Gautama Buddha didn’t just offer a worldview in the form of the four noble truths, but also laid out a path to practise the right way of living for someone who has understood the truths. This is called the noble eightfold path in Buddhism. Out of the eight, the first two help us gain wisdom, the next three morality and the last three concentration.
Right view: A view that is free from all kinds of discrimination. Most of our views about the world are based on what we have read in books or heard from others. The Buddha laid emphasis on direct and experiential knowledge. Our life experiences must shape our views.
Right thinking: The kind of thinking that produces compassion and understanding. Thoughts of anger, fear, despair and hate can destroy our bodies and mind, and destroy the world. Right thoughts are free from greed, anger and delusion. When we see things as they are with the right view, we can have the right thoughts.
Right speech: Refraining from telling lies, and harsh, hateful, or useless speech. It is not just repressing such speech but putting the mind in a state where it would not want to make such a speech. It also means not getting into unnecessary arguments. When someone says something nasty to you and you have the opportunity to hit back at them with your words, but you resist the temptation, you are practising the right speech. When we write a letter, send an email, or use a mobile phone, we have an opportunity to practise the right speech.
Right action: Acting to protect and save. It is not simply refraining from killing, cheating, or stealing, but also having no desire to do these things.
Right livelihood: Pursuing a livelihood that does not require cheating, crooked dealing, or misrepresentation. It also means not dealing in things that are dangerous or harmful to others, like selling weapons or slaughtering animals.
Right effort: Selective watering of seeds. Remember to water the good qualities and avoid watering the bad ones. It means not being sidetracked from our goals. When we are really focused on our goal, work becomes effortless.
Right mindfulness: To live our lives deeply by living in the here and now. We need to be aware of what is going on, at the moment when it is happening. We must live in the present, not in the past or the future.
Right concentration: Focusing on the present reality. Concentration should not be fixed on a single object, but should be dynamic. When the right foot is moving, we should know that the right foot is moving; when the left moves, we should know the left is moving.
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