Buddhism’s Eightfold Path: A Simplified Summary
One of the four noble truths in Theravada Buddhism is the so-called Magga, The Truth of the Path to End Suffering.
This Fourth Noble Truth is the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to Awakening. It is said that Awakening is not “made” by anything: it is not a product of anything including the Buddha’s teachings.
It is believed instead that our true nature is already always present and we are just not awake to it.
The Fourth Noble truth thus charts the method for Awakening. It states that “Following the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the end of suffering.”
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So what is this Noble Eightfold Path?
The Noble Eightfold Path is a summary of the paths of Buddhist practices leading to enlightenment or awakening—the end of ignorance, craving, and suffering.
| Name of Path | Other Name | Interpretation |
| Samma ditthi | Right view or understanding | A true understanding of how reality and suffering are intertwined. |
| Samma sankappa | Right thought or attitude | The aspiration or resolve to act with correct intention (out of love and compassion), like doing no harm. |
| Samma vaca | Right speech or Perfected speech | Non-harmful communication, like abstaining from lying, and divisive or abusive speech. |
| Samma kammanta | Right action or Integral action | Acting in manners that do not exploit and cause no harm, like not taking life, not stealing, and not engaging in sexual wrongdoing |
| Samma ajiva | Right livelihood | Making a morally sound living, like being honest in business transactions |
| Samma vayama | Right effort or diligence | Striving to generate thoughts, words, and deeds that foster wholeness and rejecting unskillful ones |
| Samma sati | Right mindfulness or Thorough awareness | Being watchful of things, people and oneself (one’s body, feelings, thoughts, mind, and mental qualities) |
| Samma samadhi | Right concentration or meditation | Practicing one-pointedness of mind by skillful meditation informed by all of the previous seven traits |
This Eight-fold Path is prescribed to achieve the Middle Way. The Buddha advised His followers to avoid the extremes of sensual pleasures and self-mortification, both of which do not lead to the attainment of the highest goal.
He rather prescribed the Noble Eightfold Path as the way to achieve ‘nibbana’ (‘nirvana’).
The Noble Eightfold Path is thus submitted as the middle way.
It is called the middle way not because it lies in between the two extremes but “because it rises above them, because it is free from their errors, from their imperfections, from the blind alleys to which they lead” (“The Middle Way,” n.d.).
For other free lectures for students like this, visit Homepage: Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems
Copyright © by Jens Micah De Guzman
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