The Four Noble Truths: The Eightfold Path

The word Buddha is defined as “awakened one” and/or “enlightened one”. The basic teachings of the Buddha strive to make people compassionate. The teachings aims to stop delusions that are caused by attachment, and therefore end suffering. Buddhism views pain and suffering as spiritual ignorance rather than sin. It also accentuates that impermanence and change are the main structures of life. Buddhist view people as interconnected. The basic teachings of the Buddha include the factors of personality, the four noble truths, and the eightfold path.
The four noble truths form the structural framework for Buddhism. The first, noble truth is called Dukkha. Dukkha represents the pain one experiences throughout their life, physical or mental. The …show more content…
According to Peter Harvey, the eightfold path helps Buddhists avoid pleasure and harsh asceticism. By eliminating extremities, the cessation of dukkha occurs. The eight elements are grouped into categories based on wisdom, moral virtue, and meditation. These elements can be separated into two levels, the ordinary or the noble. The eightfold path aims to liberate suffering and ultimately leads to nirvana. The noble eight-factored path includes right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right …show more content…
It warns Buddhists not to undermine unwholesome states. It suggests meditating to develop wholesome states, and then to maintain ones that have arisen. Right effort focuses Buddhists attention to healing and wholeness. This step aims to teach people to live a full life without burdening others on the way. Right mindfulness practices the four applications of mindfulness. It observes alertness, and mindful observations of the qualities. This step perceives the changing nature of a body, feeling, states of mind, and basic patterns in the flow of experience. Right mindfulness helps in providing awareness. Right concentration is the last step of the eightfold path. This step discusses states of calm, peace, and mental clarity arising from meditation. The Buddha explains that being focused and alert can help someone attain a peaceful mindset. The Buddha taught factors personality, the four noble truths, and the eightfold path. He was determined throughout his later life to find nirvana. He realized during his exploration how to ultimately do this. His teachings help people visualize a path to peace. They set a guideline for people to follow. Buddhism sets out to remove oneself of all desire and ultimately obtain