The Path of Joy and Liberation

 

04.07.2023 THE PATH OF JOY AND LIBERATION Over twenty years ago, I took an Abhidhamma course at my Sri Lankan temple in Los Angeles. After the first class, I thought, “Man, Buddhists really love lists!” As the weeks went by, my teenage mind was inundated by the five khandhas (aggregates), the four types of citta (consciousness), the different cetasikas (mental factors ranging from forty-two to fifty-two depending on tradition), the twelve nidanas (causes) of dependent origination, and more, including subdivisions involving even more lists. At thirteen, I was intimidated by the scope of Buddhist thought contained in these lists. But, as an adult, I realize that an oral tradition requires such organizational methods for effective memorization. And effective they are! The Pali lists still pop into my head regularly, informing the way I see the world and act in it. The new May 2023 issue of Lion’s Roar explores one of Buddhism’s most essential lists, that of the eightfold path: right view, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration. As Sister True Dedication explains in “The Path of Joy and Liberation,” the great thing about the eightfold path is that “each element of the path contains the other seven within it, and they work together to create a complete path to liberation.” Throughout this issue, our authors reveal the intertwined nature of different elements of the path, three of which you’ll find below. They each stress the importance of the eightfold path in our lives off the cushion, through compassionate interaction with our world. These days, when I teach the eightfold path to the tweens and teens at my temple’s Sunday school, I emphasize its nonlinear and circular nature. I tell them, “If you’re doing one, you’re doing them all.” I tell them, “Try to embody just one element of the eightfold path every day. The rest will fall into place.” —Mihiri Tillakaratne, Associate Editor, Lion’s Roar

The Eightfold Path: Right Thought We can’t control our thoughts, says Reverend Marvin Harada. But we can reflect on them — and doing that changes everything. Good thoughts come and go; bad thoughts come and go. We cannot control and hold a good thought any more than we can remove or stop having a bad thought. But if we have been nurtured in the dharma, we begin to see thoughts as they flow through our mind. We can even begin to reflect on those thoughts as they come and go. For example, we might question, “Gee, why am I so angry about such and such? Why am I so upset?” Such reflection will inevitably lead to seeing ourselves and our self-centered nature, and in time such reflection will enable us to see beyond our ego-centered self to that which transcends it — our true self. Seeing ourselves is only possible because there is a mirror that is reflecting who we are. That mirror is the teachings.

The Eightfold Path: Right Speech Do you have something you want to say? Nikki Mirghafori on the questions to ask yourself. A crucial part of our practice, speech is something we can engage with even on days when we cannot sit in formal meditation. Our practice with speech includes the words that we direct to ourselves (perhaps with an unkindness we’d never use with others) and the words that we write in texts and emails and on social media — words that fashion our karma and our world with such tremendous speed. The Buddha taught both what to avoid and to cultivate. Right speech is abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter. The five guidelines for well-spoken speech are: Is it timely, true, gentle, beneficial, and spoken with a mind of good-will? He gave additional consideration for speaking what is disagreeable. Beyond making sure that what we say is true and beneficial, we still must wait — out of compassion — for the appropriate time to say it.

The Eightfold Path: Right Action Actions can be helpful in one situation yet harmful in another. Rebecca Li says awareness is needed to identify right action. Right action includes not taking any action. Moments of nonaction, such as those in sitting meditation, can help us gain insight into our busy, action-oriented mind. If we notice strong resistance to not doing anything, that’s a good opportunity to see what stories we’re telling ourselves. Perhaps we believe we’re only lovable if we do things, or we keep ourselves busy to avoid being with our thoughts. These are helpful discoveries. There’s no need to judge ourselves for having these beliefs; being familiar with them allows us to release the urge to act when it’s neither necessary nor helpful to do so. It doesn’t mean we become apathetic; we maintain clear awareness of the moment-to-moment changes of everyone and everything in the situation to identify the action that’s beneficial to all.

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