The Eight Fold Path

[Ngawang Drolma.]

I've recently been sort of amazed at the precision with which the Buddha defined the path to cessation of suffering and enlightenment. The eightfold path is so basic that people don't talk about it much. But recently I noticed that when the precepts and the 8FP are really applied, life is different. Understanding is one thing, and application is truly meaningful and life-changing.

What has your experience been? Do the basics get left behind as you advance, or are they always at the core of what you do? Have you ever reflected on how beautiful and perfect the really simple teachings are?

[Ben]

Hi Drolma

You are approaching a subject close to my heart. My experience has been that the precepts and Noble Eightfold Path have always remained at the core of my pratice. What I have noticed is that I have found increasing depth of meaning and practice in the so-called 'basics'. The sublime beauty and depth is revealed the more one practices.

If you don't know this work, it is well worth a read: The Noble Eightfold Path The Way to the End of Suffering by Bhikkhu Bodhi
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... toend.html

Kind regards

Ben

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Drolma,

The Four Noble Truths have always been the anchor to my practice... encompassed in that is of course the fourth of those Noble Truths... the Noble Eightfold Path.

Don't leave home without it!

Metta,
Retro.

[Ngawang Drolma.]

Thank you Ben and Retro. And Ben, that's a wonderful link.

It's my belief that a person's practice may include various elaborations, but if the 4NT and 8FP are deeply embedded in the heart and mind, the simple beauty is never lost. Any buddhist path necessarily includes these most profound teachings and they lie at the heart of all cushion-practice and real life-practice.

That's right, never leave home without it! And don't venture in any mental directions without it too.

Just my opinion.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Drolma,

And don't venture in any mental directions without it too.

Yeah, there's no Right Papanca in the Noble Eightfold Path.



Metta,
Retro.

[Ngawang Drolma.]

Retro, LMAO, how did you get that pic I made for Element?

Is this subject monkey-chatter? If so, I'm sorry. I just feel it's important for some reason. The 8FP has really been on my mind lately.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Drolma,

No... this is an excellent Noble topic!

It's papanca which is monkey chatter!

My comment was to reaffirm your comment "And don't venture in any mental directions without it too"

I love the icon... I kept the URL.

Metta,
Retro.

[Ngawang Drolma.]

Oh, cool

I'm not entirely sure what the papanca is. Is it the stream of thoughts that run through our heads when we're not focused? Or is it wrong speech or frivolous speech?

Glad you liked the pic I take requests, too.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Drolma,

Traditionally understood as "diffuseness", papanca has probably best been defined by Venerable Nanananda as "conceptual proliferation". Papanca runs directly counter to Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. In Sanskrit, you may know it as prapanca.

Metta,
Retro.

[Ngawang Drolma.]

I understand this conceptual proliferation, thank you. I have a less polite term to describe that activity

[David N. Snyder]

Have you ever reflected on how beautiful and perfect the really simple teachings are?

Yes.



There may be lots of suttas to study , lots of discipline to learn in the Vinaya , lots of higher technical stuff in the Abhidhamma , but it all boils down to the 8-fold Path.

[retrofuturist]

Greetings Drolma,

I'm sure you've seen me quote this before... but one more time won't hurt.

SN 56.31 - Simsapa Sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .wlsh.html

Metta,
Retro.

[Ngawang Drolma.]

Greetings Drolma,

I'm sure you've seen me quote this before... but one more time won't hurt.

SN 56.31 - Simsapa Sutta
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .wlsh.html

Metta,
Retro.

Hi Retro,

I haven't read that before. Very nice, thanks

[mudra]

I think of the Four Arya Truths or the 8FP as the proofstone of whether a teaching is Buddhist or not.

You can argue all day long about such and such a teaching but in the end all you have to do is "plug it in and see if it works".
If it's the wrong voltage chances are it will burn out.

(please excuse the mixed metaphors)

[pink_trike]

Greetings Drolma,

Traditionally understood as "diffuseness", papanca has probably best been defined by Venerable Nanananda as "conceptual proliferation". Papanca runs directly counter to Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. In Sanskrit, you may know it as prapanca.

Metta,
Retro.

heh, love that phrase. "conceptual proliferation".

[pink_trike]

I've kept the 4N and 8FP at the center of everything. All the other practice and study over the years has acted as polishing stones - grinding away bits of my mental dullness to reveal more clearly the essentiality of the 4N and 8FB.

[Cittasanto]

there is a miltiary phrase which goes Keep it simple stupid or kiss for short (wonder if the band thought of this saying?) I have heard another similar one which goes Keep it simple sister, but not having sisters it doesn't really apply to me

the basice are always I think the most interesting thing to talk about.

[Fede]

Hence My Signature.....
The Four, the Eight and the Five - these are all we need, truly, to sustain us, but they form the basis of a life-long study.

[Peter]

Do the basics get left behind as you advance, or are they always at the core of what you do?

I don't consider the 4NT or N8fP to be basic. Rather I regard them as a summary, or like chapter headings in a book. Looking over the chapter headings you might get a rough sense of what the book is about. Then you read the book and get all the details of each chapter. Then, after, you can look at those chapter headings and be reminded of all those details.

[clw_uk]

4NT and the N8FP are everything Buddhism is in my opinion, every sutta or Dhamma talk and practice is connected to them