Table of Contents
This is a non-technical, non-comprehensive overview of what is known as the Eightfold Path or the Noble Eightfold Path. It doesn’t try to give you the complete formulas for each part of the path. Instead it tries to give you a good idea of what is involved in each of the path’s eight parts, in a way that should make sense without being misleading or requiring further study or explanation to understand. It will also, gradually, gain links to additional posts which explore various parts of the path in greater detail.
Introducing the Eightfold Path
First, what is the Eightfold Path? It is a central rubric of the Buddhist philosophical-spiritual path. Alternatively, it is not a rubric, but the eight parts of the path themselves. That is to say, the practice or the embodiment of these eight “factors” or aspects of the path.
Although the eight parts are to be practiced together, and in fact are interwoven, they are also numbered sequentially. The eight path-factors are as follows.
1. Understanding, also called View.
2. Intention, also called Thought.
3. Speech.
4. Action.
5. Livelihood.
6. Effort.
7. Mindfulness.
8. Concentration.
Right / Skillful / Wholesome
Actually, each of the above names is preceded by the word ‘Right’, ‘Skillful’, or sometimes ‘Wholesome’. Thus the Understanding part of the path is called “Right Understanding,” “Skillful Understanding,” or “Wholesome Understanding.” The Intention part of the path is called “Right Intention,” “Skillful Intention,” or “Wholesome Intention.” And so on.
The words ‘right’, ‘skillful’, and ‘wholesome’ are in this context interchangeable. They are simply three alternative ways of translating an original term (samma) into English, and all three are standard terminology today.
The distinction between Right and Wrong, or Skillful and Unskillful, or Wholesome and Unwholesome, is actually a technical distinction within Buddhist philosophical discourse. A somewhat non-technical explanation is this:
- Right/Skillful/Wholesome things benefit and lead toward freedom from dissatisfaction;
- Wrong/Unskillful/Unwholesome things harm and lead toward unnecessary pain and suffering.
Understanding
Right Understanding is also called Right View. As with the terms ‘right’, ‘skillful’, and ‘wholesome’, the words ‘understanding’ and ‘view’ are simply alternative ways of translating an original term (ditthi) into English. Both are quite standard.
Right Understanding is comprised of two parts. One is to fully understand one’s experienced reality in accordance with what are known as “The Four Noble Truths.” The other is to fully understand one’s experienced reality in accordance with what are known as “The Three Marks of Existence.”
The “understanding” in question is not merely intellectual. It’s not just a matter of how you cognize or think of things. It’s also a matter of how you feel, perceive, and are moved to behave.
It also isn’t about affirming, as a matter of faith, that you believe certain statements to be true.
Concerning the Four Noble Truths
The Four Noble Truths is a large topic. I won’t even list them in this post. Instead I want to convey the following key points.
- Crucially, understanding the Four Noble Truths includes gaining a deep understanding of the causal mechanics involved in the arising of dissatisfaction within life.
- Again, this is not just understanding conceptually. It is more a matter of becoming able to perceive and understand these mechanics as they operate, in real time, in your own personal, immediate experience.
Concerning the Three Marks of Existence
The topic of The Three Marks of Existence is also very large.
- These “marks” are three properties which obtain in the case of just about anything which can be taken as an object of conscious awareness.
- They are: impermanence; suffering (or dissatisfaction); not-self.
- Not-self in turn has three aspects:
- Not being within your control (this is often called not being “your own”);
- Not making you better, worse, or even equal;
- Not being you very self or soul.
Coming to perceive these three properties in all things goes a long way toward freeing a person from certain key types of delusion or ignorance. Again, this is a large topic which obviously requires further treatment.
Intention
Right Intention is also known, in English, as Right Thought. Although ‘intention’ and ‘thought’ are both standard, the term ‘thought’ can be misleading, as I think you’ll see.
In this context ‘intention’ (or ‘thought’) means intentions, impulses, inclinations which can manifest outwardly in speech and actions. They can also have powerful internal effects on how we feel. And they can affect our thoughts and perceptions as well.
The focus, with respect to what makes intention right or skillful, is the underlying quality of the intention. For example, is the intention compassionate or cruel?
Three canonical examples of right/skillful/wholesome intentional qualities are:
- Renunciation, meaning turning away from craving and clinging;
- Good will, meaning intending or wishing that all beings (including oneself) may enjoy happiness;
- Harmlessness, meaning the wish that oneself and all other beings be free of suffering.
I find it helpful also to think of Right Intention in terms of the Four Divine Dwellings of Equanimity, Loving-Kindness, Compassion, and Sympathetic Joy:
- Renunciation aligns with Equanimity.
- Good Will” aligns with Loving-Kindness.
- Harmlessness” aligns with Compassion.
Speech
Skillful Speech, as I understand it, may be most simply understood as speaking so as not to cause harm (and, where suitable, to cause benefit). Harm, however, must be understood in the big picture, and in a psychological and moral sense as well. It is not simply a matter of pain. Nor, as should be fairly obvious from the fact we are discussing speech (and not physical actions), is it primarily a matter of physical pain or harm.
Right Speech is canonically and formulaically broken down into four pairings of don’ts and do’s, or positive and negative characterizations. I’m going to briefly indicate the negative or “don’t” side of each
- Speaking without the intention to deceive, and with the intention not to deceive.
- Not sowing discord between people.
- Not to verbally abuse or insult someone; avoiding this seems connected with keeping a handle on one’s anger.
- Not speaking far too much, “prattling on” or beginning to talk when there’s really no point at all in doing so. I suspect this type of “over-talking” often arises from anxiety or boredom. (It’s not that we do something morally terrible when we momentarily lose self-awareness and monologue pointlessly at too great a length, yet such occurrences (and especially such a habit of mind) are, upon reflection, not skillful speech acts.)
Action
Right Action, analogously to Right Speech, might be understood as acting always such as not to cause harm, and acting when appropriate such as to cause benefit. In other words, actions should not cause harm, and should cause benefit where appropriate.
Canonically, the part about not causing harm is given a simple summary in the following formula: Right Action involves abstaining from these three things:
- Taking life.
- Taking what is not given.
- Sexual misconduct.
Taking life is explained as the intentional killing of another human or animal. Never taking life in this way may sound very absolute. However, differences in seriousness are recognized between different intentional killings. For example, the intentional killing of an insect is far less serious than an intentional killing of a human being.
Seekers of wisdom may still wish to examine whether the principle is too absolute. If they do undertake such an investigation, they should do so with the knowledge that this canonical principle does not treat all intentional killing as the same, and they should look into the reasoning behind the principle.
Taking what is not given refers, of course, to theft. This includes scamming and cheating, even “cheating” by deceiving someone about the true value of something. It also, interestingly, includes “withholding from others what should rightfully be given to them.” (Bodhi)
With respect to sexual misconduct, some of the specifics of this may vary according to time and place, which is to say, according to local mores, customs, attitudes. For example, sexual acts between unmarried persons are not necessarily considered a form of misconduct.
There are, on the other hand, some constants. Most obviously, anything coerced or forced is misconduct. (Obviously also, it is the aggressor whose conduct is wrong, not that of the victim.) Further constants are anything that would constitute “cheating,” anything that would violate someone’s vow (a vow of abstinence), and anything that would be incestuous or age-inappropriate.
The purpose of those guidelines or rules is not conformity to mores. The purpose is “to prevent sexual relations which are hurtful to others” (Bodhi) or, for that matter, to oneself.
Livelihood
Right Livelihood, basically, means making a living without harming other sentient beings (or oneself). There is also a positive aspect to Right Livelihood, though it is perhaps more subtle than those of Right Speech and Right Action. See my Wise and Shine post Right Livelihood: Is It More Than Not Harming?
Traditionally, classically, and canonically, this tends to rule out any line of work which directly involves the taking of life, or the obvious and direct harming of sentient lives.
(As in the case of Right Action’s rule against any intentional taking of sentient life, the philosopher may find themself wondering about the apparent absoluteness of this rule, and should carefully investigate the reasoning behind it as part of any critical inquiry.)
There is also the matter of whether a line of work leads you to engage in other forms of wrong action or wrong speech. If so, it may not be right livelihood.
Beyond this, there is the question of whether a line of work disturbs your heart and mind such that it impedes your spiritual-philosophical progress. For example, if you are so disturbed by what you have in some way contributed to or even simply witnessed, that you cannot achieve basic concentration or mindful awareness, then, at least for you at this time, it may be a wrong or unwholesome line of work.
Effort
There are two complementary aspects to Right Effort. One of these is canonically expressed in a formulation known as the Four Great Endeavors. That formula is actually a rather large topic. Here, I will simply say that the four great endeavors basically boil down to encouraging wholesome states and discouraging unwholesome states (in one’s heart-mind).
The second aspect is about applying effort in the right manner. Basically, it is a matter of not struggling or striving so hard that your efforts undermine themselves, while on the other hand not stopping or ceasing your efforts either. Put even more simply, it is applying neither too much nor too little effort.
Sayadaw U Tejaniya’s books give an excellent account of this second aspect and offer guidance in its practice. The book Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, includes a detailed account of and practical guidance in the first aspect. See my Books / Resources page.
Mindfulness
Skillful Mindfulness has many functions. One is to provide the “data” which, over time, bring about insight and understanding.
Mindfulness also allows for a kind of self-restraint which is not just a sheer struggle of will or a psychological dissociation.
It also enables one to deny “fuel” or “food” to unskillful habitual patterns and thus weaken them, cultivating skillful abilities instead.
Those are some of its functions. What is skillful mindfulness though? In part, it is awareness which is consciously aware both of itself and its object. For example, mindful awareness of breathing, is awareness that is both consciously aware of the physical sensations of breathing at the present moment, and at the same time also has some reflective awareness that it is, at the present moment, consciously aware of those sensations.
Typical, non-mindful awareness is (of course) aware of objects but is not consciously aware of itself, which is to say, aware of its awareness of objects. That is why it can so easily get lost in thoughts, emotions, or series of actions.
Skillful mindful awareness also is not colored by “defilements,” which is to say unskillful qualities, such as delusion, hatred or aversion, or greed. Of course, nearly everyone’s awareness nearly always has some degree of those present. That simply means that the mindfulness is not “complete.” However, if there is too much of a defilement — an unskillful quality — present, then the greed, for example, may take over, and the mind’s awareness may begin to feed the greed rather than deny it fuel. At that point, it is questionable whether the awareness is still mindful, though this does not mean there is no mindfulness left at all.
Concentration
Skillful Concentration can be a special state of mind where the mind is focused steadily on the same object and is also at peace, without having anger, greed, distraction, or other such qualities present in it.
Skillful concentration can also be a state where the mind maintains a steady, continuous awareness, even if the object of awareness changes. In this case, concentration is holding mindful awareness steady, while allowing the object of mindful awareness to vary naturally.
It is also possible for concentration to exist as a stability of mind, or steadiness and continuity of mindful awareness, even while the mind is at the same time experiencing difficult emotions, thoughts, or other states.
Three of concentration’s functions are:
- To be mental stability, to support other qualities such as mindfulness or skillful intention.
- To provide a state of peace in which subtle levels of unskillful patterns or tendencies can be “worked on” and further reduced or removed; and in which right intention and understanding can be further developed.
- To provide a state of relief and good-feeling experience which helps to offset life’s stress and painful-feeling experiences.
in closing / see also
Again, this article is intended to indicate what each area of the path involves without attempting to be comprehensive or completely technically precise.
I expect to create further articles exploring different parts of the path in greater detail.
I may also create another outline of the Eightfold Path which gives a more formulaic and comprehensive summary of each part. However, the standard, formulaic accounts of each “path factor” (part of the path) are technical in their language and their meaning is not apparent without a good deal of further explanation. This is why I approached the present article in the way I did. Although not comprehensive and not always technically precise, it is far more immediately understandable.
My primary sources for this article are Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, and The Noble Eightfold Path, by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
I also made secondary use of LovingKindness, by Sharon Salzberg, and When Awareness Becomes Natural, by Sayadaw U Tejaniya.
See my Books / Resources page for more about those titles.
Resources for the Art of Living 
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