Buddhism Practices: Living According to the Eightfold Path Flashcards
what is the noble eightfold path?
a set of guidelines of how to live
last of the 4 noble truths
removes suffering and reaches enlightenment
what is the noble eightfold path?
a set of guidelines of how to live
last of the 4 noble truths
removes suffering and reaches enlightenment
What is the middle way?
Between luxury and hardship
Both extremes lead to craving and suffering so you must find middle ground
3 parts of noble eightfold path
Wisdom
Morality
Meditation
Wisdom
Right view
Right intention
Morality
Right speech
Right action
Right livelihood
Meditation
Right effort
Right mindfulness
Right concentration
Right view
Right intention
Aim to:
Resist desire
Show compassion for all living beings
Right speech
Avoid:
Lies
Creating trouble through gossip
Speak harshly
Empty words
Aim for:
Truth
Promote harmony
Kindness
Value silence
Right action
Avoid:
Harming living things
Stealing
Sexual misconduct (affairs or abuse)
right livelihood
jobs to avoid (your job reflects your values)
jobs with weapons eg. soldier
jobs making money from buying and selling living beings eg. prostitution
jobs in the meat industry eg. butcher
jobs working with poisons eg. drug dealer
right effort
set aside evil and negative thoughts and replace with positive
right mindfulness
be aware of you’re own feelings and impacts on others
right concentration
let go of all the stuff in your mind to properly concentrate enabling you to become a peaceful, calm, controlled person
Theravada/ Mahayana differences
Theravada = key quality is wisdom, achieved by meditation and/or study
Mahayana = develop the 6 perfections as the path to enlighten. key quality is compassion
benefits of following the N8P
step by step guide how to live
shows how to escape samsara, reaching enlightenment
gains positive kamma
focus on positives instead of negatives
world would be better if everyone followed it
morality improves how you behave
wisdom increases understanding and mental progress
meditations controls desires
difficulties of following the N8P
difficult to follow without expert guidance due to emphasis on wisdom and need to study scripture
not easy to do the right thing eg. lie to save someones feelings or only job available is a butcher
meditation is hard to master on your own
hard to follow rules not followed by those around you
