The
Eightfold Path
The
path to liberation of states of being, as taught
by Buddha, has been known as the eightfold path.
1; The right view -- the right way to view the
world. Let go of our expectations onto things;about how we hope things will be, or about how we fear things might be. Right view is when we see things simply,
or as they actually are.
Allow an open and accommodating attitude
2; The right intention. It follows
from the right view. If we are able to abandon our expectations, our
hopes and fears, we no longer feel the need to be manipulative. We don't
have to try to force situations into our preconceived notions of how
they should be. We work with what is. Our intentions are pure.
3; The right speech. Once our intentions are
pure, we no longer have to be embarrassed about our speech. Since
we aren't trying to manipulate people, we don't have to be hesitant
about what we say, nor do we need to try bluff our way through a
conversation with false confidence. We say what needs
to be said, very simply in a genuine way, while allowing the other party their self.
4: The right discipline, involves a kind of release.
We need to give up our tendency to complicate issues. We practice simplicity, and develop a simple straight-forward relationship with aspects of our life. We give up all the
unnecessary and frivolous complications that we might make our life of.
5: Right
livelihood is the fifth step on the path. It is only natural and
right that we should earn our living. Sometimes we don't
enjoy our jobs. We can't wait to get home from work and begrudge
the amount of time that our job takes away from our enjoyment of
the good life. Perhaps, we might wish we had a more glamorous job.
We don't feel that our job in a factory or office is in keeping
with the image we want to project. The truth is, that we should
be glad of our job, whatever it is. We should form a simple relationship
with it. We need to perform it properly, with attention to detail.
6;The
sixth aspect of the path is right effort. Wrong effort is struggle.We are locked in combat
with ourselves and try to fight the tiniest negative tendency.
Right effort doesn't involve struggle at all. When we see things
as they are, we can work with them, gently and without any kind
of aggression whatsoever.
7;Right
mindfulness, the seventh step, involves precision and clarity. We
are mindful of the tiniest details of our experience. We are mindful
of the way we talk, the way we perform our jobs, our posture, our
attitude toward our friends and family, every detail.
This can often happen if we have some sort of discipline, such as sitting meditation to provide a space or gap in our preoccupation with ourselves.
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