The Noble Eightfold Path: A Simple Yet In-Depth Explanation

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Wheel of the Noble Eightfold Path

Wheel of the Noble Eightfold Path

Let us now analyze each element of the Noble Eightfold Path. There are eight elements in the Noble Eightfold Path: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

You should read this article below to understand this article better:

Right View (Sammā Ditthi)

Right View (Sammā Ditthi)

What is Right View? First of all, we must understand that these eight elements form the path leading to the cessation of suffering at the moment of Enlightenment, at the moment of attaining the Path of the Truth (magga). Thus, Right View means understanding suffering, understanding the cause of suffering, understanding the cessation of suffering, and understanding the path that leads to the cessation of suffering.

In other texts, Right View is also understood to include knowledge of Dependent Origination (Paticca Samuppāda) and the true nature of phenomena, among others. Right View has both mundane and supramundane aspects. On the mundane level, it includes understanding the law of karma (kamma), understanding the true nature of materiality and mentality through insight meditation, and more. However, according to the Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Right View refers to the understanding of the Four Noble Truths.

attain Right View (Sammā Ditthi) through right intention

To attain Right View, we need Right Intention. First, we must have faith in the law of karma. Then, we need to understand the true nature of body and mind, knowing that they are the only things that exist, and beyond them, there is nothing else. We must recognize that body and mind arise and pass away at every moment. Thus, body and mind are impermanent and unsatisfactory. At the moment of Enlightenment, or when the Path is attained, Right View clearly perceives the Four Noble Truths.

Right Intention (Sammā Sankappa)

right intention

Understanding Right Intention correctly is very important. Right Intention is defined as thought free from greed, free from hatred, and free from harm or cruelty.

  • Thought free from greed refers to thoughts not accompanied by craving, desire, attachment, or delight. It is the intention to renounce, let go, and bring happiness and benefit to others.
  • Thought free from hatred is loving-kindness (mettā). Hatred is a thought that is combined with ill-will, wanting to kill or destroy someone. Thoughts free from such ill-will are Right Intention.
  • Thought free from harm is the thought of non-violence, meaning the intention not to harm or cause suffering to others, whether physical pain or mental anguish. This is compassion (karunā). Thoughts free from cruelty, intending no harm to others, are considered Right Intention.

Thus, Right Intention is thought free from attachment, craving, desire, and delight; it is thought free from ill-will, which is loving-kindness (mettā); and thought free from cruelty, which is compassion (karunā).

How is Right Intention harmonized with the other elements of the path at the moment of Enlightenment?

The commentaries explain that Right Intention places the mind on the object of Nirvana at the moment of Enlightenment, directing the mind toward Nirvana or setting the mind to take Nirvana as the object. According to Abhidhamma, Right Intention is the mental factor of initial application (vitakka: placing or directing the mind toward the object). The characteristic of initial application is to direct the mind to the object, helping the mind to engage with or ascend to the object. Therefore, Right Intention (or more accurately, Right Application of the Mind) is the mental factor that brings the mind to the object. Without this factor, the mind would not experience or understand the object. Thus, Right Intention is essential for the arising of Right View, as it leads the mind to the object of insight.

It is important to understand that Right Intention does not simply mean thinking or contemplating, even if the thoughts are wholesome, such as thoughts of renunciation, loving-kindness (mettā), or compassion (karunā). In practice, Right Intention is a mental factor that brings the mind to the object.

Right Intention is a mental factor that brings the mind to the object.

Even during meditation, if Right Intention does not direct the mind to the object, the mind will not remain focused on the object, and thus it will not recognize or understand: this is materiality, this is mentality, this is arising, this is passing away, etc. Therefore, Right Intention or Right Application of the Mind is a crucial factor in the Noble Eightfold Path and an important element among the eight. In fact, it is so essential that it enables the arising of Right View; hence, these two mental factors form a group. This is why Right Intention is often considered part of Right View.

Right Speech (Sammā Vācā)

Right Speech (Sammā Vācā)

Right Speech essentially means avoiding Wrong Speech or restraining oneself from engaging in Wrong Speech. There are four types of Wrong Speech:

  • The first is lying.
  • The second is divisive speech.
  • The third is harsh speech (such as insults, curses, or demeaning words).
  • The fourth is idle chatter.

Refraining from these forms of wrong speech constitutes Right Speech. Right Speech here means “not allowing it to happen” or “maintaining moral restraint.” Although it is called Right Speech, we must understand that it only arises when we uphold the moral precepts of not lying, not speaking divisively, not using harsh words, and not engaging in idle chatter.

When we vow not to lie, we are maintaining the precept; when we vow not to speak divisively, not to speak harshly, and not to engage in idle chatter, we are maintaining the precept. Upholding the precept of Right Speech means controlling our speech, restraining our words. Right Speech is about exercising control over one’s speech. This control or restraint is called Sīla (morality). Sīla is defined as ethical conduct. Therefore, Right Speech has the nature of upholding morality, as refraining from lying, divisive speech, etc., is an act of moral discipline.

Right Action (Sammā Kammanta)

Right Action means making a commitment to prevent, restrain, and refrain from actions such as killing, stealing, and engaging in unlawful sexual conduct. This is the practice of moral discipline (sīla). By doing so, you are controlling yourself and regulating your physical actions. When you cultivate good habits like not killing (refraining from taking life), not taking what is not given (refraining from stealing), and restraining from unlawful sexual activity, you are practicing Right Action. These actions are in line with moral discipline. Thus, when you control yourself to avoid these wrong physical actions, you are practicing Right Action.

Right Livelihood (Sammā Ājīva)

Right Livelihood refers to avoiding unwholesome professions. People need to work to support themselves and their families, but there are certain livelihoods that are not considered righteous. For monks, Right Livelihood means not receiving the four requisites—food, clothing, medicine, and shelter—through dishonest or improper means. For laypeople, some professions should be avoided in order to practice Right Livelihood. Avoiding wrong professions and engaging in honest ones is practicing Right Livelihood.

In Abhidhamma, Right Livelihood is understood as refraining from breaking four speech precepts and three bodily precepts. When a person maintains the seven precepts related to speech and bodily actions, they are practicing both Right Speech and Right Action. However, when the precepts are related to one’s profession or means of livelihood, they are practicing Right Livelihood. For instance, if someone doesn’t kill animals, they are practicing Right Action. However, if a fisherman decides to quit his profession to avoid killing, he is practicing Right Livelihood because he has chosen an honest way to sustain himself.

In the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha taught that one who takes refuge in the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) should avoid five types of professions: trading in weapons, trading in living beings (including humans or animals), trading in meat, trading in intoxicants, and trading in poisons. When a layperson avoids these professions, they are practicing Right Livelihood.

Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma)

There are four kinds of Right Effort, categorized according to wholesome and unwholesome states of mind:

a. Preventing the arising of unwholesome states of mind that have not yet arisen:

Some unwholesome states may have never arisen in your mind during this life or may not have arisen in relation to certain objects. These are called “unborn unwholesome states.” You must be diligent in preventing these unwholesome states from arising. You might observe these unwholesome states in others and think, “I will not allow such states to arise in my own mind.” This type of diligence is called preventing unwholesome states from arising.

b. Eliminating unwholesome states that have already arisen:

This involves removing any unwholesome actions or states of mind that have previously arisen. If unwholesome states are already present, how should you respond? Should you regret or dwell on them? The Buddha taught that feeling remorse is creating more unwholesome karma. Regretting past unwholesome actions only intensifies the suffering. Instead, the Buddha advised, “Let go of the past, for what’s done is done.” Focusing on the past won’t help. Instead, you should focus on doing good deeds and cultivating wholesome qualities in the present. By doing this, you can overcome unwholesome states.

c. Cultivating wholesome states that have not yet arisen:

Some wholesome states may not have arisen in you yet, such as certain acts of generosity, keeping precepts, or practicing meditation. Right Effort involves striving to develop these wholesome states. You put forth effort to attain higher meditative states (jhānas) or other virtuous qualities that have not yet arisen.

d. Developing and maintaining wholesome states that have already arisen:

This type of effort is about continuing to practice good deeds and virtues that are already present. For example, continuing your meditation practice beyond one hour or one day, or continuing to follow the precepts without becoming complacent. Repeated practice is necessary for growth.

In summary, there are four kinds of Right Effort: two related to unwholesome states and two related to wholesome states. You must exert strong effort to prevent unwholesome states from arising, and to eliminate those that have already arisen. Likewise, you must make strong efforts to cultivate wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and to develop and maintain those that have already arisen.

Right Effort is not about self-torment or extreme asceticism. Instead, it is a strong, focused effort toward doing good and avoiding evil, which the Buddha praised.

Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati)

Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati)

Right Mindfulness is a mental factor that allows you to remember and be aware of phenomena. The characteristic of mindfulness is to deeply engage with the object of attention, maintaining full awareness without wavering or becoming superficial.

The function of mindfulness is to prevent forgetfulness, keeping the object always in focus. When practicing insight meditation (vipassana), you must constantly remember and observe the object or phenomena arising in the present moment.

The manifestation of mindfulness is to be fully face-to-face with the object, guarding against lapses in awareness.

Sometimes Right Mindfulness is described as observation or watching. There are four foundations of mindfulness: (1) contemplation of the body, (2) contemplation of feelings, (3) contemplation of the mind, and (4) contemplation of phenomena (dhammas).

In meditation, you must practice all four foundations of mindfulness. However, you should focus only on the object that is most prominent in the present moment, rather than trying to observe all four at once.

Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi)

When explaining Right Concentration, the Buddha referred to the four stages of meditation or jhānas. Therefore, Right Concentration encompasses the first, second, third, and fourth stages of jhāna.

When we hear the term “jhāna,” we often think of the form meditations (Rūpāvacara Jhāna). If you’ve studied Abhidhamma (Buddhist psychology and philosophy), you will know that the Path Mind at the moment of Enlightenment is also considered a jhāna. You can experience the Path Mind in the first, second, third, and fourth stages of jhāna. These four form-based jhānas are stages of concentration that can be practiced before or during insight meditation (vipassana). While practicing vipassana, you may alternate between concentration meditation (samādhi) and insight meditation, moving from one jhāna to another. At the moment of Enlightenment, the jhāna becomes supramundane, and the Path Mind arises in association with the respective jhāna (whether first, second, third, or fourth). Thus, these worldly jhānas can also become supramundane.

The Buddha used the four stages of jhāna to explain Right Concentration. While these four jhānas are typically associated with concentration meditation, they can also serve as a foundation for insight meditation. For those who practice concentration first and then transition to insight, the jhānas can become objects for vipassana practice, making concentration a basis for insight. It’s important to understand that momentary concentration (khanika samādhi) also plays a similar role. Without momentary concentration, insight meditation and Enlightenment cannot occur.

Momentary concentration is achieved when a meditator can focus on an object for a brief moment, perhaps just a few instants. As the meditator progresses and is able to sustain attention on the object for longer periods—five, ten minutes, or even half an hour—they develop temporary concentration. During this time, the mind rarely becomes distracted, and even when it does, the meditator can quickly bring it back to focus.

In general, it’s important to understand that sensual desire and the jhānas are opposed to one another. Sensual pleasures are obstacles to attaining jhāna. If you wish to attain the stages of jhāna, you must avoid sensual desires and diligently practice concentration meditation. Sensual desire hinders the development of a concentrated mind and is also a barrier to insight meditation. You cannot mix insight meditation with sensual pleasures. For effective vipassana practice, your conduct must be pure, meaning that you cannot intermingle the practice of insight with anything related to the five sensual pleasures.

In summary, Right Concentration is a state of deep mental focus that can be cultivated through the practice of jhānas or momentary concentration. It is crucial for progressing on the path to Enlightenment and should be free from distractions or attachments to sensual pleasures.

The Eightfold Path – Final thoughts

The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path, or the Fourth Noble Truth of the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni), is the path that leads to the cessation of defilements. When you practice insight meditation (Vipassanā), you are practicing the eight factors of the Eightfold Path, meaning you are walking on this path.

In the Eightfold Path, there are five active factors: Right View (Sammā Diṭṭhi), Right Intention (Sammā Saṅkappa), Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma), Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati), and Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi). These are called active factors because they actively function while the meditator is practicing meditation.

  • Without Right Effort, the meditator cannot direct the mind toward the object.
  • Without Right Mindfulness, the mind cannot contact the object.
  • Without Right Concentration, the mind cannot stay focused on the object.
  • Without Right View, the mind cannot penetrate the true nature of things to see them as they really are.
  • Without Right Intention (or Right Thought), the meditator cannot direct the mind toward the object.
element of The Eightfold Path

Right Intention (Sammā Saṅkappa) directs the mind toward the object. Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma) supports Right Intention and other mental factors. Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati) helps the mind make contact with the object and deeply observe it. Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi) keeps the mind on the object for a longer period, and Right View (Sammā Diṭṭhi) helps the mind see the object as it truly is. When meditation progresses well, these five factors work in a balanced and active manner. This is why they are called “active factors” (Caraca Magganga).

The other three factors are Right Speech (Sammā Vācā), Right Action (Sammā Kammanta), and Right Livelihood (Sammā Ājīva). These moral factors (Sīla) are typically fulfilled when you meditate. Before meditation, you maintain moral discipline by refraining from unwholesome physical and verbal actions. These moral restraints may not be immediately present during meditation because they only apply when you encounter situations that could lead to breaking precepts, but you choose to refrain. When you are meditating, your moral discipline is already in place. Therefore, it can be said that all eight factors of the Eightfold Path are at work while you meditate.

These eight factors form the path of Morality (Sīla), Concentration (Samādhi), and Wisdom (Paññā):

  • Right View (Sammā Diṭṭhi) and Right Intention (Sammā Saṅkappa) belong to the wisdom group (Paññā).
  • Right Speech (Sammā Vācā), Right Action (Sammā Kammanta), and Right Livelihood (Sammā Ājīva) belong to the morality group (Sīla).
  • Right Effort (Sammā Vāyāma), Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati), and Right Concentration (Sammā Samādhi) belong to the concentration group (Samādhi).
The Noble Eightfold Path

As we’ve discussed earlier, the Eightfold Path can be either mundane (Lokiya) or supramundane (Lokuttara). At the moment of Enlightenment, with the arising of the Path Consciousness (Magga Citta), the Noble Eightfold Path becomes supramundane. When we practice the Eightfold Path during meditation, we are applying it at a mundane level.

We have already examined the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni) in great detail. You can read more about the Eightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths in books for further understanding. These form the foundation of Buddhism.

The Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni) were discovered and taught by the Buddha for the benefit of all beings. Among them, the Fourth Noble Truth, the Truth of the Path (Magga Sacca), is the one we must focus on, because it is the path that leads to liberation from suffering. Although all four truths are important, we must use the Fourth Truth, the Eightfold Path, as a means of practice to contemplate the First Truth (Dukkha Sacca), eliminate the Second Truth (Samudaya Sacca), and realize the Third Truth (Nirodha Sacca).

In summary, we must apply the Fourth Noble Truth (Magga Sacca), the Eightfold Path, with Right Mindfulness (Sammā Sati) at the forefront, to contemplate all conditioned phenomena (materiality and mentality) and see them clearly as impermanent (Anicca), unsatisfactory (Dukkha), and selfless (Anattā) (impermanent, unsatisfactory, beyond control, and without a core).

a. Seeing clearly that materiality and mentality are impermanent and unsatisfactory is the understanding of the First Truth (Dukkha Sacca – the truth of suffering, which must be understood).
b. By understanding the truth of suffering, we no longer regard things as important. We see that they are not worthy of craving or attachment, and thus, we eliminate craving. This is the Second Truth (Samudaya Sacca – the truth of craving, which must be eliminated).
c. By seeing that things arise and pass away, are temporary and insignificant, we direct the mind toward the “unconditioned object” (Nibbāna). This is the Third Truth (Nirodha Sacca – the truth of cessation, which must be realized).
d. To realize the Third Truth, the cessation of suffering or Nibbāna, we must practice the Fourth Truth, the Eightfold Path. We use the Eightfold Path as the method to contemplate the First Truth (suffering), eliminate the Second Truth (craving), and realize the Third Truth (cessation or Nibbāna). Therefore, the Fourth Truth must be practiced (Magga Sacca – the truth of the path, which must be followed).

May you diligently practice the Eightfold Path and achieve the ultimate goal of realizing the Four Noble Truths (Cattāri Ariyasaccāni) in this very life.

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Buddha Student
Buddha Student
I am a student of Buddhist teachings, sharing valuable insights from my journey of self-learning and exploring Buddhism. Most of the articles are compiled from the lectures of various Vietnamese monks. I hope these writings are as helpful to you as they have been to me.

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