Buddhism Taught me Joy, Peace, and Insight

Buddhism Taught me Joy, Peace, and Insight

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“Arya Ashtangika Manga (a noble eight path of eight limbs) suggests the interbeing nature of these eight elements of the path. Each limb contains all the other seven. Please use your intelligence to apply the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path in your daily life” page 50

The Noble Eightfold Path is a teaching of Buddha, it is the path to end suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path looks at a person’s ethical and mental improvements to find a way to free an individual from certain attachments they may have, thus ending the individual’s attachment, thus creating an understanding of the ultimate truth. The Noble Eight Path works in partnership with the Four Noble truths which are 1. Suffering will occur throughout life 2. Suffering is caused from our attachments 3. Cessation from our suffering is attainable and 4. The path to cessation can be full of suffering (pgs 9-11). The Four Noble Truths in combination of the Noble Eightfold Path created a greater understanding of Buddha’s teachings. To be able to reach Nirvana, the highest state of existence, one has to practice the Noble Eightfold Path. Each step of the Noble Eightfold Path is codependent to one another. The Noble Eightfold Path includes right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

Right view distinguishes wholesome roots from unwholesome roots and is the insight we have on the reality of life, right view fills us with understanding peace and love. Right view begins with having intuitive insights, all beings suffer and the end of suffering begins when the understanding of nature is realized. In terms of my personal life, I understand that suffering will occur in school, in family life, and many other aspects. If you have a right outlook, you can understand why the suffering occurs and move forward.

Right Intention is needed to take us down the path of right actions and reflects the way things are. This is hard because the mind and body are not unified. The intention of renunciation is a part of right intention; it looks at resisting desires and craving because they are the root of suffering. The intention of renunciation was something I could relate to personally due to the fact that I was picked on in elementary school and the early years of middle school because I was a heavyset child. I found the root of my suffering (being overweight) and decided to resist the desires and cravings that caused my suffering (start eating healthier and having an active lifestyle). The problem is that the mind and body are not unified so my mind might crave an unhealthy sugary treat while my body wouldn't want that in its system. I understand the concept of bodnichtla and engage in activities that bring happiness to myself.

Right Mindfulness is the heart of Buddha’s teachings; a part of right mindfulness is accepting everything without judging. I know how it feels to be judged by others or not feeling like you measure up to others around you, so I don’t judge others around me. I think I succeed at right mindfulness, also to be able to not judge people you need to have an experience of what being judged feels like. Until you truly know how it feels to be judged, you won’t do because you don’t want anyone else to feel the way you've felt during judgment. . Mindfulness is the energy that can embrace and transform all mental formations, it helps leave behind all upside down perceptions (page 81).

 Right Speech is based on speaking truthfully, not speaking with a forked tongue or cruelly, and not exaggerating or embellishing (page 84). If we do not listen mindfully, we can’t practice right speech. I believe that I do speak to people in a friendly and gentle way but I do not listen mindfully. I have a problem with listening to what people are saying and actually paying attention to what they are saying. I consider myself a daydreamer with an attention span of a child; this is something i need to work on!

Right Action deals more with ethics, it means 1. Staying away from harming living beings 2. Not stealing, being dishonest, or committing fraud. 3. Staying away from sexual misconduct. Right Actions basically means being a respectful citizen, kind, honest, and refraining from sexual relationship that can be harmful (page 94). The problem I have with right action is harming living beings (including myself). I eat meat and drink alcohol, both are toxins. I am hurting myself by poisoning my body with these toxins, which is violating the principle of living in right action. 

Right Diligence aka Right Effort is an important principle in the Noble Eightfold Path, to be successful 

at anything you need to put some effort into it. The problem is some effort is misguided which can cause the mind to become confused. Right Diligence is dependent on the person’s mental energy because the energy of right diligence also fuels unwholesome thoughts such as aggression and envy but wholesome thoughts as well such as honesty and kindness. We need to learn how to water our wholesome thoughts like honesty and kindness and not water thoughts like envy, violence, and aggression. 

Right concentration is the state where all of mental thoughts are focused onto one object. The purpose is to concentrate on our wholesome thoughts. Right concentration is developed through the practice of mediation. Many people have problems with this, living in a world where technology and our friends are always at our fingertips, it is hard to not be distracted by our phones.  Out of sight, out of mind doesn't work because the forbidden fruit is always taste the best.

Right livelihood, the last step, means you have to find a way to earn a living without practicing illegal activities or causing harm to others. For example don't have the job of a butcher, a weapons dealer, a sex/slave trade dealer, our sell toxins like drugs of alcohol  Your wealth should come from doing something ethical that does not cause harm to others. 

All of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path look at the person’s wisdom, ethical conduct, or the mental development of the individual. The Noble Eightfold Path is the foundation of Buddhism as well as the Four Noble Truths. By completing the long journey of the Noble Eightfold Path you will reach the highest state of existence which is Nirvana, which will be the ending to all your suffering.


-Shawnna M Hall-Enoch