Wisdom from the Mind /ภูมิปัญญาจากจิต: The Noble Eightfold Path

Translated, described, and paraphrased by Jack Panyakone

The Noble Eightfold Path

Right Understanding

Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration

When one observes each of these rightful ways, keep in mind it must relate to Love, Kindness, and Compassion.

In practice, The Noble Eightfold Path is divided into three divisions - sila, samādhi, and paññā. Many times, dāna is seen listing before these divisions.

dāna
sila
samādhi
paññā

dāna: giving without expecting any form of return (e.g. donation)

sila: the practice of observing 1. Right Speech, 2. Right Action, 3. Right Livelihood

samādhi: the practice of observing 1. Right Effort, 2. Right Concentration, 3. Right Mindfulness

paññā: the practice of observing 1. Right View, 2. Right Thinking

The Noble Eightfold Path is the process of ending dukkha which involves the practice of these divisional groups.

Begining with dāna, one builds the loving, the kindness, and the compassion by giving without expecting the repayment of any forms. In time, dāna will lead to sila.

When sila arises due to the practice of dāna, the practitioner begins to know what/when/how to apply 1. Right Speech, 2. Right Action, 3.Right Livelihood. when practice diligently, sila will lead to samādhi.

When samādhi is born, Right Effort, Right, Concentration, and Right Mindfulness arise. At this stage, the practitioner uses his mindfulness to concentrate on the effort to help the many. This stage will lead to paññā.

paññā is defined as insight, wisdom, intelligence, and discernment. In everyday understanding, paññā is the ability to thinking and understand clearly the nature of things. When a life is born, three elements are born with it . There are dukkam, aniccam, and anatta. Dukkam means unpleasant, discomfort feelings. Aniccam mean that everything is in constant change. And Anatta means there is no self, no me, and no I.

dukkham, aniccam, and anatta are summed up as follows:

When life is born, (dukka) unpleasant moments out weight the happiness moments. (anicca) That life does not last forever. There is a constant change from birth through old-age. (anatta) There is no self, no I, no ownership of this perishable body. The understanding is that one cannot tell the body from getting sick, growing old, or dying. When one cannot command the body as such, one is not the owner of the body. Therefore, the body has no self to take commands.