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Buddhism Buddhist Buddhic Contemplation
Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha taught a new spiritual path, which he called "The Middle Way". "The Middle Way", being moderate, avoided both of the extremes of asceticism and of hedonism. Basic Buddhism principles that Gautama Buddha taught were to treat all sentient beings like oneself and to cultivate compassion, kindliness, empathy and fairness.
The practical teachings of Buddhism are meant to carry one to safety, peace, happiness, tranquility and the attainment of Nirvana which results in salvation and individual emancipation through diligently developing wholesome, virtuous qualities and eliminating unwholesome, non-virtuous qualities from the personality
A compassionate man of philosophical intellect and inspirational wisdom, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's disciplines included all social classes from kings to bankers to courtesans. Gautama Buddha emphasized that a good society was casteless and "Everyone was Equal under Karmic Law".
If one followed the "Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path" of Right Views, Right Intentions, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration, it would bring a spiritual pilgrim clear vision, insight, wisdom, tranquility, awakening, enlightenment, and nirvana. "Enlightenment" and peace resulted from training and study of this path of upward spiral movement.
Buddhist aspirants began
with a small spark of wisdom which inspired them to moral action and meditation
which expanded the wisdom which bolstered the morality and lead to higher levels
of meditative concentration and so on. Wisdom came from cultivating "Right
Views" and "Right Intentions".
Stairway Leading to the Gateway Entrance of a Buddhist Temple in Hong Kong
The upward growth spiral of "Wisdom" from Right Views and Right Intentions led to the "Morality" of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. When these were synergized with the "Concentration" of Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration they formed "The Noble Eightfold Path" which would lead the Buddhist to "Enlightenment" and "Nirvana" and the eventual cessation of all pain and all suffering.
To promote a happy harmonious life for both the individual and society and to build a foundation for higher states of consciousness, Buddhists must perform only moral actions. "Morality" encompassed Right Action, Right Speech and Right Livelihood. "Right Action" meant that the Buddhist must abstain from debauchery, deceit, infidelity, intoxication, killing, and thievery.
In order to adhere to the principles of "Right Speech", the Buddhist did not engage in backbiting, calumny, defamation, disharmonious conversations, gossip, libel, lying, slander, and vilification. Only jobs, occupations, professions, and trades that did not harm others were considered "Right Livelihood."
By contemplating universal truths and one’s essential Beingness, the "Buddhic Consciousness" nurtured detachment and abstract understanding. "Concentration" or Meditation was an essential ingredient needed to reach Nirvana.
One recommended type of meditation was to charge the four corners of the earth
with pure thoughts of compassion, empathy, friendliness, nonviolence, and
generosity, The Buddhist concentrated and visualized these qualities in the
mind's eye and then sent them rippling gently out to the ends of the universe. Vipassana meditation was self-possessed, mindful concentration on the mind,
emotions, thoughts, and dharmic principles.
Read Buddhism Buddhist Articles
Bodhisattva Spiritual Beliefs,
Buddhic Four Noble Truths,
Buddhism Three Characteristics of Being,
Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path,
Contemplative Right Action,
Enlightened Intentional Mindfulness,
Glossary Terminology,
Karmic Wheel Causal Relations,
Meditative Concentration,
Right Speech Yields Peaceful Harmony,
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha Story
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Buddhism Buddhist Buddhic Contemplation Copyright © 2002-2008 Maureen Grace Burns, Blessings Cornucopia. All Rights Reserved.
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