During Govinda (Siddhartha's childhood friend) and Siddhartha's encounter with Buddha's teachings, there is a very brief mentioning of the Eightfold Path. The Eightfold Path consists of three sections and eight rights. Right View and Intention belong to the first category of Wisdom; Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood belong to the second category of Ethical Conduct; Right Effort, Mindfulness and Concentration belong to the third category of Mental Development. These eight paths are not to be thought of as a sequential order one must follow, but rather a compilation of paths in relation to each other.
Right View simply means to understand and realize the Four Noble Truths. The Four Noble Truths are: 1) Life means suffering, 2) The origin of suffering is attachment, 3) The cessation of suffering is attainable, 4) The path to cessation of suffering. (The Eightfold Path) “Life was pain, the world was full of suffering, but the path to the release from suffering had been found. There was salvation for those who went the way of the Buddha.”
“Living life means to suffer, as life is imperfect and flawed, and we are confronted with physical suffering like pain, weakness, sickness and psychological pain like sadness, fear, and disappointment. The reasons for suffering are desire, passion, ardor, pursue of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity.” (The Eightfold Path) In order to end suffering, one must detach themselves from those attachments, both tangible (physical objects) and intangible (ideas), and become dispassionate. The path to end suffering is a gradual one that may last over many lifetimes (consistent with rebirth of Self and reincarnation).
Right Intention refers to the cognitive wisdom, the mental energy that controls our actions. “Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.” (The Eightfold Path)
Right Speech is the first of the ethical category in the Eightfold Path, a moral discipline to which a Buddhist must adhere. Words have profound effect on people; they can make friends and enemies, cause pain and bring happiness. Right Speech includes abstaining from speaking deceitfully or telling intentional lies, slanderous or malicious words, offensive speech, and small talk that lacks substance or purpose.
Right Action is a simple concept; do not cause harm to any other form of life, especially the taking of a life; do not steal or take what is not freely given; do not indulge in sexual misconduct. Essentially, it stands as a reinforcement of some of the most fundamental concepts of morality.
Right Livelihood tells one to earn their living peacefully and fairly, that their living is their own to earn. Jobs are more restrictive to Buddhists; they cannot deal weapons or people (including slavery and prostitution), work in a meat factory, or deal in the business of drugs or intoxicants. Any occupation that conflicts with the Right Action and Right Speech should also be avoided.
Mental energy is the force behind Right Effort. Without effort, nothing can be obtained. It takes a strong and disciplined mind to obtain Nirvana, and an excessive amount of personal physical and mental effort are necessary for one to attain this enlightening goal. “Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavors that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1) to prevent the arising of unwholesome states, 2) to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3) to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4) to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.” (The Eightfold Path)
Right Mindfulness is the perfection of one's cognitive state. It is the ability to see things as they are as they appear, and to cultivate accurate perceptions unassisted by previous notions or perceptions presented. “Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.” (The Eightfold Path)
Right Concentration is the unification of one's entire cognitive ability, all thoughts and attention focused evenly, equally, and eventually effortlessly, acting as one. Right Concentration refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Such is obtained through the practice of meditation; the meditative state focused on a single object, and elevates that concentration gradually.
Buddhists also practice a very strict moral code. The precepts can easily be derived from the Eightfold Path, but is more direct; like the Ten Commandments, there are ten precepts, though only the first four are mandatory. One must abstain from 1) harming living beings, 2) taking things not freely given, 3) sexual misconduct, 4) false speech, 5) intoxicating drugs and drinks that cause heedlessness. The other five are to abstain from taking untimely meals; dancing, singing, music and watching grotesque mime; use of garlands or perfume; use of high seats; accepting gold and silver.
