The Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path is really practical and actionable guidance on how we can all live a more mindful, time-ful, and kindful life. There is no need to be a Buddhist or study Buddhism in order to embrace its wisdom. Furthermore, it’s nicely infectious. As we become more content in our being, others around us sit up and take notice. So both our inner and outer worlds benefit from the subtle shifts in our outlook.

Transcript

True mindfulness is a way of life and a modus operandi that extends into our waking days and beyond.

Waking mindfulness brings in so many benefits at so many levels.

From a personal perspective,

We live a calmer,

More graceful and happier life.

This spreads to those around us who,

In turn,

Nicely spread their calmness to others.

A calm demeanour is picked up by our pets and even our plants.

In time,

As more and more people benefit from daily meditation,

The world as a whole benefits.

Together we can create more of a heaven on Spaceship Earth.

While our personal endeavour can scale globally,

We only ever have to act locally and be at peace with ourselves.

There is no need to carry the weight of saving the world on our shoulders.

When it comes to being mindful about our waking days,

There is no need to become an ascetic or a practising Buddhist.

There are,

However,

Some very practical and common-sensical Buddhist philosophies that we can adopt to help us in our way.

One of them is called the Noble Eightfold Path,

Which gives us an easy and graceful way to move forward in life.

The path is drawn as a circle with eight spokes,

And it is a circle we have been on since our birth.

As we rotate around it though,

With the dimension of time being the driving force,

If we are struggling or meeting adversity,

We can envisage that we are spiralling down somewhat.

When we embrace and act upon the principles of the Eightfold Noble Path,

Life becomes a breeze and opportunity falls at our door with serendipity oozing from every corner.

So let's take a journey around the path and learn how to spiral upwards.

You may like to pause this visualisation at each of the points around the path.

Optionally you can make notes or even take action before resuming your journey.

The first waypoint on the Eightfold Noble Path encourages us to maintain the right view.

Now while each of these eight concepts are deep and wide in their scope,

So that we can remember and act upon them,

It's best to keep them simple.

So at its most basic level,

Maintaining the right view is all about seeing events around us and those that we initiate for what they truly are.

So just reflect back now on something in your life that at the time was less than pleasant.

Now come forward into the now and muse on where that event has led you to and how your life is different as a result.

Next think about something going on in your life right now,

Upon which you can do with some guidance.

Go forward in time to when you have to make a decision or perform an action.

And then imagine all the consequences of that action.

And then after taking that action,

See yourself stepping forward with confidence and surety.

The second waypoint on the path is all about maintaining the right resolve.

What this means is when we make a decision or embark on a course of action,

We should move forward with our head,

Our heart and our gut in alignment.

We should see any rocky moments as opportunities to test our resolve where we can learn and improve.

Any serendipities that come our way are signs we are on the right path.

It pays dividends to thank both types of event for coming our way.

The third waypoint on the path is at all times communicate with the right speech.

During the day it is important to be mindful of what you say,

Your intention behind saying it and how you actually say it.

This applies not only to the words we speak out loud,

But the words that we speak in loud too,

And those that we use in our emails,

On social media posts and indeed in anything we are writing.

Words have power and we should be mindful of this at all times.

Less is often more.

And remember that when we are speaking or thinking it is hard to really listen.

The fourth waypoint on the path is acting with the right conduct.

When faced with taking any action we have two initial choices.

The first choice is not to act at all but merely to wait and to observe.

Taking a few in and out breaths is recommended here.

As a reminder let's do that right now with three deep belly breaths.

Place your hands on your belly so your middle fingers just touch and breathe in deeply so they part.

Exhale fully with your mouth slightly open so that all the air leaves your lungs and the fingers touch again.

Let's repeat that two more times.

The second choice that we have is in the manner in which we conduct ourselves and choosing the timing of when we should act.

The way we conduct ourselves too has many ramifications.

If we get stressed those around us will get stressed too as will our biochemistry and our internal organs.

This reduces our ability to avoid getting stressed in the future.

If we conduct ourselves in a calm and reasoned manner we become better able to raise our heads above the ripples and the waves that might otherwise sink us.

The fifth waypoint on the path is engaging in the right livelihood.

Whatever our walk of life and chosen path it is wise to avoid being greedy or over ambitious.

No matter what your job or profession involves or how you otherwise occupy your days be mindful of how your path impacts,

Crosses and intersects with the paths of others.

It is not so much what we do but how we go about it that helps us sleep at night in the knowledge we did our best on the day just gone and that the day yet to unfold will be kind to us which will merely be a reflection of how we will be kind to others in turn.

The sixth waypoint on the path is all about expending just the right effort.

This means that we should work diligently but not work ourselves into the ground.

It pays dividends to take breaks but to be fully focused when you are at your work.

It also helps if you are in love with what you are doing so that it doesn't feel like work in the first place.

If you do feel you are working too hard be mindful that there may be an easier and better way.

Others recognition of this is all that is needed in order for it to find you.

The seventh waypoint on the path is living in the right mindfulness.

This requires us to be constantly aware of our thoughts and feelings as well as their source and their purpose.

This of course is aided by the regular practice and meditation.

Just imagine that all the thoughts you experience from birth to death form a stream and that you ride down that stream.

As you do so your thought stream bumps into the thought streams of others and mixes and intertwines with them.

Sometimes each thought stream bounces off in entirely different directions.

Just muse on this notion for a while and allow your thoughts to flow gently downstream.

The final waypoint on the eightfold noble path involves maintaining the right concentration.

This involves bringing all the other waypoints on the path into all that we do.

To do this we can have some fun cascading them into each other.

So just for a moment apply the right view to your resolve.

These are the first and second waypoints on the path.

Next allow the second waypoint of the right resolve to influence the third waypoint of the right speech.

Apply your right resolve to your speech so that next time you speak you do so with clarity and power.

So next the right speech influences the fourth waypoint of the right conduct.

Be mindful of what you say and how you speak and this helps you conduct yourself in a gracious manner.

The fourth waypoint of the right conduct then leads naturally to the fifth waypoint of the right livelihood.

To do this be mindful of how you conduct yourself in your livelihood and this helps you make each and every day worthwhile and fulfilling.

When we spend our days in the right livelihoods it takes minimal effort on our part,

Which is the sixth waypoint of right effort.

The effortless existence of living the right livelihood leads us naturally to the seventh waypoint of the right mindfulness.

Application of the right mindfulness allows the whole path to come full circle to the eighth waypoint of the right concentration.

Putting all the principles together at the same time merely involves us being mindful of where and how we are applying and directing our concentration.

Be mindful though that the word concentration has two meanings.

It refers to how we direct our attention and to the making of something less dilute.

Both of course apply here.

So I hope you enjoyed this trip around the Eightfold Noble Path.

I invite you to come back to it often as it is the key to a different world.

So if you had your eyes closed,

Open them slowly,

Come back into the room and going forward be mindful,

Timeful and kind and take gentle steps spiralling around and around the path.

Reviews

Thank you again. This is an nice and easy explanation of this noble path. It shapes a clear construction of the path. I am reading the Majjhima Nikaya at the moment, and it is sometimes though and abstract. This kind of meditations helps forming more insight in the meaning of it. After all, I think we can use this noble path so many times during the day. When making decisions. When thinking of what to do. When acting. And when reflecting. It keeps us away from impulsivity and judgement. It helps us to stay at our true self, our true intentions, and being relaxed and kind to the world. And so much more.

Exactly what I needed 🙏 Lovely voice, tempo, and music. I will be utilizing this regularly. I am grateful you shared this here 🤍😊

Always looking for teachings on the 8 fold path. This was a nice review.

Hi Tom! I'm so grateful to have found you on Insight Timer and am inspired by your library of offerings. I found you through searching "Rudolf Steiner" 🙏🏻💙🌌✨ Thank you for your presence!

Thank you Tom for breaking this down in a digestible and useful way.

Thank you for this complete wisdom formula for a balanced life. Namaste

As always, Tom manages to create another interesting, thought provoking talk about life. Thank you for sharing this with us.

Thank you 🙏🏻 for this very, very meaningful meditation. 🙏🏻

Great explanation and helpful advice of this teachings. Thank you 🙏

Thank you. I will definitely come back to this meditation. It was especially useful to be reminded to be mindful in my speech 🙏🏾☺️.

I really enjoyed this. Clear, concise, and great presentation. I'm not a Buddhist, but I've studied the practice for over 20 years and can easily see myself incorporating each of these 'spokes' on the path in my daily life. Thank you.

A light and easy to assimilate approach. Very enjoyable and book marked. Thankyou Tom. ✨🦜✨

This is new to me.
I will revisit this often.
Most interesting
Thank you 🙏🏻

👌💯💞

A gentle spotlight shined on the elusive noble eightfold path. Thank you

Helpful concentrated words of the eight fold path.

Thank you for your guidance.

Namaste ❤️

Thank you, Tom. Your perspective on the Eight-Fold Pathis is direct, unique and, as always, inspiring. 🙏👍❤🌍 Love, Joy, and Blessings to all. Namasté

Great explanation thanks. 🙏