Week Five – Eightfold Path – Virtue

Right View initially is being mindful of the truth of unhappiness and stress. Clinging, craving, desire and aversion all cause unhappiness and stress. Right view then brings to mind the possibility of the cessation of stress. Understanding the cause of the distraction of stress, and the possibility to end stress, Right View develops mindfulness of the Path leading to the cessation of stress.

Being Mindful of Right View, Right Intention develops the presence of mind and the strong resolve to abandon the causes of stress: craving and clinging clinging. It is craving for or clinging to any object or view that perpetuates unhappiness and stress. It is clinging to all objects and views that have arisen from ignorance that must be abandoned.

Mindfulness as presented in The Eightfold Path is developing mindfulness of all views of an impermanent ego-personality. It is craving for objects, views and ideas that support the establishment of an ego personality that initiates clinging.  As understanding develops it becomes clear that preoccupation with views attached to an ego-self maintains stress. Once this process is recognized, through renunciation of clinging, you can then begin to develop Samadhi, non-distraction.

It is the preoccupation with stress that creates the distraction that continues wrong views. It is ignorance that gives rise to the belief that our personality is the sum of the self. Having this limited and wrong view of self gives rise to greed, aversion and delusion.

Out of this mental/physical aggregation an individual personality arises. It is this personality that makes choices and takes action based on attachment and perceived needs. The base need of the ego-personality is to continue to define and maintain the ego-self and its beliefs in all objects, views and ideas.

The mental/physical aggregation known as The Five Clinging-Aggregates is explained in week eight.

Mindfulness of right speech, action, and livelihood, the three virtuous factors of The Eightfold Path, shows clearly where attachments to an ego-personality have formed. The ego-self or ego-personality is not just a conscious presence, but consciousness influenced by physical senses.

This is why meditation alone cannot bring lasting peace and happiness. Without a framework grounded in Right View meditation can reinforce craving, clinging, and hurtful views arising from an ego-self. Due to the nature of conditioned mind, the entire framework of The Eightfold Path is necessary to develop concentration, compassion and wisdom.

The Buddha taught: “A true and effective Dhamma practice must incorporate these three trainings. Which three? The training in heightened virtue, the training in heightened concentration, the training in heightened discernment (wisdom).” 

Right Speech is the third factor of The Eightfold Path. By mindfully integrating Right Speech it becomes clear how words are used to continue establishing a self that is prone to stress.

Right Speech:

• Abstaining from lying, speaking truthfully
• Abstaining from divisive speech, including gossip, speaking with compassion for all
• Abstaining from abusive speech, speaking with kindness and tolerance
• Abstaining from idle chatter, speaking only what is necessary and helpful

Wrong speech arises from clinging, craving and aversion. It is often used to promote or defend the ego-personality. Wrong Speech can be very subtle at times. Gossip in particular is always hurtful and always arises from the desire to promote an ego-personality. It is best to only speak of others when they are present.

Idle chatter is used as much for distraction as for social interaction. A great measure of true friendships are friendships that are maintained without idle chatter. As wisdom develops, an understanding that spoken words will actually be helpful to someone or a situation will also show if they are necessary. Words that have no meaningful impact are part of idle chatter and can often prove divisive and will always be distracting.

Right Speech also pertains to what we are saying to ourselves and should be considered within the same guidelines. Are the words we are saying to ourselves truthful, helpful, kind and compassionate? Are our thoughts a type of unnecessary idle chatter?

From the perspective of Right View and the direction of Right Intention, Right Speech develops to very subtle levels. Once gross wrong speech is identified and mindfully abandoned, recognition of speech that may have seemed helpful and altruistic may now be seen to be manipulative and designed to elicit a particular response.

Being mindful of words expressed towards others will show the state of your well-being and understanding. Being mindful of self-talk will deepen understanding of craving and clinging and the further establishment of your ego-self.

“Be mindful of wrong speech and enter and remain in Right Speech.” [1]

Right Action and Right Livelihood follow the same moral and ethical guidelines as Right Speech.

Right Action:

• Abstaining from taking life, remaining harmless to all beings
• Abstaining from taking what is not freely given, taking only what is offered
• Abstaining from sexual misconduct, acting with generosity and kindness
• Abstaining from selfish acts, Acting for the good of all

“Be mindful of wrong action and enter and remain in Right Action.” [1]

Right Livelihood:

• Abstaining from dishonesty, profiting from virtuous acts
• Abstaining from hurtful endeavors, contributing to the common good
• Abstaining from the sale of intoxicants
• Abstaining from the sale of weapons or harmful items

Right Livelihood is remaining harmless when earning a living while contributing to the common good.

“Be mindful of wrong livelihood and enter and remain in Right Livelihood.” [1]

It requires great wisdom coupled with compassion to know when to speak and take action, and when to practice restraint. Compassion without wisdom can often be hurtful. It is often less than skillful to speak or act solely to make others feel better about themselves or to further validate other’s wrong views. Throughout the Pali canon the Buddha presented the example of restraint of speech when speaking would only reinforce someone’s wrong views.

As virtue is developed, an understanding of the importance of bringing wisdom to compassionate thoughts, words and deeds develops. In the Ratana Sutta, the discourse on the Three Jewels, the Buddha and his attending monks first addressed the physical and emotional needs of a town that had been devastated by natural occurrences and disease. They then presented the Dhamma in a way that would have meaning. 

An article on the Ratana Sutta is included at the end of this book.

The Ratana Sutta also informs that Dhamma practice is not effective as an isolated event practiced only on our cushions or “special” occasions or special situations. In order to develop virtue, concentration, and wisdom, Dhamma practice is engaged in mindfully moment by mindful moment.

By maintaining mindfulness of our thoughts, words, and deeds without defense, deep insight into conditioned thinking arises. This is the practical mindfulness and insight that is necessary in order to abandon all aspects of the distraction of stress and to awaken.

Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood are grounded in Right View and Right Intention and are supported by Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Meditation.

This Week’s Dhamma Study

• Continue with your meditation practice in the morning and early evening. If you feel comfortable with adding a few minutes to your practice do so. 5 to 10 minutes of meditation each session should be comfortable now.
• In meditation, remain mindful of your breathing as you dispassionately notice feelings and thoughts arise and dissipate. When you notice that you are caught up in your own thoughts and have lost awareness of your breath, put aside the focus on your thoughts and place your awareness on your breathing. Continue your awareness of your mind from a dispassionate observational view, a mind-state of choiceless awareness, mindful of your breath.
• Continue to develop wisdom by noticing your attachments to the people and events of your life, including yourself. Continue to generate the Right Intention to let go of all attachments and all impermanent views.
• In your day-to-day life notice when you are engaged in Right Speech, Action and Livelihood and when you are not. Develop the strong intention to abandon all wrong speech, action and livelihood. As concentration deepens, non-virtuous thoughts, words and deeds become apparent.
• Keep a journal of any persistent thoughts and your awareness of the impermanence of all thoughts. Avoid being analytical. This is a dispassionate observance of thoughts and feelings as they arise and pass away. Take note of your developing wisdom and your own resolve to develop lasting peace and happiness.
• Write a paragraph or two regarding your Dhamma practice and write down any questions or insights into incorporating Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood into your life and how developing Heightened Virtue will contribute to the experience of the cessation of stress and unhappiness. 
• To submit your writing, please use this form: Contact – Cross River Meditation
• Responses are generally within 24 to 48 hours.
• Continue your Dhamma study with week six.
• Always be gentle with yourself and enjoy your practice!
  
  [1] MN 117  Mahā Cattārīsaka Sutta | The Great Forty | dhammatalks.org