohol, and worry about ‘crossing the line.’ But we should be careful that we do not obscure the message by becoming too pedantic. Even though the consumption of alcohol is a huge problem in our society, it is an acceptable, social convention, and most people are able to enjoy it without difficulties. I do believe that in an enlightened society alcohol would not be necessary, but we’ve a little way to go before we get there.

And we must all make a living.

Sometimes it is difficult — if not impossible — to choose (or change) careers in order to follow the teachings to the letter. And if, for example, we eat meat, aren’t we enabling the butcher? We should not judge his vocation; rather, we should thank him for helping to feed us and/or others that we know (there are even Buddhist monks who will eat meat if it is offered to them). Perhaps it is enough to think about, make a case for, and work toward a future in which none of us feels the need to eat the flesh of animals (right view, right intention…).

The Eightfold Path is a guide, an experiential map through life’s labyrinth. We shouldn’t get tangled in words; words illuminate the path, but they are not the path itself. Each of us experiences the path in our own way; beyond words, and even beyond thoughts.

In practicing Right Livelihood you should try to settle into a career that doesn’t contravene your ideals. Choose as wisely, and compassionately, as you are able to.

 

The Eightfold Path, Right Action

The Eightfold Path, Part Four (an ongoing introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development:

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

Right Action is predicated on  mental self-discipline, and this particular ‘step’ on the Eightfold Path involves the body as the vehicle for articulation. Mind-body interaction is central to the concept: what you do with your body dictates your state of  mind. Unwholesome deeds cause unstable states of mind; conversely, wholesome acts produce sound states of mind.

There are others, but the precepts that probably appply most closely to Right Action encourage you to abstain from:

• harming sentient beings (including yourself), especially the taking of a life
• taking what is not yours
• sexual misconduct (a specific case of harming others)
• abusing intoxicants

The precepts are sometimes compared to the ten commandments of Christianity; however, there are two fundamental differences:

1. The precepts are offered as guidance, not as commandments. Each person must use his/her wisdom to utilize the precepts in a manner that they determine to be appropriate. The precepts illustrate the way an enlightened being behaves.
2. The true significance is the essence of the precepts, and is not contained in the words themselves (but perhaps this is true of The Ten Comandments as well…). Moral conduct should be examined in a framework that includes all aspects of the Eightfold Path.

 

The Eightfold Path: Right Speech

The Eightfold Path, Part Three (an ongoing introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development:

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

Right speech follows from right intent; and, specifically, it involves speaking with honesty, harmony, affection, and good will. You should understand why you want to speak before you speak. If you detect destructive motives (an intent to misrepresent, disruptive speech, harsh speech, or idle speech with no focused intent), then withhold your words. You will become more aware of yourself as a result of withholding these destructive modes of speech; and, as an added bonus, you will avoid saying things that you’ll regret. Further, your words will develop into offerings; others will pay attention when you speak, and will be inclined to respond in kind.

Humor can provide a major hurdle to right speech; many of us (and I am certainly guilty of this) are practiced at the art of procuring laughter with sarcasm, stereotypes, embellishment, and inanity. It is difficult, but not impossible, to sharpen the mind by expressing humor constructively, honestly and astutely, and to direct our minds to reveal humor that arises naturally.

In summary, it is wise to concentrate on what you say and why you say it; you may find that your mouth is more valuable without a foot inside it.

 

The Eightfold Path: Right Intention

The Eightfold Path, Part Two (an ongoing introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development:

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

Right Intention follows from Right View. When we have gained Right View, we find it easier to manage the psychological influences that manipulate our actions. Right Intention is a personal commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement.

The Buddha made distinctions between three varieties of intention:

• renunciation, or the resistance to the influence of desire
• non-aversion, or loving-kindness
• non-injury, or compassion.

When Right View has been achieved, we are motivated to renounce attachments to pleasure, wealth, power and fame. We understand that all sentient beings are caught up in the web of dukkha and we feel a connectedness, which is accompanied by a flowering of loving-kindness. As these sensations evolve, we naturally renounce aversion, hatred, violence and cruelty.

 

The Eightfold Path, Part One

The Eightfold Path, Part One (an ongoing introduction to Buddhism…as I understand it)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct:                

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development:      

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration        

 

Right View (also known as Right Understanding, Right Perspective, and Right Vision) is about perceiving the universe and yourself with the clarity of reality; a view that sees through the miasma of conditioned perceptions, which are filled with misconceptions, misunderstandings, and confusion.

You should understand karma and the effects it has on you, and know that nothing is perfect or permanent. Do not impose expectations onto situations: keep an open mind; perspective shapes your life and how you live it.

 

The Fourth Noble Truth

The Eightfold Path is the road-map for The Fourth Noble Truth, which leads to the cessation of dukkha. The Eightfold Path is grouped in three sections:

1. Wisdom

Right Understanding
Right Aspiration

2. Morality

Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood

3. Concentration

Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Although the eightfold path appears to be a sequentially ordered list, the categories are not chronological steps along a pathway; they should arise together, and flow naturally along the pathway.

I’ll use future posts to delve more deeply into each of the eight ‘steps’ listed above (as I understand them….).