The Noble Eightfold Path is .................................................... Right Living.“Clinging”...Suffering... is not attachment to external things, but to the Five Aggregates(mental phenomena).Sati alone is sufficient to lessen the coarse Kilesas, manifested through bodily action and speech, and the fine Kilesas, manifested as mental deeds. Yet habits, or Anusaya, which stimulate the arising of fine Kilesas, come into operation when feeling is encountered. For this reason, they are not easily seen. These are Kilesas that cannot be eradicated unless they are addressed at their starting point.This means changing one’s habits, from being accustomed to the automatic arising of Kilesas, to the practice of not allowing them to arise. Changing at the starting point means turning from a way of living that adheres to the cause of suffering, to a way of living that follows the path leading to the cessation of suffering. The Noble Eightfold Path is therefore a way of living that gradually establishes the mind in the habit of not allowing Kilesas to arise.
The First Factor of the Path:Sammā-Diṭṭhi (right view)It is the understanding that …Samudaya(the cause of suffering)is craving associated with pleasure and lust,indulgence in pleasureand sensuality,and craving to becomeor not to become.(Three Taṇhās)... should be abandoned.235
Right View, or Right Understanding, refers to knowing the Four Noble Truths.Understanding here does not mean remembering definitions, but mindfully observing clinging as it arises and produces suffering. It also means seeing that suffering does not occur without reason, but arises from multiple past causes, known as the cause of suffering (Samudaya). As one repeatedly observes the results of these causes, weariness develops, and one gains the firmness to move against the current of suffering. When Right View matures, the intention to leave suffering behind will naturally follow.... should becomprehended.Dukkha(Suffering)Birth, ageing, death,sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, despair,association with the disliked,separation from the liked, and not obtaining what one wishes.In short,clinging to the Five Aggregates is suffering.
ComprehendingDukkha Abandoning SamudayaComprehendingDukkhaAbandoning Samudaya... should be developed. Dukkhais lessening.Taṇhā is lessening. Magga
Maggadeveloping... should be realized.As understanding of the causes of suffering arises more often and more steadily, the mind naturally learns and adjusts its own direction. It gradually lets go of the causes that produce suffering and begins to create new causes that do not result in suffering. The remaining seven elements of the Noble Path function as support, enabling this ongoing mindful awareness within the mind to continue consistently, until inner change unfolds progressively. This shift in the mind’s path, or the raising of the mind’s level, is called Magga,and the end point of this journey away from suffering is known as Nirodha.This Right View stands as the most crucial marker along the way, for whenever Dukkha is clearly known, one gains the strength and resolve to set out toward Nirodha on the path of Magga, through the abandoning of Samudaya.238Nirodha
The Second Factor of the Path:Sammā-Saṅkappa (right intention)It is the intention to let go of:Kāma (sensual desire),pleasure sought through the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind;Vyāpāda (ill will),thoughts of resentment, hostility, and revenge;Vihiṃsā (harming),the intention to hurt, oppress, or cause suffering to others.Right Intention, or right thinking, raises the question:Why must one abandon Kāma? The short and simple answer is this: Kāma is Taṇhā, craving, which is Samudaya, the cause of all suffering. One might ask how pleasure through the six sense doors can be suffering, since it is clearly called “pleasure”. The answer is that pleasure gained through seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and physical contact always depends on something being used as a bait to be consumed.When one gains satisfaction even once, craving for that object temporarily subsides, but attachment to it is driven deeper into the mind. Habitual tendencies (Anusayas) accumulate again and again.What we take to be “happiness” is, in truth, still Dukkha, because such pleasure is impermanent. As the Buddha taught, “whatever is impermanent is suffering”.239
Whenever craving arises, the mind becomes restless and searches continuously for the object it desires. The expression being carried away by Taṇhā means that the mind must return to the object of attachment and indulge in it again. Even after the physical body breaks apart, the mind will seek another body to support sensual enjoyment, whether gross or subtle, according to one’s accumulated and habitual Kamma. When one is deeply absorbed in sensual pleasure, which the Buddha cautioned against in the First Sermon, the mind cannot remain on the Middle Way.Through restraint of the six sense bases, by not following craving, the mind becomes firm and steady. One then sees clearly that craving arises due to causes, and that suffering follows. There will be temporary inner agitation and struggle, but eventually this suffering fades away on its own. Wisdom then arises directly, and suffering ceases because its causes have ceased. The mind encounters a new experience in which craving disappears without the need for sensual consumption. A new kind of happiness appears, called calmness, a more subtle and refined happiness. Each successful endurance weakens subtle Kilesas, or Anusayas, and the force of future craving diminishes. New habits develop in which Kilesas arise less frequently, or not at all. Those who have Right View understand the Noble Path in this way, not by memorizing concepts.Harmful intent operates in the same way as sensual desire. The difference lies in direction: sensual desire pulls objects inward for enjoyment, while harmful intent pushes anger and hatred outward, seeking pleasure in harming or humiliating others. Both, however, lead to the same outcome, gradually distancing the mind from peace and calm.
When expectations are fullfilled ...Happinessarises from sensual pleasure.A State of Disturbance241
When the mind is freed ...A State of Normality (Pakati)Peaceremains through refraining from sensual pleasure.
The Third Factor of the Path:Sammā-Vācā (right speech)lying,making divisive speech, harsh speech, andfrivolous speech.The Fourth Factor of the Path: Sammā-Kammanta (right action)killing, stealing, and sexualmisconduct.243It is the intention to refrain from ...It is the intention to refrain from ...
Developing MaggaSpeech and actions of the kinds that should be avoided can be seen to correspond exactly to the precepts against false speech, killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. The word Sīla means “normality”, referring to the mind’s natural condition, which is inherently balanced and at ease. However unwholesome speech and actions, those that are not Sammā, disrupt this natural normality, giving rise to inner disturbance and suffering for the speaker or the doer themselves, because they involve troubling others and oneself. Even when such speech or actions are done just for fun, at a deeper level the mind is stirred, clouded, and defiled, moving further away from peace. When the mind is not peaceful, not normal, it lacks the stability needed to contemplate and see the Ariya Sacca. It cannot clearly see reality as it truly is, from the moment of contact until the experience ceases when its causes are exhausted.One who has Sammā-Diṭṭhi maintains Sīla from the beginning, without having to deliberately observe precepts one by one. This is done through guarding the sense faculties, being careful at the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, having moral shame and conscience, abandoning sensuality, not harboring ill will, and not harming others, simply because one does not wish for others to suffer.Comprehending DukkhaNormalAbandoningSamudaya
The Fifth Factor of the Path:Sammā-Ājīva (right livelihood) Abandoning wrong ways of making a living,one sustains one’s life through right livelihood.Wrong livelihood refers to ways of living that are based on exploitation and the creation of hardship for others, such as trading in living beings, killing animals, human trafficking, trading in weapons, poisons, alcohol, or intoxicants.The reasoning here is the same as in the Third and Fourth Path Factors: to exploit or oppress others is, in effect, to exploit or oppress oneself, whether one realizes it or not. At a deeper level of the mind, such actions inevitably disturb its natural balance and normality.Comprehending DukkhaNormalityAbandoningSamudaya
Developing Magga246AbandoningSamudayaComprehendingDukkhaNormalRight livelihood, on the other hand, is a way of living that is correct, not exploiting or causing suffering to anyone. It is a mode of life that forms the foundation for the mind’s natural “normality”. This is extremely difficult to maintain, especially when compared with the conditions of life in the modern world. Speaking plainly, the driving force behind most ways of living today comes from the urge to consume sense pleasures, rooted in the habitual tendencies toward greed, aversion, and delusion.Therefore, to cultivate this Path Factor toward completion requires the support of the Second Path Factor, Right Intention, specifically the intention of renunciation. When craving is lessened, seeking also diminishes. When there is less struggle to acquire things for consumption, exploitation naturally decreases as well. For this reason, the Buddha pointed out the form of life most conducive to the cultivation of this Path Factor, namely, the life of a renunciant.Less suffering,less craving,greater normality,......... swiftly onward.
The Life of a Renunciant is Right Livelihood.A Bhikkhu living according to the Dhamma and Vinaya follows a path that physically withdraws from sensuality. When the body is separated from sensual pleasures for a sustained period, and this is supported by sense restraint, Sīla, and theobservance of duties and practices, the mind is gradually drawn away as well. This becomes a natural transformation of habitual tendencies, without constructing a sense of self.Life proceeds along the path of the Magga, grounded in right livelihood. Mindfulness, born of sense restraint, is continuously sustained. Latent tendencies (Anusayas) gradually fade away, not only because no new ones are being added, but because the old ones are being steadily worn down.Whenever the mind is seen to ripple with liking or disliking, it is because residual Anusaya still remains. Yet these too diminish, little by little, until they are completely exhausted. In their place, familiarity with calm arises, at first temporarily, but eventually becoming stable and enduring. This is because the Noble Eightfold Path leaves no opening for defilements to arise again.When there is sense restraint (Indriya-saṃvara), there is moral shame. When moral shame is present, whether it is the Five, Eight, Ten Precepts, or the 227 rules, Sīla becomes naturally fulfilled. However, the level of Sīla most supportive of reaching the end of the path is the Eight Precepts and beyond, which is difficult for those who are not renunciants to maintain.
248The “restraint ofthe six sense bases”(Indriya-Saṃvara Sīla) does not allownew Anusayasto be formed.Old Anusayas are gradually cleansed,without “intention”,simply through“Right Living”.
It is the willingness, perseverance, and sustained application of the mind, carefully holding awareness steady, in order to:prevent Akusala Dhamma, or unwholesome states that have not yet arisen, from arising;abandon Akusala Dhamma that have already arisen;cultivate Kusala Dhamma that has not yet arisen;sustain Kusala Dhamma that have arisen, so they grow, mature, and become well established.249The Sixth Factor of the Path:Sammā-Vāyāma (right effort)
Right effort is correct perseverance. The first and second elements of the Path aim at developing wisdom and leadpractitioners in the right direction. The third, fourth, and fifth factors of the Path emphasize transforming instinctive patterns expressed through body, speech, and livelihood. On the other hand, the sixth, seventh, and eighth factors emphasize transforming instinctive patterns at the level of the mind itself. This is subtle work that requires right effort. If one lives with Path factors 1–5 as a foundation, one will discover that Akusala gradually diminishes in the mind.Akusala refers to unwholesome mental states arising from greed, hatred, and delusion, in short, defilements (Kilesa). By analogy, Akusala is compared to hot water,and Kusala to cold water.ComprehendingDukkhaNormalAbandoningSamudayaDeveloping Magga
Before cultivating the Path, one may live immersed in hot water without feeling its heat, simply because one has grown accustomed to it. When one begins to live more normally, in cool water, the moment even a drop of hot water touches the body, it is felt immediately. This is how Sammā-Vāyāma functions. The effort required here begins with guarding against Akusala, not allowing hot water to splash onto oneself. Still, it is natural to be struck at times. When Akusala does arise, one should abandon Akusala by immediately cooling the heat with cool water, and then generate Kusala by adding more coolness. Finally, one maintains Kusala by remaining with that coolness until it becomes the new normal.Garding againstAkusalaAbandoningAkusala
252CultivatingKusalaSustaining andnurturing KusalaIn practical terms, when Akusala arises, such as Dosa (anger) appearing in the mind, one returns to Sati grounded in the body (Kāyagatā-sati), for example, by knowing bodily movement, or by knowing the breath (Ānāpāna-sati).Both awareness of bodily movement and awareness of breathing function simultaneously as abandoning Akusala and cultivating Kusala. We cannot force the mind to “stop being angry”, but we can create new conditions by shifting the mind to the Kusala side, returning it to cool water in this way. When the causes weaken, the anger naturally fades on its own.
It is to be one who clearly contemplates and observes:Kāya in Kāya,Vedanā in Vedanā,Citta in Citta, andDhamma in Dhamma,with ardent effort that burns away defilements, with clear comprehension, and with mindfulness, having removed liking and disliking toward the world.Clear comprehension (Sampajañña) means being fully aware and circumspect while moving and acting, such as bending, stretching, looking, turning, stepping forward or back, stopping, sitting, lying down, waking, speaking, eating, drinking, and excreting.Mindfulness (Sati) means knowing and being fully present, with the body in the body, feelings in feelings,the mind in the mind, and phenomena in phenomena.Taken together, these are known as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna).The Seventh Factor of the Path:Sammā-Sati (right mindfulness)
254Having Sampajaññawhile ...lookingswingingbending stretchingtreadingstepping254The Seventh Factor of the Path:Sammā-Sati (right mindfulness)
With Sati, one knows and sees clearly,contemplating Kāya in Kāya.The latter Kāya is thephysical body that can be touched, seen, and felt, which we ordinarily take to be ourselves.On the other hand, we can contemplate the former Kāya in many dimensions through the breath, which conditions the body. A refined, long breath brings calm and ease to the body. A short, coarse breath gives rise to tension and unrest.255
nāmanāmanāmanāmanāmawindwind windwind windwindwindwind windwindwindwindwindwindwindwindwindwindfirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirefirewaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterwaterearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthearthAnother way is observing the four elements, earth, water, fire, and wind, which are the basic components that make up the body, by contemplating their constant shifting and rebalancing to sustain themselves.Besides that, one can observe the 32 parts of the body, the internal and external organs. This contemplation reveals the body’s lack of essence and its impure nature.
VedanāSaññāRūpaSaṅkhāraViññāna
258It can be seen that “life” is the continual blending and flowing of Rūpa and Nāma, moment by moment, in accordance with causes and conditions as they give rise to effects. So where, in all of this, is “I”?If we contemplate the Elements, earth, water, fire, and wind, together with pressure and the force of gravity that give rise to bodily sensations, is any of this “me”?If we contemplate the Thirty-Two Aspects of the Body,beyond flesh and organs, including recently chewed food, waste products, blood, pus, as well as bacteria and germs that reside in and form part of the body,should these be counted as part of “me”?Every particle of the body is in constant turnover, endlessly creating new matter and discarding waste, without ever pausing for even a single second.So at which second does “I” exist?As for Nāma, it is even clearer that it consists only of momentary arising and ceasing.This world exists only in the single second before us, yet we stitch together past and future, constructing a virtual world in which “I” is believed to truly exist.258
259With Sati, one knows and sees clearly,contemplating Vedanā in Vedanā.Loving it!LobhaSatiThe former VedanāDhammārammaṇaPhassaTaste
The latter Vedanā refers to the three kinds of feeling mentioned above, collectively called the three feelings. Whetherpleasant, painful, or neither pleasant nor painful, all are of the nature of Dukkha, because all feelings are impermanent.Whatever is impermanent is suffering.When one sees Vedanā in Vedanā in time, Sati arises naturally at that very point. When Sati arises here, the cycle stops turning.SatiDukkha(Painful)Sukha(Pleasant)Adukkhamasukha(Neither pleasant nor painful feeling)Soka, ParidevaDukkhaDomanassaUpāyāsaUpādāna Taṇhā BhavaJātiJarāMaraṇaAvijjā SaṅkhāraViññāṇa ĀyatanaPhassaVedanāNāma-rūpa
The former CittaThe latter CittaLobhaWith Sati, one knows and sees clearly,contemplating Citta in Citta.When one sees Citta in Citta,Sati arises by itself.SatiThe former Citta refers to the sixteen states of mind defined by the Buddha. There are no other mental states beyond these: 1 Citta with lust2 Citta without lust3 Citta with hatred4 Citta without hatred5 Citta with delusion6 Citta without delusion7 Contracted Citta8 Distracted Citta 9 Expansive Citta10 Non-expansive Citta11 Surpassed Citta12 Unsurpassed Citta13 Collected Citta14 Uncollected Citta15 Liberated Citta16 Unliberated Citta
The latter Citta refers to the mind as the ground or base upon which these various mental states arise.It may be called “the mind free from defilements”, which is originally pure, luminous, and peaceful.It can be compared to the moon, radiant and bright.When clouds, which represent the various mental states, drift across and obscure it, the moon appears dimmed.In truth, the moon itself has never changed at all.When the clouds disperse, the moon shines forth just as it always has.(This matter of the mind is particularly difficult to understand, as it is Nāma-Dhamma. To fully comprehend it, one must practice until the mind is liberated, and only then look back in reflection.)262
With Sati, one knows and sees clearly, contemplating Dhamma in Dhamma.The former Dhamma refers to natural phenomena,mental concoctions that arise, persist, and cease.It is like the brilliant light of the sun,so radiant that it obscures the stars in the sky.Eventually, the light of the stars begins to appear to sight.263
As these concoctions gradually fade,it is as though the sunlight gently softens.Like stars shining across the sky from the very beginning,... they were never truly lost.The latter Dhamma is Nibbānawhich has always been present,neither arising nor ceasing.
“Sati” is the knowing and staying present with Kāya in Kāya, Vedanā in Vedanā, Citta in Citta, and Dhamma in Dhamma.This is mindfulness that still arises from intentional effort,born of deliberate practice.Sammā-Sati, right mindfulness, is different. It arises naturally, without an agent or intention behind it. It comes about when one has continuously cultivated the Path, through sense restraint, living with the mind in a normal, balanced state, not entangled with sense pleasure or harmful conduct, abandoning Akusala and cultivating Kusala (Path factors 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6), until the mind becomes fully accustomed to dwelling in Kusala.At that point, whenever Akusala arises, mindfulness recollects by itself and releases it immediately, returning to Kusala as its natural ground. Only mindfulness that functions in this automatic, unintentional way can truly be called “Sammā”.“To remove delight and aversion toward the world” is the highest aim of the seventh path factor, Sammā-Sati.If we reflect back on the Buddha’s first teaching to the Five Ascetics, he warned against two extremes:indulgence in sensual pleasure and self-mortification.Stripped of conceptual labels, these are simply pleasure and displeasure toward the world. Both are fully relinquished only through Sammā-Sati.
The question then is: how are they uprooted? The answer is this: when Sammā-Sati is present, one sees reality as it truly is.Pleasant feeling (Sukha-Vedanā), painful feeling (Dukkha-Vedanā), and the uncertainty of neither pleasure nor pain (Adukkhamasukha-Vedanā),all depend upon Kāya, Vedanā, Citta, and Dhamma, all of which are impermanent, constantly changing according to causes and conditions. When their very bases are impermanent, how could pleasure or displeasure be permanent? Seeing with right mindfulness and wisdom in this way,one discerns decline, fading, cessation, and relinquishment,and ultimately removes delight and aversion toward the world. This mode of seeing reconnects directly to Path factor one, Sammā-Diṭṭhi, right view: knowing the Noble Truths, seeing causes and results as they truly are.When causes cease, results cease. There is nothing here that can rightly be taken as a self, a person, “I”, or “mine”.266
The Eighth Factor of the Path: Sammā-Samādhi (right collectedness)Being secluded from sensual pleasures and Akusala, the mind becomes steadily established:entering the first absorption:accompanied by Vitakka (placing attention), Vicāra (sustaining attention), Pīti (rapture), and Sukha (pleasure);entering the second absorption:with Vitakka and Vicāra subsiding,while Pīti and Sukha remain;entering the third absorption:with Pīti fading away, and Sukha remaining;entering the fourth absorption:with Sukha abandoned (and Dukkha already abandoned),leaving purity of Sati grounded in Upekkhā.Samādhi is the result of cultivating the Path continuously and consistently, until the mind is no longer entangled with sensual pleasures and Akusala. When sensual pleasures and Akusala diminish to a certain degree, Samādhi arises naturally, by itself.The Citta then proceeds to …267
The first absorption (Paṭhama-jhāna) ...Vitakka can be simply understood as placing attention on the breath. Vicāra is observing and examining the breath, discerning whether it is short or long, coarse or fine, and how it conditions or affects the body (in the case of using mindful breathing, Ānāpānasati, as the meditation object). Pīti (rapture) is an intense, overflowing joy, so absorbing and uplifting that it may even bring tears. It arises when something is accomplished with deep satisfaction. Sukha (comfort) is what remains as rapture begins to fade, a gentle sense of ease and well-being, lighter and less exhilarating than Pīti.The second absorption (Dutiya-jhāna) ...As concentration deepens, the mind no longer needs the breath as a support. Instead, it abides in subtler and more refined qualities, namely Pīti and Sukha.The third absorption (Tatiya-jhāna) ...Since nothing is permanent, Pīti gradually subsides. What remains is Sukha, a residual trace of the former rapture.The fourth absorption (Catuttha-jhāna) ...Finally, when the cause of happiness is relinquished, the cause of suffering is relinquished as well. What remains is a stable, impartial collectedness, Upekkhā (equanimity), not inclining toward either Kusala or Akusala.
Samādhi[Samatha (Tranquility)]Sati MohaStraythoughtsSlipping off Sati,drifting into thought.With a steady mind and Sati,observing the long breath, in and out,observing the short breath,in and out.Samādhi is used either for rest or as a training that supports the arising of Sati. The method is simple: when Akusala arises, let it go and return to “knowing the breath” or “feeling bodily movement” without being carried away by the unwholesome state.Observingthe breathSati
Observingthe breathSati recognizes that it has drifted into thought.Returning to steadiness, with Sati present,observing the long breath, in and out,observing the short breath,in and out.270Sati SatiStraythoughts
Sammā-Samādhi[Vipassanā (Direct Seeing)]Thaughtarises.Thoughtceases. With a steady mind and Sati, seeing thoughts arise through causes and conditions.With a steady mind and Sati, seeing thoughts ceaseas causes and conditions cease.Sammā-Samādhi aims at the arising of Paññā for liberation, giving rise to Ñāṇa-Dassana, true knowing and seeing things as they really are.Clinging arises in pairs, moment by moment. At one time Viññāṇa establishes itself on Rūpa (the breath), another time on Vedanā (Pīti, Sukha),another time on Saññā (memory, perception),and at another time on Saṅkhāra (thought, mental activity).Sati Sati Sati
Pīti ceases.Pītiarises.Sukha arises.Sukhaceases.With a steady mind and Sati, seeing Pīti arise through causes and conditions,seeing Pīti cease as causes and conditions cease.These arising and ceasing phenomena are calledthe Five Clinging Aggregates (Upādāna-Khandha).They bear the nature of Anicca and Anattā:nothing is permanent, nothing is a self, nothing is “I”.272With a steady mind and Sati, seeing Sukha arise through causes and conditions,seeing Sukha cease as causes and conditions cease.Sati Sati
First, to clear up a common misunderstanding, it should be explained that Sammā-Samādhi is not simply sitting meditation, nor walking meditation, nor entering Jhāna.Sitting meditation, walking meditation, and Jhāna are practices that help one become familiar with the arising of Samādhi in the early stages of training. When the training is well established, Sammā-Samādhi, or right steadiness of mind, arises naturally in every posture, whether sitting, standing, walking, lying down, or engaging in daily activities.The distinction between Samādhi and Sammā-Samādhi lies here: when Akusala, or even Kusala, arises, the mind remains steady and does not interfere. It neither abandons nor adds, neither resists nor escapes the experience. At this stage, one does not apply the Sixth factor of the Path, Sammā-Vāyāma, to abandon Akusala or cultivate Kusala. Instead, wisdom arises, seeing reality as it truly is:“whatever arises naturally because of causeswill naturally cease when those causes are exhausted.”The exhaustion of causes comes from the continuous cultivation of the Path, which gradually weakens Akusala and attachment to sensuality. This gives rise to Right View, directly linking back to Sammā-Diṭṭhi, the First factor of the Path.
With the mind rightly collected, one sees reality as it truly is:all phenomena arise because there are causes,and cease because those causes come to an end.One sees the Four Noble Truths.Thus, Sammā-Samādhi leads directly to Sammā-Diṭṭhi.Saticeasingceasingarisingarising274
Akusala KusalaSatiSeeing things in this way, clinging gradually loosens. Paññā (wisdom) arises. Both Akusala and Kusala are released.*Displeasure and pleasure are finally relinquished.Dukkha(displeasure)Samādhi Sīlais pure and completefrom the very begining.naturally arises on itsown, withoutneeding to be sustained ornurtured.*Abandoning Akusala,cultivating Kusala, without attachment.Sukha (pleasure) Paññāis true knowing,seeing realityas it is.
Freed from the two extremes,Citta naturally inclines toward ...Sukha(pleasure)... the Middle Way,the Noble Eightfold Path.276AkusalaKusalaDukkha (displeasure)
Once, Venerable Ānanda said to the Blessed One:Venerable Sir,The Blessed One replied:Ānanda, do not say so, Ānanda,beings who are subject to sicknessare freed from sickness;beings who are subject to sorrow,lamentation,bodily pain,mental pain,and distress …having good friends, good companions,and good associates,this is half of the holy life.having good friends, good companions, and good associates, this is the whole of the holy life.beings who are subject to deathare freed from death;… are freed from sorrow, lamentation, bodily pain, mental pain, and distress.
Ānanda, a disciple of the Buddhawho has good friends,good companions,and good associates …Ānanda,beings who rely upon me as a good and noble friend, beings who are subject to birth …Therefore, one who relies upon the Buddhaas a good and noble frienddevelops the Noble Eightfold Pathand makes much of the Noble Eightfold Path.… develops the Noble Eightfold Path, and makes much of the Noble Eightfold Path, in just this way.… are freed from birth;beings who are subject to agingare freed from aging;For this reason,that person is freed from all suffering just in this way.SN 45, Kalyāṇamittatā Sutta ref: https://suttacentral.net/sn45.2278
... When Paññā comes into full bloom, seeing things as they really are, .............................................. one grows weary, clinging fades,and finally, there is release.279
In Brief SummaryThe Buddhathe Noble Eightfold Path the Middle Way Right Livingreducing, relinquishing, and abandoning, grounded in Indriya-Saṃvara Sīla=====The best spiritual friendThe Buddha The Noble Eightfold PathThe Middle Way Right Living ... When Sīla is fulfilled, Samādhi is fulfilled, Paññā is fulfilled as well ...... When Paññā comes into full bloom, seeing things as they really are, .............................................. one grows weary, clinging fades,and finally, there is release.
(The Buddha’s Words)By cultivating the Noble Eightfold Path,Taṇhā does not lead on to Bhava.Bhikkhus, when one truly knows and sees Forms as they really are; truly knows and sees Cakkhu as it really is; truly knows and sees Cakkhu-Viññāṇa (eye-consciousness) as it really is; truly knows and sees Cakkhu-Samphassa (eye-contact) as it really is;and truly knows and sees Vedanā, whether pleasant, painful, or neither-pleasant-nor-painful, that arises dependent on eye-contact, as it really is;one does not delight in forms, does not delight in the eyes,does not delight in eye-consciousness, does not delight in eye-contact, and does not delight in feeling born of eye-contact, whether pleasant, painful, or neither.For one who does not delight, who is not entangled, not infatuated, and who continually sees the danger in these things, the Five Clinging Aggregates (Upādāna-Khandha) do not arise again.The Taṇhā that leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and attachment, seeking pleasure again and again in various objects, is abandoned. Bodily and mental agitation are abandoned. Bodily and mental burning are abandoned. Bodily and mental fever are abandoned.That person experiences ease and well-being in body and mind. The view of one who knows and sees thus is Sammā-Diṭṭhi.Their intention is Sammā-Saṅkappa.Their effort is Sammā-Vāyāma.Their mindfulness is Sammā-Sati.Their collectedness is Sammā-Samādhi.
282Their bodily action, verbal action, and livelihood are already purified beforehand (Sammā-Kammanta, Sammā-Vācā, Sammā-Ājīva are fully present).In this way, the Noble Eightfold Path is fully developed.When the Noble Eightfold Path is developed in this way,the following qualities reach fulfillment:the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipaṭṭhāna),the Four Right Efforts (Sammappadhāna),the Four Bases of Power (Iddhipāda),the Five Faculties (Indriya), the Five Powers (Bala),and the Seven Factors of Awakening (Bojjhaṅga).These two qualities proceed together as a pair:Samatha (tranquility) and Vipassanā (clear seeing).With higher wisdom, that person fully understandsthe Five Clinging Aggregates as things to be fully understood;with higher wisdom, abandonsAvijjā and Bhava-Taṇhā as things to be abandoned;with higher wisdom, developsSamatha and Vipassanā as things to be developed;and with higher wisdom, realizes Vijjā (true knowledge) and Vimutti (release) as things to be realized.(In the case of the ears (Sota), nose (Ghāna), tongue (Jivhā), body (Kāya), and mind (Mano),the Buddha taught in exactly the same way.)Majjhima Nikāya 149 (SuttaCentral) Ref: https://suttacentral.net/mn149
Sammā-diṭṭhi (Right view)Sammā-saṅkappa(Right intention)Sammā-vācā,(Right speech)Sammā-kammanta(Right action)Sammā-ājīva(Right livelihood)SīlaWhen the Noble Eightfold Path is synthesized,it can be grouped into three divisions …