The Noble Eightfold Path

Question 1

What is The Noble Eightfold Path?

Answer 1

The Noble Eightfold path consists of eight ways of thinking, speaking and behaving that the Buddha said people should follow if they want to reach Nirvana, the end of suffering.

Question 2

What are the 8 ways of thinking?

Answer 2

Right Understanding
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Livelihood 
Right Action
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

Question 3

Explain Right Understanding

Answer 3

To have Right understanding is to understand the teachings on Karma and rebirth, the 3 universal truths, the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path. Not only is this intellectual understanding it is to feel these things in ones heart and have them influence the way one sees and does things on a day to day level.

Question 4

Explain Right Intention

Answer 4

Right intention is to do things for the right reasons. e.g Buddhists will think less about doing things for themselves and more for others.

Question 5

Explain Right Speech

Answer 5

not lying
not swearing
not gossiping
not saying things to cause others to have conflict

Question 6

Explain Right Action

Answer 6

Not killing to injuring any living beings
Not stealing
not committing sexual misconduct

Question 7

Explain right livelihood

Answer 7

to never make living in a way that is harmful to others, Buddhists should never work selling, weapons, meat, slaves, harmful drugs or poison

Question 8

Explain Right Effort

Answer 8

making an effort to abandon negative ways of thinking, such as proud, angry or jealous and instead making an effort to develop positive ways of thinking such as, humble, generous or compassionate thoughts

Question 9

Right Mindfullness

Answer 9

To be mindful of something means to remember it. Buddhists learn to be mindful of a calm and peaceful state of mind so that when something causes a strong sense of self, they are mindful of that calm and peaceful state again.

Question 10

Right Concentration

Answer 10

The ability to keep the mind concentrated on a calm, peaceful state without becoming distracted. Though similar to right mindfulness, Right concentration remains focused on the calm and peaceful state, right mindfulness notices when the mind starts to get distracted and pulls it back to the object of concentration. A Buddhist can gradually fall into deeper states of meditation until they have eventually gone beyond the sense of self and reach nirvana.