Index of Noble Truth:
Dukkha |
Samudaya |
Nirodha |
Magga
Magga is the Pali word for the fourth of The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
Magga is the Way that leads to Nirodha, the cessation of dukkha. It is also known as the Middle Path. Magga avoids the extremes of hedonism and asceticism, each of which the Buddha followed and found wanting. The purpose of this Middle Path is to give "vision and knowledge which leads to Calm, Insight, Enlightenment, Nirvana," and it does so by making use of 8 points. This is why the Middle Path is also known as The Noble Eightfold Path.
The Noble Eightfold Path is:
Explanation of each of these points is the common subject of 45 years of sermons given by the Buddha. However, it is worth noting that there is no particular hierarchy of
The Noble Eightfold Path given by the
Buddha.
The Noble Eightfold Path is designed to cultivate the three essentials of
Buddhist training and discipline.
The three essentials are (again, in no particular order):
- Ethical conduct (Sila)
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Livelihood
- Mental Discipline (Samadhi)
- Right Effort
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Concentration
- Wisdom (Panna)
- Right Thought
- Right Understanding
To follow the Middle Path requires very little. No ceremonies, or many of the other traditional trappings of religion are required. There are but four requirements, one for each Noble Truth.
- Understand The First Noble Truth: dukkha exists.
- Understand The Second Noble Truth: the origin of dukkha, and eliminate it.
- Understand The Third Noble Truth: the cessation of dukkha, and realize it.
- Understand The Fourth Noble Truth: the path from the origin to the cessation of dukkha, and follow it.
Index of Noble Truth: Dukkha | Samudaya | Nirodha | Magga
Sources
Rahula, Walpola. What the Buddha Taught. New York: Grove Press. 1959.
Life