A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering
And what is the way leading
to the cessation of suffering? It is just this noble eightfold path:
that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right
living, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. (MN 9)
Reflection
Understanding
that suffering has a cause and can be cured is one thing, but managing
to bring about that cure is a formidable challenge: “Just stop craving,
and your suffering will disappear! How hard can that be?” As it turns
out, it can be very hard indeed. The way out of suffering, woven from
the elements of the eightfold path, needs to be crafted anew by each
culture, each generation, each person.
Daily Practice
The practice of
walking the path leading to the cessation of suffering has always been a
creative project. Since every moment of every person’s experience is
new and unique, the blueprint of the eightfold path has to be
interpreted flexibly. Find your own distinctive way of understanding
these timeless universal principles and applying them to the many
challenges of your life and its unique set of changing circumstances.
Tomorrow: Cultivating Equanimity One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering
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