Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: The Eightfold Noble Path Part 1 (八聖道一)
When we engage in spiritual practice, we must concentrate to stay on the Great Path. We are not just aiming to attain self-realization; our goal is to walk the Bodhisattva-path.
The Four Elements are like poisonous snakes. The Five Skandhas are like vicious thieves. The Six Entrances are like an empty village, and superficial love is disguised as something good. So, we should practice the Eightfold Noble Path.
We already discussed this yesterday. We should know that “The Four Elements are like poisonous snakes. The Five Skandhas are like vicious thieves.” We should also understand that the Six Entrances are like an empty village. In daily life, we constantly encounter delusions. We are affected by the Five Skandhas or the Six Entrances in such a way that we are often fooled by superficial feelings that are disguised as true affection.
We do not know what true love is. Many people create bad karma and make many mistakes because of deluded affections. We should strive to understand and to thoroughly penetrate the true principles. This path is direct and straightforward. It is simple. Since we know life is impermanent, we should thoroughly understand this principle. The Buddha clearly explained it to us. When the Four Elements are out of balance, things fall apart. Everything that happens in the external world is perceived by us as “form”.
These sensations lead many thoughts to arise, and cause us to take actions. Then we form bad relationships, which become karmic burdens we carry with us. Past karmic connections draw us to and entangle us with certain people. We must keep in mind that all things are impermanent and simply a temporary convergence of conditions. We must not be deluded by false sentiments. These truths are not just for us to know, we must also teach others. Having penetrated the truth, we should share it with others. This is called transmission.
When we are with people, we should not let superficial feelings mislead us. That is what we must practice. If we are in line with truth, we are on the right path. This is called the Great Path. The paths or principles we follow must be proper. When we do this, we are training our minds and engaging in spiritual practice. We must cultivate our minds in daily life and follow the Eightfold Noble Path. We must walk the Eightfold Noble Path. We must know it ourselves, and teach it to others, so they too may follow it. If we know the Eightfold Right Dharma, then we can “remove the Roots of Ignorance.”
We must understand what causes us to deviate. We deviate from the path when false thoughts enter the mind, and we follow the wrong reasoning. When must always follow the Eightfold Noble Path and help others to do the same.
The Eightfold Noble Path:
Right View, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
We call it the Eightfold Right Path or Noble Path. What is “Right?” “Without deviation is right. A way that leads to a destination is a path.” That is why the Right Path is one that does not deviate and will lead to enlightenment. That is the Right Path.
First, we must have Right View. I often tell you that we must have correct perspectives and views. Without them, we would be constantly seduced by evil thoughts and trapped in the cycle within the Six Realms. So in our study of Buddhism, we must avoid false and deviant views. In the past, we have mentioned a number of views that are erroneous. To learn, we must “listen, contemplate, practice.” Apply what you heard before to what you see now. Since I have often taught you how to recognize wrong views, you must look back and review. Deviant Views, View of Self, and View of a Human. We must review these. This is “listening, contemplating and practicing.” When you hear something, do not just let it go. Continue to think about it. Everything we learn now will help us understand not only the present, but also the future. So we must all have Right View. We must hold the correct view and knowledge.
Second is Right Thought, which means “no deviant thoughts in the mind.” If we our thoughts are correct, then our minds will be on the right path. With a right mind, our thoughts will not go astray. So we should cultivate a right mind to eliminate bad thoughts.
The third is Right Speech, which means, “not speaking falsehoods.” The Buddha always used Right Speech. He did not speak of things that do not exist, nor of things that are untrue. Since we study the Buddha’s way, we must only use Right Speech and not speak lies. The Buddha deemed lying a serious offense and reminded us about it in the Ten Good Deeds, three of body, four of speech, and three of mind. When it comes to our minds, the Buddha said to guard against three deviations, greed, anger and ignorance. These are the mistaken thoughts of life. There are also three kinds of physical misconduct. They are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. These all result in very serious karma. Then there are four mistakes of speech. Whenever we speak, we may be creating bad karma. Our speech may produce four kinds of bad karma. When we open our mouths, we must not speak lies, flattery, gossip, [or harsh words]. If we do any of these, then we are not practicing Right Speech. We must be careful of the things we say.
In order for others to trust us, we must have integrity with our word. Just as if we want to succeed in a business, we must establish credibility. There is a story about a father and son who were in the cooling equipment business, selling air conditioners and refrigerators, etc. The father always taught the son to be honest in his business dealings. “We must keep our word.” The son listened dutifully.
One day, while the father was away, the son was minding the shop. A customer, who knew of the shop’s good reputation, decided to purchase a freezer for fish. He casually chose a freezer he liked, thinking that since this shop was so reputable, whichever he picked would be of good quality. So he selected one without much concern. The young shopkeeper was also thinking that since the buyer had chosen that particular freezer with such confidence, he should sell it to him without revealing its problems.
When the elder owner had returned, he found that particular freezer missing. When the son told him that it was sold, the father became very upset. He told his son, “You lost credibility in the business transaction. You knowingly sold a machine that has problems because a piece of plastic blocks the air outlet. Since you knew about the defect, why didn’t you tell the customer? You shouldn’t have sold that freezer.” He told his son to get the car so they could look for the customer.
The father was very angry. As we know, when people are angry it shows in their facial expression. They ran into an old friend on the way. The friend stopped the father and said, “You look like something is bothering you today. Why are you so angry?”
The father told his old friend about what his son had done. He told his friend the whole story.
His friend then said to him, “Ah, don’t be so serious. Just give your son a little lecture. Don’t be so stern.”
Then the son spoke up, “I thought if he picked that particular freezer, then he must already know of the problem. I thought he would know to clear the exhaust vent before using it.”
To that the father replied, “This is not how one conducts business. You must inform the buyer of the known defects in the product. Even if he knew how to fix the problem, you still must confirm it. This is not the way to conduct business.” The father then drove away and went looking for the buyer.
The buyer was not home. The father wanted to explain that the air outlet was blocked. He wanted to inform the buyer of the problem, but he could not find him. So they returned to the shop.
The next day, the father went to the buyer’s business place to take a look at the freezer and the contents stored inside. The place was already open for business. Fish were stocked in it and none had been sold yet. The entire freezer was filled with fish. When the father opened the freezer he found that all the fish had spoiled. It smelled very rotten. He told his son, “Come, look at how many fish there are in here. Grab the scale and weigh them all. Calculate how much they all weigh.”
He told his son, “You must take responsibility. Find out the total weight of the fish and calculate the dollar amount. We must compensate the buyer.”
After weighting all the fish, they took the freezer back to their shop to repair it. Then he told his son, “Figure out how much fish was lost. Whoever sold the defective product is held responsible. Since you did such a foolish and irresponsible deed, you will find out from the buyer how long you will need to work for him in order to repay the loss of his business.” This is Right Speech. This is credibility.
When we are selling goods, we must keep Right Speech. Some people might replay, “Master, when we are doing business, if we tell the truth all the time, the business will not do well, if someone asked if this product is easy to use, I must say it is. Only then will the customer buy it. If he asked if the quality is good, I also must tell him it is. Only then will he buy it.”
Is this tight? We must be honest when conducting business. Do not only think about profit. There is a right way to conduct business, it is to be honest and ethical. That is why, even conducting business, one must have principles. We must always be honest and ethical. So when we do not speak any falsehoods, when we do not lie, we are practicing Right Speech.
There is also Right Action. We must always be aware of whether or not our behavior is correct. Good deeds with pure [intentions] are Right Action. Deeds with impure motives are not Right Action. As we learn Buddhism, we must raise our awareness. Every action we take must be pure and virtuous. Only then will it be the Right Action.
Continuing on, the fifth is Right Livelihood. That is “begging for alms to survive.” The Buddha told His disciples that there must not be any thoughts of greed. He made an example of Himself by renouncing. His luxurious lay life to seek enlightenment. The Buddha was a prince, who lived very comfortably in a palace. In order to attain enlightenment and comprehend the ultimate truth of life, he gave up all luxuries and glories to lead an ascetic lifestyle for spiritual practice.
After He had attained enlightenment, he expounded the Dharma to everyone. Then He thought about His own people and His family members. So He went back to the Kingdom of Kapilavastu to expound the teachings there. His father, the king, was a guardian of the Dharma. The king supported the Buddha’s effort. All those in the royal family who had more than two sons were encouraged to have one son become a monk.
So many people from the royal family joined the Sangha. Later, the Buddha’s maternal aunt, His son, and [former wife] Yasodhara all joined the Sangha. Therefore, the Sangha was comprised of both royalty and lower castes. But if this kind of distinction is maintained within the Sangha, then practice loses its meaning. So the Buddha set a rule that all practitioners are treated equal. All must collect alms for their meals. In order to stay healthy, everyone must eat. That is why the Buddha implemented this rule. In order for Wisdom-life to grow, one must be free of greed and discrimination. Therefore, everyone must be treated equally. Even if one was of royal heritage, one must still ask for alms. Everyone is equal in body and mind.
That is why when the Buddha was still alive, monastic practitioners asked for alms for survival. There is meaning in all these traditions. So we must all be mindful. What kind of life will allow us to attain Right Livelihood? How do we achieve Right Speech? How do we achieve a state free of evil thought? How do we achieve Right View so that we can truly realize and penetrate the principles?
Let us remain tranquil in our hearts so that our hearts are always on the Path, which is inseparable from the Dharma. The Dharma is always a part of daily life. Everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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