Buddhism’s Eightfold Path Provides a Perfect Key for the Understanding of the Universe, Research Paper Example

Abstract

This paper will detail and analyse the Eightfold Path which forms the basis of Buddhism and how followers of that doctrine construct their lives according to it. It will detail the reasons for the formulation of such a path, and why followers of Buddhism use it to attain their goal of ‘Nirvana’. The points the paper makes will be supported by references to Buddhist texts themselves, as well as to scholarly articles and other reading materials related to the subject matter. Some comparisons will also be made in how its perceptions of the nature of reality contrast with more openly theist religions, specifically Christianity. The nature of the Eightfold Path as a route map and guide rather than a prescriptive instruction book will also be explored.

The nature of Buddhism has been debated by scholars for centuries, with its guidance being taken as a religion by some, as a spiritual path by others, and by others as a simple guide to living a better life. While definitions of Buddhism can be hard to pin down, there is one facet of its teaching which remains common to all versions and practises, which is the Eightfold Path. This paper will define the Eightfold Path, and provide commentary on why this aspect of Buddhism is so important in providing the fundamentals of practise for so many millions of Buddhists worldwide.

The aim of all Buddhism is to put an end to the cycle of suffering and rebirth which occurs in human beings. “The ultimate goal of Buddhism is to put an end to suffering and rebirth. The Buddha stated, ‘Both in the past and now, I set forth only this: suffering and the end of suffering.'” (Keown, p. 44). This may seem like a negative aim, but in fact it is through positive action that the cycle can be completed. The way to put an end to the cycle of suffering and rebirth is actually to fully fulfil all of an individual’s potential for human good and happiness. When this state has been reached, Buddhists term it ‘Nirvana’. Attaining Nirvana is the ultimate goal of every Buddhist. In order to attain this state though, there needs to be an awareness of one’s being and one’s struggle, and a person also needs to understand how to find the path to Nirvana. The Eightfold Path is the way in which a Buddhist builds a conception of his or her life; it is a guidebook for the soul, as it were, breaking the complex ideas at the heart of Buddhism into a simple set of instructions. These instructions may appear simple, but their meaning and nature is open to much personal interpretation and application by individual Buddhists. The basic meaning of all of the eightfold path and the Buddhist view of taking action can be summed up by Verse Five of the Dhammapada, which states, “For hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal.” (The Dhammapada, p. 35).

So the Eightfold Path is a set of instructions, but before these instructions are detailed, it is essential to know the problems of human life to which they relate. The issues with which the Eightfold Path is designed to deal are broken down by Buddhists into Four Noble Truths. The first of these Noble Truths is “The Noble Truth of the reality of Dukkha as part of conditioned existence.” (Allan) The idea of ‘Dukkha’ can be hard to translate properly into English, but it is usually rendered as ‘suffering’. It is not quite as simple as that though. As Allan states, “Its literal meaning is “that which is difficult to bear”. It can mean suffering, stress, pain, anguish, affliction or unsatisfactoriness.” All of those English words either lack severity or are to severe in their meaning to be absolutely accurate though. The kind of ‘suffering’ can be very painful and physically immediate, or can be a much more cerebral or ephemeral feeling of angst, ennui or alienation.

The second truth is that Dukkha is the result of our own behaviours and actions, it “has a causal arising.” (Allan) “The reason of the suffering is the thirst (‘tanha’) for existence, for enjoyment of the senses.” (Universal-path.org). This means that our own actions make us suffer because of our unhealthy focus on attaining desires and wants, especially in relation to sensual matters. This leads on to the third of the four Truths, which is that this suffering, this Dukkha, is eliminated by working to prevent our thirsting for this continual sensual experience. Suffering is mastered by people mastering their desires and lusts. This is the only way in which Dukkha can be overcome, and our path to Nirvana started upon. This awkening towards understanding what is to be done to elimintae Dukkha and begin the path to Nirvana is summed up by Allan as, “The realisation of Nirvana is supreme Bodhi or Awakening. It is waking up to the true nature of reality. It is waking up to our true nature. Buddha Nature.” (Allan). The very act of awakening is actually the first step on the path to enlightenment and full understanding.

The last of the four truths can be said to be paradoxical, in some senses. It is described as, “The Noble Truth of the Path that leads to Awakening” (Allan). Allan also explains the nature of the paradox which is present thus,

It is a conditioned thing that is said to help you to the unconditioned. Awakening is not “made” by anything: it is not a product of anything including the Buddha’s teachings. Awakening, your true nature is already always present. We are just not awake to this reality. Clinging to limitation, and attempts to control the ceaseless flow of phenomena and process obscures our true nature.

The moment of awakening is akin to a Christian being reborn in his or her faith. Rather than learning more about what is out there in the world though, a Buddhist almost has to ‘unlearn’ things, especially in the way in which reality is perceived. As Allan details, “The path is a process to help you remove or move beyond the conditioned responses that obscure your true nature.” So by understanding the world better, we must then strip away that conscious understanding and become aware that life is in change and flux all the time, nothing is permanent and there are no permanent truths which are shaped by mankind. Again, this is something of a paradox. The teachings of Buddha though are tools which are designed to help us come to a greater understanding of these paradoxes, but it is important for any Buddhist to also remember that the teachings themselves my one day need to be cast aside in order to fully develop an understanding of our true path in life. As Allan states:

The Buddha called his teaching a Raft. To cross a turbulent river we may need to build a raft. When built, we single-mindedly and with great energy make our way across. Once across we don’t need to cart the raft around with us. In other words don’t cling to anything including the teachings. However, make sure you use them before you let them go. It’s no use knowing everything about the raft and not getting on. (Allan).

The Eighfold Path is considered the way to attain Nirvana by Buddhists, as the way to control suffering and to strip away our preconceived perceptions of the nature of reality. It is the route map with which the Buddhist negotiates their way through existence. “The eight factors reveal how a Buddha would live, and living like a Buddha one gradually becomes one.” (Keown, p. 56) Another way of looking at it is provided by Fronsdal, who states, “In one version of this path metaphor, the Buddha likens spiritual liberation to a long-forgotten, overgrown city deep in the forest. Just as it’s possible to reclaim and then inhabit this city once the path to it is found, it’s possible to live a liberated life when we discover and follow a path that will take us there.” (Fronsdal) By following the path, a Buddhist develops wisdom as well as, crucially, greater empathy and compassion for others. The Eightfold Path is usually defined as follows:

Right Understanding – Samm? ditthi

Right Intention – Samm? san?kappa

Right Speech – Samm? v?c?

Right Action – Samm? kammanta

Right Livelihood – Samm? ?j?va

Right Effort – Samm? v?y?ma

Right Mindfulness – Samm? sati

Right Concentration – Samm? sam?dhi (BBC Religions)

Each of these steps requires further elucidation in order that they can be fully understood. The practise of Right View means that we must view life as it is, and not allow our understanding of it to be shaped by preconceptions. It is about understanding that life contains suffering as well as joy, and most suffering is actually caused by our own actions. It is when we start imposing conditions on ourselves and try to make reality fit our prejudices that we begin to trigger suffering, in both ourselves and others. It is also important to state that Right View does not have any kind of supernatural basis to it, it is based entirely on our personal perceptions and understanding of life. “Practicing Right View does not require believing something we can’t know for ourselves. It does not rely on any supernatural or mystical beliefs. Nor does it require us to be ahead of where we are. Pursuing a path involves walking where we are on the path; we can’t walk on what lies ahead until we reach it.” (Fronsdal)

The Right Intention is where our intentions become pure, because we are now seeing the world as it is, and not as we would like it to be. Right Speech is concerned with the way in which we use language. If we are seeing the world with the Right View though, then our speech is nothing to be embarrassed about. The fourth step, Right Action, contains something of another paradox, as it is about conforming to the regulations set out by the Buddha in the Eightfold Path, which in itself is something which no one should follow blindly or with bigotry. The paradox is that by showing discipline and conforming to the path, we make ourselves freer of the patterns and rules that we and society create for ourselves.

The fifth of the steps, Right Livelihood, means that we should work in ways that do not harm others. While it is right that we labour for our living, we should not deal in poisons, or harm animals, as part of the work we do. This is consistent with living in accordance with the reining in of desire and the prevention of suffering in others. Right Effort is about freeing ourselves and our minds from struggle. When we act according to the teachings of the Eightfold Path then our actions are simplified, and not defined by conflict, either with ourselves or others. Right Midfulness is about being aware of each of our actions and how they will impact on the world. Every detail of our lives must be paid attention to, in order that we can let it go and appreciate the transience of existence. As the Dalai Lama states, “Mind comes into being based on a previous moment of mind.” (Tibetan Book of the Dead, page xix) Right concentration is similar, and goes to the heart of the Buddhist view of the world. It is about escaping from the self-absorption that we normally feel, and from the distractions that seem so important to us. Right concentration means, according to Falkenberg, “That we are completely absorbed in nowness, in things as they are. This can only happen if we have some sort of discipline, such as sitting meditation.”

Buddhism’s Eightfold Path provides a perfect key for understanding the patterns of the universe. It breaks very complex and often seemingly contradictory elements in ways that can be more easily understood, and then allows ways for that ‘understanding’ to be ‘unlearned’ and cast aside. Unlike other religions, it does not rely on some kind of supernatural or heavenly process to trigger an awakening; its principles are not reliant on accepting the possible existence of a Saviour or God. Instead, the ‘salvation’ is contained in the process of enlightenment itself. By chasing a state of salvation we are in effect succumbing to forces which prevent us reaching Nirvana. The wisdom that we need is not contained in ritual and worship, but in the simple words of the Buddha themslves. “Even as a lake that is pure and peaceful and deep, so becomes the soul of the wise when he hears the words of Dhamma.” (Dhammapada, p. 46) One of the most direct comparisons is with Christianity, which, with typical Buddhist paradox, has ideas which both support and refute this view of enlightenment. While the importance of the Word is vital to Christians, it is not the actual words which are really important, but receiving the Holy spirit too, as in Acts, 10, verse 44, which states, “The Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.” A Buddhist must not just hear the ‘Word’ but also understand and use it to shape their life. There can be no grasping struggle for salvation, but instead a peaceful realisation that eliminating suffering is done by eliminating desire, which can only come from within.

In conclusion, the Eightfold Path is not only a religious guide, but also an ethical one. It is both intensely personal and widely general. There are paradoxes at its heart which we understand when we have mastered the concepts it contains. It offers no guaranteed salvation, but simply suffering and struggle, even though that struggle is designed to free us from suffering. It focuses on the nature of our own existences, rather than grappling with questions of whether God exists and what he is like. Robert Pirsig’s assertion that his work ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ is offering an alternative to how life is lived can also be applied to Buddhism and the Eightfold Path. He states, “It’s not so much an alternative as an expansion of ‘success’ to something larger than just getting a good job and staying out of trouble. And also something larger than mere freedom. It gives a positive goal to work towards that does not confine.” Those sentences can also be used to define the Eightfold Path.

Bibliography

The Dhammapada, translated Juan Mascaro, 1973, pp 1-92

Allan, John, ‘The Eightfold Path’, Buddhanet.net, retrieved from: htttp://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/8foldpath.htm, 04/05/2013

Falkenbrg, Gitte, Path to Enlightenment, retrieved from: http://gittefalkenberg.wordpress.com/2010/03/18/the-noble-eightfold-path/, 05/04/2013

Frinsdal, Gil, ‘The Buddha’s Eightfold Path’, September 2012, retrieved from: http://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/2012/09/article-the-buddhas-eightfold-path/, 04/05/2013

Keown, Damien, 1996, ‘Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction’, pp 44-56

Pirsig, Robert, ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’, 1974, pp. 14-423

Universal-path.org, retrieved from: http://www.universal-path.org/page4b.html, 04/05/2013

BBC Religions, ‘The Four Noble Truths’ November 2009, retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/beliefs/fournobletruths_1.shtml, 05/04/2013

The Tibetan Book of the Dead, edited by Coleman, Graham, and Jinpa, Thupten, 2005, Introduction The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version