Why Is The Eightfold Path Important To Buddhists?

Answer 1

The eightfold path consists of right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Buddhism teaches that desire causes all suffering in the world, and that the eightfold path is the way to cease suffering. 1. Right Understanding 2. Right Thought 3. Right Speech 4. Right Action 5. Right Livelihood 6. Right Effort 7. Right Mindfulness 8. Right Concentration. I studied Buddhism at school, so that's how I know.

Answer 2

The Four Noble Truths are:

Life is characterized by unsatisfactoriness (pain, unhappiness)

This unsatisfactoriness is due to desire or craving

This unsatisfactoriness can be removed by eliminating desire

Desire can be eliminated (Nirvana can be attained) by the six paramitas: Generosity and Charity, Morality, Tolerance, Wisdom, Discipline (Perseverance), Meditation. The first three concern doing good for others. The second three concern doing good for oneself

The 3 last paramitas can be achieved by following the Eigtfold Path. These guides are:

Wisdom (The Exercise of Judgement)

1. Right understanding (right aspiration) - aspire to better the state of existence of yourself and others

Perseverance (Sound Ethical Discipline)

2. Right thought - think on that which is good

3. Right speech - be positive, honest, comforting and caring in what you say

4. Right action (Conduct) - do not be selfish but exert energy to do what you believe is good for all

5. Right livelihood - work for the good of humanity and use your talents well

6. Right effort - do not exert effort in pursuit of worthless or harmful goals

Meditation (Concentration and Focus)

7. Right mindfulness - direct your attention to that which is good and proper

8. Right concentration - be actively and wholly caught up in a way of life filled with love and good work

Attendance to these guides will help overcome the the "Mind Hindrances" (negative mind energies). These are:

Lust: The sense of neediness outside of biological need. The antidote for lust is restraint.

Aversion: The sense of anger and negativity. The mind looking for a fight.

Sloth and Torpor: A mind state of low energy, looking to fall asleep.

Restlessness: Fidgety and jumpy in mind and body. A high-energy mind looking for sources of worry.

Doubt: Self-generated demoralizing thoughts sabotaging faith and trust

The eightfold path helps us understand the basis of all life experiences and provides us with coping skills. The awareness of life experience leads us to three conclusions:

Impermanence (Annica): Nothing lasts forever.

Unsatisfactoriness (Dukkha): Life is an ongoing series of adjustments as we seek comfort.

No separate self (Anatta): The endless stream of experience is all there is. There is no watcher.

As we become more comfortable following the eightfold path, we create for ourselves places to rest and recharge. These are the Divine Abodes are:

Equanimity: Holding all things in an ease filled balance

Lovingkindness: The spontaneous reaction to all beings

Compassion: The reaction to others pain

Sympathetic Joy: The shared delight of the good fortune of others when we become aware of it

The strength to continue on the eightfold path come from three sources. These are the "Three Jewels":

The Buddha: A demonstration that a human being can, by taking thought, escape from pain and suffering

The Dharma: Provides a route to follow to progress beyond pain and suffering

The Sangha: The community of people following the path. We are inspired by those ahead of us; and offer inspiration to those behind us; we support and are supported

Answer 3

The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering (dukkha) and the achievement of self-awakening. It is used in catholic practice as a technique to develop insight into the nature of things and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion. The Noble Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths; the first element of the Noble Eightfold Path is, in turn, an understanding of the Four Noble Truths.

Answer 4

The Noble Eight Fold Path is a system for reducing suffering that was devised by the Buddha. The Eight Fold Path includes right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration, in that order.

Answer 5

The Eight-fold path provides clear and consistent guidance to the western student seeking to emerge from the suffering arising from unconsciousness. It is important to Buddhists for the same reason. Following its specific instructions one can achieve a level of understanding, caring, and forgiveness that one wouldn't reach without seeking it, especially in today's world of distractions and loss of personal communication.

Answer 6

Buddhism has, at its lotus root, the four noble truths.

• To live is to suffer.
• We suffer needlessly when we make stupid choices.
• We can ease our needless suffering by making better choices.
• The fourth truth, the eight-fold path, is a list of choices the Buddhist will hope to practice to ease the needless suffering, and possibly eliminate it.

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Answer 7

The purpose of all The Buddha's teaching is to end suffering. A Buddhist practitioner attempts to develop a single skill called "nirvana" that enables the practitioner to become free of habits and qualities that cause dissatisfaction (distress, suffering). Since these habits and qualities do not happen arbitrarily but are caused, it is by attacking their causes that the practitioner may become free of them by reducing greed, hostility and delusion. The eightfold path is the way to do this. It involves sound view, sound inclination, sound speech, sound action, sound livelihood, sound effort, sound awareness, and sound concentration.

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Answer 8

so that one can reach moksha