Meditation for BeginnersDhammacakkapavattana Sutta: The Sermon:The Components of the Noble Eightfold PathDhammacakkapavattana Sutta: The SermonThe Lord Buddha explained that the Noble Eightfold Path comprises:1. Right View [Samma Ditthi]2. Right Intention [Samma Sankappa]3. Right Speech [Samma Vaca]4. Right Action [Samma kammanta]5. Right Livelihood [Samma Ajiva]6. Right Effort [Samma Vayama]7. Right Mindfulness [Samma Sati]8. Right Concentration [Samma Samadhi]You con define the components of the Eightfold Path in terms of practice at two levels: low (mundane) (see ore detail Chapter Eight ) and high (transcendental) (see more detail chapter Seven).1.1 Right View (mundane): At low level Right View means having the discretion to believe in the working of karma [kammassakatanana]: that doing good deeds will merit good outcomes and that evil deeds will cause unfortunate retribution.1.2 Right View (transcendental): At high level Right View means the ultimate wisdom, based on an attainment of Nirvana, which is devoid of any further influence of ignorance [avijja] or subtle defilements [anusaya].2.1 Right Intention (mundane): At low level Right Intention means having the wholesome intention to be generous, keep the Five Precepts, renounce the world to become a monk, avoid taking advantage of other people or animals.2.2 Right Intention (transcendental): At high level Right Intention means the intention to dedicate oneself entirely to the attainment of Nirvana.The Lord Buddha explained that the Noble Eightfold Path comprises3. Right Speech: Right Speech means avoiding the four types of False Speech:1. Telling Lies [musavada];2. Divisive Speech [pisunavaca];3. Harsh Speech [pharusavaca];4. Idle Chatter [samphapphalapa].4. Right Action: Right Action means practicing the three wholesome physical deeds [kayasucarita], ,namely:1. Refraining from killing or physically torturing other living beings [panatipata];2. Refraining from stealing or obtaining things in a dishonest way [adinnadana];3. Refraining from sexual relations outside marriage (committing adultery) [kamesumicchacara].Furthemore, one must not consume intoxicants such as alcohol that lead to heedlessness.5.Right Livelihood: Right Livelihood means earning one’s living in an honest way and in a way that avoids evils like telling lies or deception. In the Tipitaka, in many places, the Buddha exhorts even his monks, to earn their living by the monk’s equivalent of Right Livelihood, by avoiding such evils as fortune telling, sacrifices or interpreting dreams, because these are all ‘low arts’ [tiracchanavijja]. The Buddha even prohibited monks from making medicines or from earning their living as a physician. As for householders, in the Vanijja Sutta, the Buddha prohibits Buddhist laypeople from the following trades:Refraining from killing or physically torturing other living beings1. Selling weapons;2. Selling people (as slaves);3. Selling animals (live ones for slaughter);4. Selling alcohol or drugs;5. Selling poison.6. Right Effort: Right Effort means endowing oneself with four sorts of striving:1. Avoidance of evils not yet done;2. Abandonment of evils already done;3. Development of virtues not yet done;4. Maintainance of virtues already mastered.7.1 Right Mindfulness (mundane): At low level Right Mindfulness means a mindfulness that keeps our mind on whole some thoughts like that of meritorious actions like generosity, keeping the Precepts, thinking of the Triple Gem, thinking of those to whom you have a debt of gratitude like your parents or teachers.7.2 Right Mindfulness (transcendental): At high level Right Mindfulness means cultivating the Four Foundations of Mindfulness {satipatthana] the is to concentrate one’s mind to see and know four aspects of reality:1. mindfulness of the body [kayanupassanasatipatthana]: Continuously seeing and knowing the body in the body that is to see and know the subtle inner bodies that lie hidden within our physical body: the astral body (sometimes called ethereal, dream or subtle body) through to the various bodies of enlightenment [dhammakaya].2. mindfulness of the feelings [vedananupassana-satipatthana]: Continuously seeing and knowing the feelings in the body in the inner bodies that is to see what is happiness, what is suffering and what is neither happiness nor-suffering in the physical body and the inner bodies. ‘Outer feelings’ means the feelings of the physical body while ‘inner feelings’ means the feelings of the inner bodies.Refraining from stealing or obtaining things in a dishonest way3. mindfulness of the mind [cittanupassanasatipatthana]: Continuously seeing and knowing the ‘minds within minds’ in the physical body and in the inner bodies that is continually to see and know the state of mind knowing when the mind is caught up with defilements or knowing when the mind has become free of the physical body while ‘inner mind’ means the mind of the inner bodies.4. mindfulness of the dhammas (mental phenomena) [dhammanupassanasatipatthana]: Continuously seeing and knowing the ‘mental phenomena within mental phenomena’ in the physical body and in the inner bodies that is continually to see and know the sphere of dhamma which gives rise to ur physical body. ‘Outer mental phenomena’ means the sphere pf dhamma of the physical body while ‘inner mental phenomena’ means the sphere of dhamma of the inner bodies.7.1 Right Concentration (mundane): At low level Right Concentration means determination of mind to be generous, keep the Precepts, meditate or listen to Dhamma sermons. Such determination is a precursor of concentration called ‘khanika-samadhi’.7.2 Right Concentration (transcendental): At high level Right Concentrationmeans attaining neighbourhood concentration[upacara-samadhi] and access concentration [appana-samadhi]-the former means concentrating the mind to the degree that it is so stable that it rests on the brink of the ‘absorptions’ and the latter means attaining the absorptions, from the first absorption upwards." /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " /> " />" /> " /> " />Dhammakaya Temple
Dhammacakkapavattana Sutta: The Sermon : The Components of the Noble Eightfold Path
[ 16 ก.ค. 2554 ] - [ 18258 ]
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