The Noble Eightfold Path
a Buddhist concept for ethical conduct
The eight practices of the Noble Eightfold Path can help guide us toward deep wisdom and wellbeing.
The eight practices of the Noble Eightfold Path can help guide us toward deep wisdom and wellbeing.
- Right View (absence of attachment to views, the insight and wisdom to be flexible in perspective)
- Right Thought (thinking with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love)
- Right Speech (bringing joy and happiness with our expressions, avoiding using harmful speech, and not sharing misinformation we don’t know to be true)
- Right Action (acting in a way that protects and supports life, acting with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love)
- Right Livelihood (nourishing ourselves, other people, and the planet with what we do for a living)
- Right Diligence (dedication to serving living beings, extending joy, and reducing suffering)
- Right Mindfulness (staying in the present moment and uniting our body and mind with conscious action, thought, speech, and diligence)
- Right Concentration (focusing on mindfulness and thinking, speaking, and acting in a way that is supportive and beneficial to ourselves and the planet)
All of these concepts are interconnected. When we practice Right View, we don’t allow ourselves to be rigidly attached to any particular thoughts, theories, or belief systems. Right View is the insight to know we can only be partly right, and it’s the wisdom to know that attachment to anything — even Buddhist philosophies — can lead to suffering. Right View includes the insight that all beings and phenomena are interdependent and intrinsically connected to each other. We depend on others to survive. We depend on plants, animals, minerals, and other people to feel well. We cannot be without the support of these factors, so if we harm plants, animals, minerals, or other people, we’re doing harm to ourselves. When we look deeply into the things and people around us, we can see the many plants, animals, and minerals that make up their being. Right View includes honoring all life as interconnected energy.
When we practice Right View, Right Thinking easily follows. Right Thinking is thinking with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love. Thinking in anger, jealousy, hatred, or despondency would not be Right Thinking.
When we think in a constructive way with Right Thinking, Right Speech organically improves. When we express in our words, writing, and creative projects, we have the opportunity to share Right Speech. What we express can bring joy and happiness, and this is Right Speech. Communicating in a way that is harmful or that promotes misunderstanding and suffering would not be Right Speech.
Right Action depends on Right Speech, Right Thinking, and Right View. Our body, our speech, our thoughts, and our mind are all sources of action. These actions can contribute to happiness or to suffering. If we are acting in a way that protects and supports life, acting with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love, it is Right Action. If we are destroying life, endangering others, creating stress, producing disharmony, or creating other forms of suffering with our actions, it is not Right Action.
With our Right View, we can choose a Right Livelihood. We can nourish ourselves, other people, and the planet with what we do for a living, and this is Right Livelihood. If we have a vocation that is destructive to the environment, harmful to other species, or creates stress in the world, this is not Right Livelihood.
When we’re diligent in our Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, it’s Right Diligence. When we are dedicated to serving living beings, extending joy, and reducing suffering, we are practicing Right Diligence. If we’re living in isolation or extending actions, speech, or thoughts that harm others, this is not Right Diligence.
When practicing Right Mindfulness, we dwell in the present moment by breathing mindfully, uniting our body and mind with conscious action, thought, speech, and diligence. When we walk, we walk with awareness, and this is Right Mindfulness. When we speak, we consciously say things from the heart, not influenced by old habits or emotional energy. When we practice Right Mindfulness, we increase our solidity, sovereignty, and freedom from mindless thought, speech, and action. If we’re stuck in our past, dwelling on the future, or our mind is limiting our presence, freedom, or happiness, this is not Right Mindfulness.
Lastly, all the other Right Practices contribute to Right Concentration. We have the free will to focus on the conditions of joy around us. If we concentrate on staying mindful — thinking, speaking, and acting in a way that is supportive and beneficial to ourselves and the planet — we’re practicing Right Concentration. If we are caught up in our suffering, we’re not concentrating enough because there are always conditions for happiness around us.
The Noble Eightfold Path is not linear, it’s a circular, supportive path. All parts intertwine and contribute to the health of the other practices. We can practice each of these concepts individually to gracefully influence the other practices to strengthen and ultimately reduce suffering and increase happiness, peace, and wellbeing.
When we practice Right View, Right Thinking easily follows. Right Thinking is thinking with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love. Thinking in anger, jealousy, hatred, or despondency would not be Right Thinking.
When we think in a constructive way with Right Thinking, Right Speech organically improves. When we express in our words, writing, and creative projects, we have the opportunity to share Right Speech. What we express can bring joy and happiness, and this is Right Speech. Communicating in a way that is harmful or that promotes misunderstanding and suffering would not be Right Speech.
Right Action depends on Right Speech, Right Thinking, and Right View. Our body, our speech, our thoughts, and our mind are all sources of action. These actions can contribute to happiness or to suffering. If we are acting in a way that protects and supports life, acting with compassion, kindness, forgiveness, peace, inclusiveness, and love, it is Right Action. If we are destroying life, endangering others, creating stress, producing disharmony, or creating other forms of suffering with our actions, it is not Right Action.
With our Right View, we can choose a Right Livelihood. We can nourish ourselves, other people, and the planet with what we do for a living, and this is Right Livelihood. If we have a vocation that is destructive to the environment, harmful to other species, or creates stress in the world, this is not Right Livelihood.
When we’re diligent in our Right Thinking, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, it’s Right Diligence. When we are dedicated to serving living beings, extending joy, and reducing suffering, we are practicing Right Diligence. If we’re living in isolation or extending actions, speech, or thoughts that harm others, this is not Right Diligence.
When practicing Right Mindfulness, we dwell in the present moment by breathing mindfully, uniting our body and mind with conscious action, thought, speech, and diligence. When we walk, we walk with awareness, and this is Right Mindfulness. When we speak, we consciously say things from the heart, not influenced by old habits or emotional energy. When we practice Right Mindfulness, we increase our solidity, sovereignty, and freedom from mindless thought, speech, and action. If we’re stuck in our past, dwelling on the future, or our mind is limiting our presence, freedom, or happiness, this is not Right Mindfulness.
Lastly, all the other Right Practices contribute to Right Concentration. We have the free will to focus on the conditions of joy around us. If we concentrate on staying mindful — thinking, speaking, and acting in a way that is supportive and beneficial to ourselves and the planet — we’re practicing Right Concentration. If we are caught up in our suffering, we’re not concentrating enough because there are always conditions for happiness around us.
The Noble Eightfold Path is not linear, it’s a circular, supportive path. All parts intertwine and contribute to the health of the other practices. We can practice each of these concepts individually to gracefully influence the other practices to strengthen and ultimately reduce suffering and increase happiness, peace, and wellbeing.
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Deepen Your Understanding: I was originally introduced to this concept in Thich Nhat Hanh's book, The Mindfulness Survival Kit. There are many other great books that cover this concept in-depth, but this book is an excellent introduction to the practices.
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