Friday, April 6, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Eight Fold Path
Today I will share with you what the Buddha said about the Eight Fold Path. You all
are familiar with the Eight Fold Path, because you are practicing it when you practice
VipassanÈ meditation. So I do not need to explain in detail what the eight fold path is.
When you practice VipassanÈ meditation you try to be mindful of the object at the
present moment. You have to make an effort to be mindful of the object and the effort you
make is one factor in the eight fold path, Right effort. With Right effort, you try to be mindful
of the object and you are mindful of the object. That means your mind hits the object.
You mind hitting the object is what is called Right mindfulness. When that Right mindfulness
becomes stronger, you calm down and your mind goes into the object and stay there for a
certain period of tim. That is called concentration. Concentration is one factor and this keeps
the mind and it concomitant on the object. It does not let them be scattered and does not let
them go to other objects so that is the nature of concentration or SamÈdhi.
When you gain SamÈdhi, your mind becomes calm. The mental hindrances are subdued.
When mental hindrances are subdued and your mind becomes still, you begin to see the objects
clearly, more clearly than before. You see the nature of these objects. You see that objects
arise depending on some condition and you see these objects come and go. You see their
impermanent nature. When you see the impermanent nature, you also see their Dukkha nature
or suffering nature.
Suffering here means being tormented by arising and disappearing. When you see the
impermanent nature and suffering nature of things, you also see the Anatta nature. That means
you have no control over them, they arise and disappear at their own accord. You also see that
there are only the mind that is making note and the object that is taken as an object. There is
no other thing which can be called an "Atta" or "Atama" or "Soul" or "Self". That means you
see the Anatta nature of things.
Seeing the objects clearly and so on are what is called Right Understanding, Right
Understanding in the context of VipassanÈ. In order to for mind be on the object, to be settled
the object, to understand or to see the nature of the object, you need one mental factor, one
mental state that takes the mind to the object and put it on the mind. That state that takes the
mind and put it on the object is called Right Thought among the eight factors.
So among the eight factors you may have noticed that there is this factor called Right
Thought. Here, Right Thought does not mean thinking. Its function is to put the mind on the
object so that Understanding or Wisdom can see the true nature of the object.
Now you know that these factors are working together at every moment of mindfulness
you practice. There is Right Effort. There is Right Mindfulness. There is Right Concentration.
And there is Right Understanding and then Right Thought. So these factors are working
together harmoniously at every moment of good meditation. These five factors are called
"Worker Factors" or we may call them "Active Factors".
There are the other three that have to do with the moral conduct that have to do with
Sila. They are Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. Strictly speaking, they are not
present in the mind when you are practicing VipassanÈ meditation. But they are accomplished
when you take precepts. So they can be called an "Active Factors".
You do not get all these factors, especially the five factors working together in
harmony at every moment of the practice of mindfulness. When you practice VipassanÈ
meditation, you are practicing the eight fold path. It is also called the "Middle Way", because
the practice does not fall into either of the two extremes. One extreme is indulging in sensual
pleasures and the other is inflicting pain on one's own self or one's own body. This middle way
or middle path is discovered by the Buddha (or rather the Bodhisatta "Buddha-to-be") himself.
He practiced and he got the best results of this practice. That means as a result of this practice
he became the Buddha.
Buddha said that the eight fold path is the best among the paths. That means there are
paths or roads and there are paths to rebirth in Brahama world and so on. Amongst all these
paths the eight fold path is the best because it leads to the eradication of mental defilements;
so it leads to the extension of suffering. And Buddha said this is the only way. There is none
other for the purity of vision and we must make note of this statement. The verses are from
the book called Dhammapada.
In Dhammapada Buddha said emphatically that the eight fold path is the only way and
there is none other for the purity of vision. For the purity of vision means for the purity of
Path and Fruition that means for Enlightenment. Buddha said this is the only way, there is no
other way to gain Enlightenment.
In the MahÈsatipaÔÔhÈna Sutta, Buddha said this is the one way, this means the
Foundations of Mindfulness. So this is the one way for the purification of beings and so on.
That word "the one way" is interpreted in different ways. (1) It is called one way because it
surely leads to NibbÈna and it does not fork into branches and so on. (2) It is called one way
because it was trodden by the best: one who was the Buddha and so on. (3) It is interpreted to
mean this is the only way.
There are people nowadays who do not like the interpretation "taking one way to mean
the only way". They argue that just as there are many roads to reach a city there should be
many ways to NibbÈna. So SatipaÔÔhÈna or the eight fold path should be just one of many ways.
But in this Dhammapada verse, Buddha emphatically said this is the only way and there is no
other. So in order to reach NibbÈna, you must practice the eight fold path or the foundations of
mindfulness. You can practice the eight fold path or the foundations of mindfulness in
different ways.
In the discourse on foundations of mindfulness, Buddha talked twenty-one different
ways to practice mindfulness. There is not just one way to practice mindfulness. There are
twenty-one ways to practice mindfulness. But whatever the way is it must be foundation of
mindfulness. It must be setting up of firm mindfulness on the object. Although there in the
MahÈsatipaÔÔhÈna Sutta, people may argue that Buddha would not have said such a thing and so
on, they can not say anything when they come to Dhammapada because here is it very clear
that Buddha said this is the only way and there is no other way for the purification of vision or
for the purification of beings.
Also, in practice we understand that so long as there is mindfulness in our mind, so
long as mindfulness is standing guard at the doors of eyes, ears and so on, no undesirable,
unwholesome mental state can enter our mind. We can keep our mind pure by the practice of
mindfulness. The moment we lose mindfulness, the moment mindfulness leaves the doors, then
these mental defilements come in. Through practice we can easily accept that mindfulness is
the only way for the purification of mind or to keep mental defilements away from our minds.
Buddha exhorted His to follow the middle path (the eight fold path) because only by
following the eight fold path, only by practicing the eight fold path can beings attain the
enlightenment, can beings get out of this SamsÈra or the round of rebirth. Buddha said that this
practice is the bewilderment to MÈra, the Evil One. We can take MÈra to mean the defilement.
By the practice of the eight fold path, we can bewilder mental defilement (that means we get
rid of mental defilements).
We can keep these mental defilements away from our minds. We can keep our mind
secure so that mental defilements can not enter our minds. This is by the practice of this path,
by the practice of the middle way. Now the middle way of the eight fold path and the practice
of mindfulness are the same. Although we give two names to this practice, it is just one
practice with different names. Whether we say the foundations of mindfulness or just
mindfulness or the eight fold path we mean the same thing. So the noble eight fold path or the
practice of the foundations of mindfulness or just mindfulness or the eight fold path, we mean
the same thing.
The noble eight fold path or the practice of the foundations of mindfulness can keep
mental defilements away from our minds. If we are successful with the practice of the eight
fold path, on maturity of the eight fold path there will come enlightenment. At the moment of
enlightenment yogis will be able to eradicate the mental defilements altogether. That means the
mental defilements will not arise in their minds again.
This is the practice we should follow if we also want to keep mental defilement away
from our minds. We want to keep mental defilements away from our minds because they
produce suffering. Mental defilements are unwholesome kamma. And as unwholesome kamma
they give unwholesome or painful results. If we do not want to get painful results in the future,
we should avoid unwholesome mental states here and now. To avoid unwholesome mental
states from arising in our minds to prevent them from arising in our minds we need to practice
the eight fold path or the foundations of mindfulness.
Buddha said, "Entering upon that path you will make an end of suffering". If you
practice this path you will make an end of suffering. You will get out of this would of
suffering. You will realize NibbÈna.
Buddha said, "Having known by myself I have talked you this path". Now Buddha said
I discovered this path by myself and then I have described this path to you. Buddha's
knowledge of this path is not secondhand; it is His own knowledge. He discovered this method
all by himself without the help of a teacher.
You know the Bodhisatta (Buddha-to-be) spent six years in the forest practicing
austerities with the intention of reaching Buddhahood. But for almost six years he was
following a wrong path, he did not get any nearer to his goal during those years. When he got
know nearer to his goal although he had been practicing these austerities nearly six years he
began to examine his practice and he found out that that practice he had been doing for almost
six years was a wrong practice.
Then he searched for a right practice and fortunately he remembered an incident in his
life when he was just an infant. At that time may be he was not even one year old. There was
the ploughing ceremony attended by king himself in order to promote cultivation. Kings and
his ministers took the plough and ceremoniously ploughed for some time. That was a very
grand performance. When King Suddhodhana, Boddhisata's father went to participate in the
ploughing ceremony he left his infant son in the care of the nurses.
The prince was put under a tree and a curtain was put around it. The nurses wanted to see the ploughing ceremony and so they left the infant prince under that tree and went to see the performance of the king.
When nobody was around Bodhisatta even though he was in infant sat up or set in cross like position
and practiced breathing meditation. And it is said that he reached the first JhÈna. Later the
nurses remembered about him and so they went back and they saw the prince sitting in
meditation. They reported to the king. The king came and saw his son sitting in a meditated
posture. The king bowed down to his own son.
The Bodhisatta remembered this incident and he decided that that was correct way,
correct path. He practiced that correct path and as a result of that practice, he became the
Buddha. It took only one night for the Bodhisatta to become the Buddha. After he discovered
this correct way, he discovered the eight fold path. It took the Bodhisatta nearly six years
practicing austerities because he was on the wrong path. Once he discovered the right path, it
just took him one night to become the Buddha.
So Buddha said, "Having known by myself this path, I have talked it to you. Now I
have talked this eight fold path to you and this path as described as the one removed the thorns
of mental defilements. This path is able to remove mental defilement from your mind".
Then Buddha said, "But you yourself must make the effort. The Buddhas are only
teachers". It is very important in Buddhaism. You do not get anything free. You have to make
effort yourself. You have to work out yourself to gain enlightenment.
You yourself must make the effort. That means I cannot practice for you or I cannot give enlightenment to you as a gift.It is impossible. You yourself must practice. That is why we Buddhists always rely on ourselves to gain enlightenment. We cannot rely on any other person. We cannot rely on the
Buddha, even the Buddha himself. What we rely on the Buddha is for the instructions, for the
teachings.
But after understanding the teachings of the Buddha we must practice ourselves.
Unless we practice ourselves, we cannot hope to gain any spiritual results. It is very clear in
Buddhism that we must make effort ourselves, we cannot rely on any other person for our
enlightenment. By this Buddha recognized the potential in human beings or potential in beings.
That is beings have the potential to work out for their own enlightenment. They are not to or
they do not have or they cannot rely on any other person for their enlightenment. They are
capable of achieving enlightenment if they follow the teachings of the Buddha and do the
practice themselves.
Buddha said, "You yourselves must make the effort. The TathÈgatas or Buddhas are
only teachers". They can only teach you but they cannot practice for you just as a teacher at
school cannot learn for the students, he can just teach them. The students must learn
themselves.
Buddha said, "Those who practice this eight fold path experiencing the two kinds of
JhÈnas will be delivered from the bond of MÈra". When you practice SatipaÔÔhÈna or eight fold
path, sometimes you may begin with Samatha meditation or you may just practice VipassanÈ
without practicing Samatha first. Whichever way you practice, you experience JhÈna. Now
VipassanÈ is also called JhÈna. Path or Magga is also called JhÈna and Phala or Fruition is also
called JhÈna in a sense. So in that sense, VipassanÈ is also JhÈna, Path is also JhÈna, Fruition is
also JhÈna.
Buddha said, "When you follow this practice, you will experience these kinds of JhÈna.
And then you will be delivered from the bound of MÈra". That means you will get free from
the bond of mental defilements. You will be able to eradicate mental defilements. That is why
in TheravÈda Buddhism, practice is important. We can never overestimate the value of practice
because only the practice can lead us to gain insight into the nature of things and ultimately to
eradicate mental defilements. Without this practice, we cannot hope to get any enlightenment.
We cannot get in any achieve way the enlightenment we must make effort ourselves. We must
follow the instructions of the Buddha so that we achieve our goal of getting rid of suffering, or
getting out of suffering.
The eight fold path what we are practicing is not yet noble eight fold path. We can call
it preliminary eight fold path, or just eight fold path. At the moment of enlightenment these
eight factors arise again. At that moment they are called noble eight fold path because at the
moment of enlightenment the person is changed into a noble person and all these eight factors
take NibbÈna as object. When yogis are practicing VipassanÈ meditation, these eight factors
take NÈma and R|pa, mind and matter or the five aggregates as object. They have not reached
the stage of the noble yet. But when they reach the stage of enlightenment, then these eight
factors take NibbÈna as object. What we are practicing now is eight fold path which is
preliminary tool the noble eight fold path. With the practice of the noble path, may we all
attain NibbÈna, may we all be able to get rid of mental defilements in achieve the cessation of
all suffering.
SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!
Sharing merit: We acquire a great amount of merit by the practice of meditation. When
our minds are free from mental defilement, we are said to acquire merit. And most of the time
through the practice our minds are free from mental defilements. So we gain a lot of merit.
And it is good to share merits gained in this way with all other beings. Sharing of merit is
letting them get chance to get merit themselves by having them rejoice at our merit. By sharing
merit our merit increase because sharing of merit is itself an act of merit which is included in
DÈna or giving. And those who share our merit, who rejoice our merit, who say "SÈdhu,
SÈdhu" at our merit, will gain merit themselves and they will get the happy results of this merit
in the future. It is beneficial to both who share merit and who accept the share of merit. So let
us share merits with all beings. please repeat after me and at the end you say "SÈdhu, SÈdhu,
SÈdhu"
May all beings share this merit,
Which we have thus acquired,
For the acquisition of all kinds of happiness.
May beings inhabiting space and earth,
Deities and others of mighty power,
Share this merit of ours.
May they long protect the teachings.
SÈdhu! SÈdhu! SÈdhu!
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