Eightfold path of Buddha
As per Hindu mythology, Buddha is the 9th incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hinduism, Lord Vishnu takes a new form every time he testifies people encompassing bad purposes. He takes birth to enlighten people with various different ways to overcome wrong deeds and actions. He taught the eightfold path of Buddha to his followers and everyone that included meditative practices and ethical training.
According to mythological stories Buddha was one of the 9 incarnations, whose life story transformed the lives of many and granted a glorious path to move on. He formulated this path for his believers after walking the path by himself. He actualized all the decisive aspects of these behaviors and impelling them, it guided him to achieve his goal to find enlightenment. Implementing these steps into our daily existence will surely bring calmness and contentment to our life.
Table of Contents
What is Eightfold path of Buddha?
The Buddha’s path, although related to steps on a path, is not meant as a constant education process, but as eight phases of life, all of which are to be blended in everyday life. Thus, the environment is formulated to move closer to the Buddhist path.
The Eight Fold Path of Buddha are:-
- Right Understanding
- Right Intent
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
- Right Effort
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration
What does right understanding mean in the Buddha’s path?
In the Eightfold Path of Buddha, the Right understanding is to take and understand the world as it is, not by what we think it is. Everything in this realm is having its own existence and deserves to stay as it is meant to be. Just like when we start a journey, we take assistance from a map, just to read, understand and plan accordingly. But in practice, we can only know what that journey is when we start moving on that path.
Understanding things don’t obtain much value until we put them to personal use in our daily lives. Just like we understand what is true and what is altered in our life but until we inculcate that into our lives in a positive way, it’s not of use. Right Understanding shows us what life really is and what life’s problems are composed of.
What does the right intent signify in the Buddha’s path?
Right intent is the second step in the Eightfold Path of Buddha which helps us to figure out what our heart wants and what we actually want to achieve. Right understanding helps us to know what life is and what problems we have and the right intent helps us to choose what exactly we should do to overcome them.
Both things are interlinked, If you want to climb a steep mountain you need to understand all the pitfalls and barriers of your path, and what gives you the motivation to move on this path is the right intent. Right Intent means persistence and a passion for the journey. Here the journey is the ups and down of our own life.
To summarise, Right Understanding will eliminate ignorance. With Right Intent and correct understanding, we then remove desire, which in turn causes the suffering defined in the Four Noble Truths.
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What does right speech signify in the Buddha’s path?
This is the next step in the Eightfold Path of Buddha. Everybody among us has realized the power of words in one or the other way. Sometimes we undervalue the strength of our utterances but soon recognize its results when we ourselves become a sufferer of it.
Words obtain the potential of restoring and destroying life. Sometimes in anger we utter words of haste which we gradually come to realize were not good, but as we had already done something bad we start regretting our deed.
Right speech includes acceptance of the truth, and also an appreciation of the influence of idle gossip and of recurring rumors.
Communicating thoughtfully helps to embrace others, and can heal disputes. By electing never to speak unkindly, or in anger, a spirit of thoughtfulness unfolds which moves us closer to every day’s merciful existence.
What does right action signify in the Buddha’s path?
This step of the eightfold path of Buddha involves taking life on a positive note. We don’t have the right to take something which is not given to us. We should be truthful to each and every deed we do in our lives.
Stay committed in your personal and professional lives. Right Action also comprises the five rules which were given by the Buddha, not to kill, steal, lie, avoid sexual misconduct, and not to take drugs or other intoxicants.
Our actions make our life a better place to live in. Whatever we get is the outcome of what we do or chose to do in our past. Every good or bad action sets its outcome with respect to time. So if we expect good actions from others we have to show the best from us first.
What does right livelihood mean in the Buddha’s path?
This eightfold path of Buddha involves our livelihood. Specific types of work were checked by the Buddha, in distinct those where you deal in harmful drugs and intoxicants, those harmful to animal or human life, and those dealing in weapons. So a committed Buddhist would not be advised to have a liquor store, own a gun shop, or be a butcher.
In his time, he also withheld the slave trade, which dealt with human workers. And he was also against the tradition of fortune-telling as this made assumptions about a secured future, where his teaching emphasizes that the future is shaped by what we perform today.
What does right effort signify in the path of Buddha?
Buddha emphasized a person’s effort towards his activities which makes him achieve his goals. Right Effort means developing passion, a positive attitude in a balanced way. Like when we want to work on something we have to spend our best effort to make it happen. Not too hard, not too lenient but exactly what needs to be done, we have to be in a balanced form.
In order to create the right effort, clear and honest thoughts should be embraced, and emotions of jealousy and anger left behind. Right effort equalizes positive thinking, followed by focused action.
What does right mindfulness signify according to Buddha’s path?
Right Mindfulness in the eight fold path of Buddha directs us to be conscious of the journey at that moment and to be clear and undistracted. Right Mindfulness is almost connected with meditation and forms the basis of meditation. We generally went through a lot of scenarios where we imagine a lot while working on a particular project. Our mind stays distracted and gradually it leads to a bad ending of the work on which we were spending a lot of time.
Right Mindfulness is not an effort to eliminate the world, in fact, the opposite. Right Mindfulness invites us to be conscious of the moment, and of our actions at that moment. By being aware, we are able to see how old patterns and habits control us. In this experience, we may see how worries of possible futures limit our present lives.
What does right concentration mean according to Buddha’s path to enlightenment?
Right mindfulness and right concentration, are interlinked to each other in the eightfold path of Buddha. When our mind, sets free from the clutters of unnecessary thoughts it starts concentrating on the things which are necessary for our living. It forms the next path of the meditation process.
The advantages of right mindfulness and right concentration are notable as they train the mind to see everything, not as we are accustomed to seeing them, but as they actually are. At the same time, they also guide to a feeling of calm and peace with the world. By being in the moment and being able to concentrate completely, a sense of comfort at the moment is sensed. Freedom from the control of past pains and future mind recreations takes us closer to freedom from suffering.
Proceeding through all those paths of Buddha we can not only pave a positive way in our life but will also be able to formulate a life full of peace and harmony. This blog is just a drop of wisdom from the deep sea named Buddha. Gautam Buddha life stories had encouraged many to lead a life of fulfillment. Buddha’s thoughts have made enormous changes in our existence.
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