This is the final talk on the Noble Eightfold Path. Today I’m going to talk about the Concentration group, which consists of Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation, the last three factors of the Path. The Buddha spoke about Right Effort as the effort to abandon unwholesome states and to encourage wholesome states. It very much has to do with what we do with our minds, a turning within and resting in faith. It is not the effort we would normally think of in terms of the effort needed to get something done or to learn a skill. It is not a goal-oriented effort. We can be trying to get something done that is good to do. We may try to get a lot of things done that need to be done, or so we think, and still not be practicing the Right Effort that the Buddha was talking about, the Right Effort that leads us to the Truth and is based in that Truth, the effort that leads to the cessation of suffering. It’s not about getting things done, about being a good person and definitely not about being perfect and doing all the right things. It’s a soft, open effort, not something that is closed and possibly hard. There are things we need to do and we can do them while practicing Right Effort, not being attached to what we are doing or to the outcome. Not easy.

There’s an invocation that we sing at the Eve of the Festival of the Buddha’s Enlightenment called “Constant Let Thine Effort Be.”

Constant let thine effort be
From delusion’s slavery,
By the Truth, thy mind to free,
Wisdom to attain.

Break the bonds of sense-desire
Holding thee in error’s mire,
And with all thine heart aspire
Purity to know.

Strive the ego to deny
Let all selfish cravings die,
To all beings low and high
Love and kindness show.

The effort to be made is in letting go. When we make the effort to be mindful in daily life and when we’re formally meditating, we can allow the thoughts that arise to go of themselves without getting involved with them. This can take a lot of effort, first to be mindful and look at what’s arising and then to not get involved with what is arising, which may be something difficult, disturbing, or interesting and pleasant, or just plain distracting. We need to make the effort to keep bringing ourselves back to the present over and over again if need be. When we do this, we aren’t a slave to our delusions and then Wisdom can arise of itself. We aren’t striving to be wise, the effort made is in letting go, which is the same as not holding on, since we aren’t trying to push anything away. We are no longer basing our speech and actions on greed, anger and delusion, when we are simply letting them come and go and not giving them so much importance. Then we can know the purity, the Immaculacy of our Buddha Nature. As I mentioned in one of my previous talks, my experience has been that when I let go of unwholesome states like the critical mind, the wholesome states like compassion and loving kindness can arise of themselves. This effort takes courage and faith, and the longing to know what is Real, perhaps being tired of what we are like, of how we keep getting caught in the same kind of thing that doesn’t bring any lasting happiness or peace. I can sometimes see through my cravings and know them for what they are and sometimes they grab hold of me and it’s not so easy to do the right thing. And over time, I’m learning how to do better.

This effort also includes what I spoke about as Right Action — “doing that which needs to be done” in the sense of what truly needs to be done at this moment. When I was the guestmaster and had an awful lot of work to do and seemingly not enough time to do it, I would get stressed and sit down at my computer focused on trying to get all the e-mails answered. And then someone would come by and want to talk with me. I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone—my focus was strictly on getting the work done. This is not Right Effort. I needed to stop and see what was being asked of me at that moment. It’s a matter of letting go of the self, of my agenda, and being willing to turn. And it could be that what I’m doing needs to be done right then and the person can wait a bit. I can ask them in a kind way if they can wait a few minutes or whatever. It would have been easier and less stressful if I had started my work on answering the e-mails with a different attitude. It’s about abandoning these unwholesome habits and acting from wholesome states. “To all beings low and high, love and kindness show.” I have heard that when the Dalai Lama is talking with someone, he is completely present with that person; he or she is the most important person to him at that moment. How compassionate that is and how helpful it must be for that person.

Rev. Master Daizui talks about Right Effort in Buddhism From Within: “It is more a matter of willingness than of will.… It is the willingness to do whatever comes next. ‘Doing what comes next’ seems to come from honesty and courage rather than from will. The honesty is that of looking straight at what lies before us, at what is shown to us simply and clearly by the ‘something else.’ [Rev. Master Daizui is using the words ‘something else’ for the Unborn, the Buddha Nature.] And this, in turn, involves trust: trust that wisdom and compassion really do exist somewhere within ourselves, trust that they can do their work without us having to control or direct anything, and trust that we can perceive their teachings directly from the experience of our senses without analyzing, fearing, judging, doubting, or worrying about what we discern. The courage involved in this type of effort is the courage to do what is obviously to be done and to abstain from what is obviously to be abstained from. This, then, is the ‘effortless effort.’ No ‘me’ is involved, no ideals, no thinking or planning, no control, no direction. The work is that of the ‘something else’; the direction appears naturally when we stop chattering to ourselves and let the ‘something else’ get a word in edgewise; the trust is placed in the wisdom of the ‘something else.’ For each individual, there are just things which are clearly to be done and things which are clearly not to be done: it’s that simple.”

Now to quote from Zen is Eternal Life, Great Master Dogen’s chapter on “Shoji”: “When the Buddha does all, and you follow this doing effortlessly and without worrying about it, you gain freedom from suffering and become, yourself, Buddha.”

Right Mindfulness is the 7th Path factor and is needed for all the other aspects of the Path. Rev. Master Daizui summarizes Right Mindfulness in five steps:

1. Do one thing at a time.
2. Pay full attention to what you are doing.
3. When your mind wanders to something else, bring it back.
4. Repeat step number three a few hundred thousand times.
5. And if your mind keeps wandering to the same thing over and over, stop for a minute and pay attention to the distraction; maybe it’s trying to tell you something.

Doing one thing at a time is helpful in practicing Right Mindfulness and sometimes it’s good to talk and relax with others while eating a meal, going for a walk, etc. And we don’t have to lose our mindfulness in doing so.

I would describe Right Mindfulness as being present with whatever you are doing. If you are sweeping a path, just sweep the path. When your mind wanders off, bring yourself back to just sweeping. If you’re chopping vegetables, just chop the vegetables, and the same for when you’re going for a walk or eating a meal. Do your best in whatever you are doing, taking care with all beings and all things. This is not the same as concentration. You are not so focused on something, like computer work for instance, to the exclusion of everything else. You are aware and yet not locked into anything. Your senses are still operating. You are aware of your thoughts and feelings and you try not to get pulled off by them. This awareness allows you to change course if you need to. I sometimes get locked into my computer work if it is very engrossing like designing our yearly calendar, and it isn’t very pleasant in the long run. I can feel kind of groggy, a bit like being drugged and certainly not fully present, alive and awake as in Right Mindfulness. For me it is almost like an escape from life, from what is going on around me. We probably all do this from time to time, or perhaps more often depending on what kind of work we are doing. The work then can become the important thing and not our training. It isn’t so easy to practice Right Mindfulness. It can take a lot of effort. It shows us what our mind is like outside of formal meditation and it’s not always pleasant to look at. It shows us how we react in different situations. If you’re staying at the Abbey, you might be asked to work in the kitchen, which you may or may not want to do, and then told how to chop the carrots. You may think: “I know how to chop carrots! I probably know more about cooking than they do! Why are they treating me like an ignorant child! I’d much rather be outside stacking wood anyway!” If you aren’t being mindful, you can believe these thoughts and suffer as a result. You may be surprised by your reaction to a simple instruction. You may even say something negative or act on your anger. Our minds do this and more! Mindfulness gives us the opportunity to stop ourselves from reacting to everything. This is where Right Effort comes in. With faith in this practice, we can make the effort to refrain from saying and doing that which creates suffering and causes harm. We can be willing to just be with whatever is going on, which can be quite uncomfortable. However, this kind of discomfort is the suffering that leads to the cessation of suffering. With time and experience we do see the benefit of self-restraint and know that we can do this practice.

Something that can discourage us from being mindful is the fear that being in the present moment, being with whatever is going on in the mind isn’t enough, that we need to fill this space with something else. When you’re doing one thing, you may be thinking about the next thing and waiting to get there, and then when you get to the next thing, that doesn’t seem like enough either and on and on. In this way, we’re never fully present with ourselves as we are right now. We never know the completeness of each moment until we change course and trust that it is enough and that it is okay to be with whatever is going on. It is only by being in the present moment that we can open our hearts to the Truth and change the course of our karma, change our habitual way of doing things. Ajahn Sumedho talks about welcoming whatever is going on in the mind with loving kindness and not taking your thoughts, feelings, worries, fears, doubts too seriously. In his book, Don’t Take Your Life Personally, he says: “ Awareness, then, is just noticing the way it is—the way your body is for one thing, and the way your mental state is—so it is embracing, welcoming, noticing, but not critically. So being aware is being alert, awake, and intelligent; it is an alive sense of being, yet it is not passive or a negative acceptance of life through any kind of resignation to fate. You might have denied and rejected things in the past, but in awareness you include and open to them. Awareness includes even feeling that ‘it shouldn’t be like this’ — it also includes that! There is nothing you can think or say or do that doesn’t belong in this moment. No matter what state your body is in or your emotional state — whether you feel successful and happy or depressed and a failure—it all belongs.” We can welcome and embrace the dark aspects of ourselves as well as the brighter aspects, without holding on to them or pushing them away. I was listening to some talks by Rev. Master Daishin Morgan on Dogen’s Shobogenzo. He talked about Dogen saying there is no problem with whatever arises in your mind, no matter how dark or negative it might be, because underneath it all is Compassion. So you don’t have to worry that you’re a bad person when hatred, cruelty, despair, greed or any negative thought or feeling arise. Keep on going through them and you will come to the source of Great Compassion. We are all part of this Compassion.

I don’t think it’s possible to be mindful all the time unless you are very advanced in your training, so don’t expect that or judge yourself. I found it reassuring to see that Ajahn Sumedho said that he no longer judges himself when he is not mindful and is grateful instead for the times when he can be mindful.

Right Meditation is the eighth Path factor and can’t be separated from Right Effort and Right Mindfulness. It is the core of our practice. “The means of training are thousandfold, but pure meditation must be done.” We make the effort to meditate each day if we can. We may be tired, have something we’d rather do or just not want to “sit.” Sometimes this is because the meditation is difficult, something is stirring that we don’t want to see or experience. I’ve heard this a number of times: someone is having a difficult time and when I ask them if they’ve kept up their meditation, they say no. They don’t yet know or have the faith that it is the meditation that will help them get through the difficult time. It will be their anchor. As I’m sure you all know, meditation isn’t always pleasant or peaceful. Meditation is about being with what’s there. It’s in being with, welcoming and facing the suffering, that we can know its cessation. We make the effort to meditate consistently no matter what the self is telling us. Some people find it fairly easy to stay present and not get pulled off by what is arising and these people can get attached to the meditation and have more difficulty with daily life. Some people find meditation difficult, and their mind is constantly wandering off and easily distracted. The important thing is not whether we get distracted, but that we bring ourselves back over and over again when we notice this. All meditation is beneficial when we make the effort to do our best. If we persevere in our training, then we can find our way through the difficulties we are having with attachment or aversion towards meditation or daily life. I have seen people who have been attached to their meditation see that training in daily life is just as important and must be done. I have seen people who have been bothered by their easily distracted mind learn to accept it for what it is and do the best they can with their practice, both in formal meditation and in their daily lives. And their lives are transformed despite their difficulty with the meditation practice. Rev. Master Meian has mentioned to us many times that she felt badly about her meditation because she was always distracted, but she knew that she could always practice kindness. I have seen her blossom into a very kind, generous, content and even joyful monk.

Another aspect of meditation is how it is very much affected by our training in moral discipline. See what your meditation is like when you’ve just broken a Precept — your mind may be agitated, worried, unable to focus or settle down, angry, discouraged, judgmental of oneself. We can only be with what’s there and this suffering can teach us to try to do better. When you are trying to do your best to keep the Precepts, then you can go to meditation with a clear conscience and not fear what might arise in the meditation. You aren’t carrying a heavy weight and your mind can feel lighter and more positive even when something difficult is arising. I’m sure our training in moral discipline affects meditation in more subtle ways as well. I don’t see how meditation alone would work in the way we want unless we practice the other aspects of the Path. It doesn’t do any lasting good to meditate each morning and evening and then get up and do whatever you want the rest of the day. You might experience some quiet, some escape from your difficulties in daily life, but not the benefits of serene reflection meditation.

I’ll end with a quote from Great Master Keizan’s Instructions on How to Do Pure Meditation:

“Pure meditation opens us so that we may dwell content within our own Buddha Nature.”

This is the third talk on the Noble Eightfold Path. Today I will be talking about the moral discipline group, which consists of Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. In the Serene Reflection Meditation (Soto Zen) tradition, the 16 Precepts would need to be included in what we think of as moral discipline. These are the Three Refuges, the Three Pure Precepts and the Ten Great Precepts. As Right Understanding deepens, as we are able to let go of whatever arises, and trust more, following the guidelines set out on the Path and in the 16 Precepts becomes what we would naturally do. Right Understanding leads to Right Thought and they both lead to Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood. If in our thoughts we indulge in greed, anger and delusion, our speech and actions will be very much influenced by that. We all have our karmic tendencies, our habits, our conditioning, views, etc. We have the self to look at and let go of as best we can. Even when we have some experience of the Truth, we still have much work to do and need these guidelines to help us.

In studying the Eightfold Path what comes through very clearly for me is the Buddha’s great compassion. He is truly teaching us how we can find the cessation of suffering and the joy of awakening. It isn’t easy to follow this Path and we need to be very kind to and accepting of ourselves.

Bhikkhu Bodhi says something interesting in his book, The Noble Eightfold Path: “Though the principles laid down in this section restrain immoral actions and promote good conduct, their ultimate purpose is not so much ethical as spiritual. They are not prescribed merely as guides to action, but primarily as aids to mental purification. As a necessary measure for human well-being, ethics has its own justification in the Buddha’s teaching and its importance cannot be underrated. But in the special context of the Noble Eightfold Path ethical principles are subordinate to the path’s governing goal, final deliverance from suffering.” In the deepest sense moral discipline is not for the sake of becoming a better “self” but for the sake of being one with the Truth or Buddha Nature, living from our Buddha Nature, letting go of all that gets in the way, and acting as a Buddha would act.

Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano points out in his book, Longing for Certainty, something in my mind that is similar: The Venerable Ananda once asked the Buddha about the benefit and advantage of good moral habits. The Buddha replied that it was nonremorse. I think we can all relate to this and its opposite, which is, of course, remorse. Questioned further about the benefit of non-remorse, the Buddha said the benefit of non-remorse is gladness, which leads to rapture, to tranquility, happiness, concentration, realistic knowledge and vision, revulsion and dispassion [towards clinging to worldly things that are impermanent and create suffering], and the knowledge and vision of deliverance. “Clearly the Buddha is describing here not just the blessings of miscellaneous virtues but a definite progression of wholesome states which leads on to full emancipation [or awakening]. The morality, the consistently good behavior which he so often emphasizes, certainly has many good consequences in the development of a person’s character and in pleasant relations with other people; but it is interesting that here the Buddha singles out non-remorse as its particular benefit and advantage. Why should what seems merely a lack of something be deemed noteworthy? Let us consider the mental effects of self-restraint, moral discipline, and honorable adherence to noble standards. When one is training oneself in this way, evil causes are removed. There is then no regret, no guilty apprehension or grief based on ignoble deeds. Not doing harm, not causing misery to living beings, one has no fear of bad consequences, no self-disgust, no regrets to struggle with. This is a perfectly natural result. Being conscious, moreover, of having done right, having strived to become a better person, one feels mental relief and lightness— a kind of freedom which is a positive blessing in itself.”

When we keep to the Precepts as best we can, trying to let go of the grip of our karmic tendencies, we lessen the misery caused by their breakage. We all probably know the mental suffering caused by breaking the Precepts, especially if it is done deliberately. As we go on, we see in more subtle ways how much our thoughts, speech and actions affect our level of suffering. Moral discipline can then be seen as how we act outwardly and also how we become inwardly. Moral discipline allows us be in harmony with ourselves and with others; it helps us to cleanse our karma and not create more karma. It allows us to be at peace.

Now I would like to focus on Right Speech, the third path factor. Five of our Ten Great Precepts are concerned in some way with Right Speech: Do not say that which is not true, Do not sell the wine of delusion, Do not speak against others, Do not be proud of yourself and devalue others, and Do not defame the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

The Buddha taught that there are four types of speech that must be avoided when one wishes to know the Truth: false speech or lying, saying that which is not true; slanderous speech; crude or harsh speech; and idle chatter. The four types of speech to cultivate are: truthful speech; uplifting, kind speech; gentle speech; and moderate, useful speech. In Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, Bhante Gunaratana describes what the Buddha said about truthful speech: “The Buddha described the guidelines by which he himself decided whether to speak or remain silent. If he knew something was untrue, incorrect, or not beneficial, he would not say it. ‘Such speech [the Buddha] does not utter,’ he said. If he knew that something was true, correct, and beneficial, then “[the Buddha] knows the time to use such speech.” When his words were true, correct, beneficial, and timely, the Buddha spoke regardless of whether his words would be ‘unwelcome and disagreeable to others’ or ‘welcome and agreeable to others.’ Deeply compassionate and fully focused on people’s well-being, the Buddha never spoke only to be a ‘people-pleaser.’”   [Bhante Gunaratana goes on to say]: “We can learn much from his example. When I am tempted to speak words that do not meet the Buddha’s guidelines, I remind myself that I gain nothing by speaking, nor does anyone else gain, and nobody loses by my keeping quiet.” This Teaching is something well worth contemplating. It encourages compassion and consideration for others.

To follow the Buddha’s guidelines for Right Speech, one needs to be very mindful. Nobody gains anything when we react negatively without thinking first, to what someone has just said to us. It just creates more suffering for everyone. Mindfulness gives us the opportunity to see what we are about to say and refrain from saying it if it is harmful. It is the non-existent, insubstantial self that feels threatened and feels a need to defend and protect itself. And it is the self we are trying to let go of.

I read that truthful speech (that is beneficial and timely) is very important to our training because we are seeking the Truth in following this Path and to deliberately lie goes against that very Truth we are seeking. Besides being very harmful to our own training, it can be very harmful to others. Venerable Master Hsing Yun says in his book, Being Good: “Lying is particularly reprehensible because lying is a deliberate attempt to increase delusion. Most people are already lost in delusion; to deliberately add to the problem is to turn away from the bodhisattva way and from the infinite compassion that inspires it. Lying is very damaging because it ruins trust and it causes honest people to doubt their own intuitions. The Buddha called lying one of the ten evil deeds and he made it the subject of one of his five basic precepts.” I know for myself how lying and deceit can confuse the mind of those who are lied to and cause them to doubt their own instincts. I think that it’s pretty obvious what slanderous speech and harsh speech are like. But idle chatter may need some explanation. Master Hsing Yun quotes from the Yogacarabhumi Sasta about idle chatter: “Idle speech can be defined as one of the following: false speech, ill-timed speech, speech without significance, speech employing inaccurate terms, thoughtless speech, raucous speech, disorganized speech, pointless speech, speech with no larger meaning, or speech that contradicts the Dharma. Idle speech gives no value to others. It is a waste of time to listen to. One who frequently engages in idle speech is in danger of creating dangerous attachments to this world of delusion.” Whether speech is considered idle chatter or not depends in my mind on the motivation and purpose of such speech. When our speech comes from a good motive and is grounded in our training, then I wouldn’t call it idle chatter if we are simply talking with each other and enjoying each other’s company, relaxing with others, promoting friendship, helping someone to feel comfortable. If it isn’t really grounded in our training and is self-centered, comes from a feeling of neediness, a desire to get people to like us, reassure us, admire us, or just to hear ourselves speak, then it is good to look at these inclinations and think before we speak. When we speak from a sense of neediness, worthlessness, wanting reassurance or something from others, we are denying our own completeness just as we are, denying our own Buddha Nature. We’re reinforcing the delusion that we don’t have all we need already.

The fourth Path factor is Right Action. According to the Path, Right Action would include refraining from killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Not indulging in intoxicants is sometimes included as well. If we added “Do not be angry,” all our Precepts would be included in the Eightfold Path. Right Action is not only thought of in terms of refraining from that which causes harm, but doing that which encourages harmony and the well-being of ourselves and others. We do that which encourages compassion, caring about others, respect for all things. The Brahmaviharas or what has also been called the Four Immeasurables could be considered part of Right Thought and Right Action because they can arise naturally from our Buddha Nature and can be encouraged through our ongoing training. They are: lovingkindness, compassion, sympathetic joy (rejoicing in the good fortune of others, and equanimity. The Six Paramitas can also be studied in terms of Right Action. They are: generosity, Precepts, patience, vigor, meditation, and wisdom, which we can encourage and are also the natural result of our training. We can practice the Paramitas no matter how we may be feeling. Rev. Master Meian has often encouraged us to be kind.

Another aspect of Right Action is “doing that which needs to be done.” What needs to be done does not mean making a list and then trying to get everything on that list done, but doing what truly needs to be done, that which comes out of our meditation, the coming together of compassion and wisdom. This would include the willingness to do what needs to be done, because we don’t always want to do the “right” thing. We may want to rest instead or do something we might find more enjoyable, easier or less stressful. And yet there it is in front of us calling to us. I’ll give you an example of what arose for me yesterday morning. I have been so focused on preparing this series of talks that I have felt I can’t do anything else. I can’t volunteer for other things that need doing, or only minimally. And then this morning I realized that this attitude was encouraging Right Action. Perhaps this talk I’m working on doesn’t have to be perfect or the most wonderful talk ever, and it is more important to be less focused on myself and my talk and more aware of what is needed within the community. Everyone is very busy and I need to help out. It is seeing the bigger picture and not being so focused on what I might think is so important or my worry over not getting something done. It doesn’t help to talk about Right Action when I’m not practicing it. It’s also trusting that what truly needs to be done will get done if we open to compassion and wisdom, when we get our own agenda out of the way. What prevents us from doing what is “good” to do at this moment? Worry is a big factor, also fear, our karmic tendencies; greed, anger and delusion, pressure, getting locked into something, opinions, caring what others think about us, trying to please. Meditation, mindfulness and the willingness to see our humanity and shortcomings with kindness can help us to overcome these obstacles. Also seeing the results of our actions, the suffering we create for ourselves and others can help us see what we are doing and motivate us to change.

The fifth Path factor is Right Livelihood and this factor could use some explanation. Bhikkhu Bodhi says: “Right Livelihood is concerned with ensuring that one earns one’s living in a righteous way. For a lay disciple the Buddha teaches that wealth should be gained in accordance with certain standards. One should acquire it only by legal means, not illegally; one should acquire it peacefully without coercion or violence; one should acquire it honestly, not by trickery or deceit; and one should acquire it in ways which do not entail harm and suffering for others. The Buddha mentions five specific kinds of livelihood which bring harm to others and are therefore to be avoided : dealing in weapons, in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), in meat production and butchery, in poisons, and in intoxicants.” Any occupation that would require someone to break the Precepts should be avoided. Even with avoiding the occupations mentioned by the Buddha and others we might think of in the 21st century, it is not always clear if certain work situations are Right Livelihood. Some work in and of itself might be considered Right Livelihood, but the conditions in the workplace are not suitable and encourage someone to break the Precepts. I spoke with one of our lay trainees a number of years ago. He had worked in an office where it was encouraged to be deceitful, to lie to clients. He had taken the Precepts and didn’t want to lie; however he didn’t know what would happen to him if he went against what was expected. He finally made the decision not to lie or be deceitful. He just quietly went about his work honestly without judging or criticizing others. People first wondered about him, but then gradually they were drawn to him and they stopped lying as well. The whole atmosphere in the office changed.

You might find it helpful to read the section on Right Livelihood in Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness. Bhante Gunaratana gives some good advice about how to know if work is Right Livelihood or not. Some questions he recommends asking yourself are: “First is my job an inherently wrong occupation? That is, does it cause harm by definition?… Second, does my job lead me to break the five moral precepts? [For us it would be the 16 Precepts.]… Finally, are there other aspects of my job that disturb me and keep my mind from settling down?” Rev. Master Daizui mentions in Buddhism From Within another aspect of work that might be worth looking at: Is the work I’m doing utterly useless? It may not be doing any harm, but does it do any good whatsoever? I would add that the important thing about work that is Right Livelihood for you is to remember to do the training within your work situation and not to see your work as separate from the rest of your life.

This is the second talk on the Noble Eightfold Path. Today I’m going to talk about Right Understanding and Right Thought, the first two steps or factors of the Path, which make up what is called the Wisdom group. The eight Path factors are: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Meditation. These eight factors of the Path have also been divided into three groups:

1. The moral discipline group, made up of Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood.
2. The concentration group, made up of Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation.
3. The Wisdom group, made up of Right Understanding and Right Thought.

This Path is not followed in a sequence, in other words, you don’t master step 1 and then go on to step 2. When you take on this training fully, you end up following them all simultaneously. However, you do need to start with the Wisdom group.

The Wisdom group can be seen to come at the beginning and at the end of the Path. Right Understanding begins with a clear understanding on some level of the meaning of the Four Noble Truths and their significance in our lives. It can be difficult to take these Truths in completely when we first hear about them. We may start off in our search for the Truth with some cynicism, some negativity, some doubts. We can feel inadequate, unworthy or not believe that we have a Buddha Nature. As I mentioned in my first talk, it can be hard to believe that it is our greed, anger and delusion and how we respond to them that creates our suffering. We may just want to go straight to the Third Noble Truth, the Cessation of Suffering, and bypass looking at the self and the need to change. I know that I did. My suffering and confusion were so great when I first came to Shasta Abbey that I just wanted them to end and to find some peace. I wasn’t that interested in looking at myself or making the necessary changes. However, over time I learned that this approach didn’t work. Since we need to let go of all desires, we need to let go of the desire for peace or any experiences. Or we can be ready from the start to do whatever it takes to know the Truth. Fortunately we can start with what we are ready for and that might simply be the meditation practice or mindfulness in our daily lives. Or there may be other aspects of the Path that speak to us. But gradually we see that meditation alone or any of the other aspects of the Path alone isn’t enough. All the aspects of the Path work together and need to be followed if we would know the cessation of suffering. We start with some understanding of the Four Noble Truths and as we continue in this practice our knowing becomes deeper as we know them through our experience, through the stillness of our meditation. We start to see how our thoughts, speech and actions actually do create our suffering. Understanding moves from a belief and trust to an intuitive knowing and seeing and a deepening of our faith. We start to see how our views, our conditioning, our thoughts, opinions, emotions, doubts, cynicism, etc. are just that, are not substantial, just arise and pass and hold no Truth in them. They are not how things truly are and are not who we truly are. There is something within ourselves and all beings that is our True Nature, our Buddha Nature, that which we long for. And as we start to know This and take refuge in It, we are more willing to let go of our clinging, our attachments, the desires and aversions of the self because we begin to know on a deeper level that holding on to the self keeps us from knowing and being one with the Unborn and also, in the end, it feels much better to let go and know the emptiness of the self and the peace that comes with that. The Fifth Law of the Universe says that all beings have the intuitive knowledge of the Buddha Nature. It is always there helping us, calling to us without judgement. That is why we do this practice, why the Truth can resonate with us, why the Path can call to us.

Following this Path leads to the Knowing without doubt and the complete penetration of the Four Noble Truths. When the Buddha gave his first sermon on the Four Noble Truths to the 5 ascetics who had helped him during his period of self-mortification, one of them, Kondanna, awakened to the complete understanding of these Truths and could see things as they truly are. He must have been completely open and ready to hear and know these Truths. However for most of us it is a very gradual process, and we can have the same understanding that the Buddha had. We gradually understand, as it says in the Scripture of Great Wisdom, that all things, in their self nature, are void, unstained and pure (or empty). Each of us is not a permanent, separate, isolated, self. Rev. Master Daishin Morgan says the following in his book, Buddha Recognizes Buddha: “By entering into the depths of this emptiness, we awaken to the completeness of reality and its utter ­sufficiency. This gives rise to a deep gratitude that inspires a wish to help all beings. The interwoven nature of life reveals compassion and wisdom as aspects of reality itself. By sitting within conditions as they are, there can be a knowledge of what is good to do and the motivation to do it. More than that, there is an end to our isolation as separate beings, even as we live out our lives.” And Rev. Master Daizui says in his book, Buddhism From Within: “to the extent that we loosen up our grip on a self, we see that you and I are actually part of something larger: we’re both part of the same wonderful flow of space/time/being that everything is. This sense of oneness acts to deepen an individual’s empathy for other people and for all creatures. A person understands and experiences in a new way just how much it hurts inside when he or she harms someone else. Letting go of the notion of a separate self did not create this interconnectedness: it was always there. But it does enable one to be more acutely aware of it. And by becoming aware of just how interconnected we really are, a whole new level of insight opens up as to the causes of our core unhappiness. In addition to being aware of the unhappiness that arises from holding onto desires, a person has a new appreciation of just how much unhappiness comes from hurting other beings.… There is yet another consequence to allowing the notion of a self to drop away: joy. It is a joy that is somehow related to a sense of having come home, of being where one has always belonged, of waking up from the bad dream of ultimate aloneness.”

The Right Understanding that we gradually come to know is not something we can possess or hold onto. We do not become wise or gain anything. If we continue to train and let go of the self, we can touch on It, rely on It and be helped by It. When we let go of the self, compassion and wisdom arise of themselves. Even though there isn’t anything we can hold onto, there is a growing of faith and trust in the teaching itself and our ability to follow it. There is also a knowing of this refuge within on an intuitive level even during difficult or dark times. There is a knowing that we have to keep up our training even when our karma is arising strongly. I know this for myself now; I didn’t always know this and would act from my karma. Rev. Master Jiyu has said that we can put our hand in the river and know the flow of Enlightenment, but we can’t hold onto the water or grasp it in our hands.

Right Thought is the second aspect of the Path. We can think of it in terms of thoughts that lead us in the direction of Enlightenment, towards deepening our understanding of how things truly are. When we let our thoughts arise, abide and pass away of themselves in meditation, these kinds of thoughts (lovingkindness, generosity, compassion, tenderness, benevolence, sympathy, joy) can arise of themselves. And they arise from a deeper place than our ordinary thoughts. They can be encouraged in many ways, but not by trying to manipulate ourselves into thinking them. It is very important to let our thoughts, whatever they might be, arise and pass of themselves and not judge some as good thoughts and some as bad thoughts. Several years ago I was having difficulty with one of the monks and found myself criticizing him a lot. When I went to our Hermitage for a month, I decided that I would be very mindful of my critical mind and when a critical thought would arise, I would watch it until it passed away without getting involved with it, which is how I have been working on my critical mind. I was able to do this and when I returned to the Abbey, I was pleased to see that I no longer felt critical of him and what arose in its place were thoughts of loving kindness and generosity. If I had gone back to getting involved in these critical thoughts, I’m sure that the thoughts of loving kindness towards him would have vanished. To be honest, this did happen to some degree. In simply letting the critical thoughts come and go, I became more in harmony with my Buddha Nature, and loving kindness and generosity could then arise of themselves. When we are having a lot of difficulty with someone and simply letting our thoughts arise, abide and pass away doesn’t seem to be enough, we can do something more active by offering merit or thoughts of lovingkindness towards that person. This can help us to soften and break through the karma that is preventing us from being in harmony with who we truly are. I still struggle with the critical mind and am always trying to work with it. I find Right Thought to be one of the most difficult aspects of the Eightfold Path.

The Buddha taught this aspect of the Path as Right Intention: 1. the intention to renunciation, which doesn’t mean you have to renounce the world and become a monk. It means the renunciation of, the letting go of, desire and craving; 2. the intention of good will; and 3. the intention of harmlessness. These intentions are in harmony with our True Nature and help us to set our feet on the Path. Although in our tradition of Buddhism we don’t describe Right Thought in this way, it is what we practice in the form of meditation, mindfulness, the 16 Precepts and actually in all aspects of the Path. The kesa verse that we recite each day after morning meditation is our vow or intention for the day. “How great and wondrous are the clothes of enlightenment, formless and embracing every treasure. I wish to unfold the Buddha’s teaching that I may help all living things.” These intentions or vows can help to counteract the hold that our karma has on us, by showing us how to act in harmony with our True Nature instead of how me might be feeling at the moment.

One of the big problems with our thoughts is that we tend to believe what they are saying and this can keep us mired in our suffering and lead to creating more karma. Besides believing them, we also hold onto them and to the suffering they create. Our thinking deeply affects us; it affects our views, our understanding, what we do, how we live our lives and our level of suffering. As we go on in our training, even though our thoughts and feelings may still be very convincing, we have opened the door on doubting their reality or efficacy and we are more able to just be with them, letting them arise and pass away naturally. Sometimes we have contradictory or ridiculous thoughts arise and we just have to laugh at ourselves and not take the thoughts seriously.

In Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness, Bhante Gunaratana, says: “It’s no mystery that thinking can make us happy or miserable. Let’s say you’re sitting under a tree one fine spring day. Nothing particular is happening to you, except perhaps the breeze is ruffling your hair, yet in your mind you’re far away. Maybe you’re remembering another spring day several years back when you were feeling terrible. You had just lost you job, or failed an exam, or your cat had wandered off. That memory turns into a worry. ‘What if I lose my job again? Why did I ever say such-and-such to so-and-so? No doubt this or that will happen, and I’ll be out on my ear. Now, I’m really in for it! How will I pay my bills?’ One worry brings up another, which brings up yet another. Soon you feel your life is in shambles, but all this while you’ve been sitting under the tree!

“Fantasies, fears, and other kinds of obsessional thinking are a big problem for us. We all tend to lock into unhealthy thought patterns—grooves we have worn into our consciousness that keep us circling in familiar tracks leading to unhappiness.” I read this a few days ago and the next morning I became aware of doing just this. There was something I really wanted to do. I was afraid that someone would put an obstacle in my way of getting what I wanted and then I was angry with that person and worried I wouldn’t get what I wanted. I was just watching all this and could see how this train of thought could have affected how I felt for a while and how I acted. I had to be mindful enough to see what was going on, feel the discomfort of craving, anger and worry, not hold onto them and not try to change anything. And this kind of thinking happens all the time. The practice of mindfulness, meditation, remembering our intentions, the keeping of the Precepts and Right Understanding can all help with this kind of thinking. And also perhaps the memory that getting what we want does not in and of itself make us happy. Letting go and acceptance do lead to happiness. In the end the thing I feared didn’t happen and I didn’t get what I wanted either for another reason.

Many of our thoughts do not cause suffering in such a direct way but they also aren’t helpful and keep us distracted from what is in front of us, perhaps what we need to look at. When we get lost in our thoughts, we lose touch with our Buddha Nature and that in itself can affect what we say and do. All aspects of the Path weave in and out of each other. Right Understanding as it deepens leads to Right Thought and Right Thought or lack thereof affects our Understanding. The Buddha told his disciples: “Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks about or ponders, that will become the inclination of his mind.” This is something to think about especially if you tend to indulge in thoughts of greed, anger and delusion.

Rev. Master Daizui in Buddhism From Within mentions that reading and studying the Dharma can help with Right Thought. I find this to be true because when we read, listen to and study the Dharma it encourages our faith in the Dharma and Right Understanding and can open us to the Truth. Faith, Understanding and an open heart encourage us to do what needs to be done to cultivate Right Thought, to get ourselves out of the way, so it can arise naturally. In preparing this talk, I have been reading, studying and thinking about the Dharma. I have become more aware of my thoughts, my habits, my karma in doing so and I have been working harder on my meditation, mindfulness and keeping of the Precepts as a result of this.

I’d like to conclude with reading one of our invocations:

Right Thought will lead me on

To wisdom’s holy height

And show to me the surest way

To pass through sorrow’s night.

Right Thought will light me through

The shadows of this life;

‘Twill ease my heart and peace assure

And free my mind from strife.

Right Thought will be my guide

Across life’s troubled sea;

My pilot, compass, star and chart,

Right Thought shall ever be.

Right Thought will keep me on

The way to perfect peace,

The ferry to the other shore

Where all illusions cease.