10.16 Ariya Atthangika Magga Piya
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16 Ariya Aṭṭh’aṅgika Magga The noble eightfold path An introduction by Piya Tan ©2016, 2nd rev 2017 MAIN CONTENTS 1 Right understanding of the path 1.1 CONTEXTS OF THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 1.1.1 The 7 sets 1.1.2 Components of the 8 path-factors; Table 1 1.1.3 The best of paths 1-8 Ariya Aṭṭha Magg’aṅga Suttā 1.2 THE SUPRAMUNDANE PATH 1.2.1 The 4 paths; the 10 fetters; Table 1.2.1.2 The fetters, the saints and their destinies; Table 1.2.1.3 1.2.2 The path of rightness 1.2.3 The path of the noble ones 1.3 A PHILOSOPHY OF THE PATH 1.3.1 The path as meaning and purpose of life 1.3.2 The breadth and space of language 1.3.3 The middle way 1.3.4 The middle way in perspective 1.4 THE PATH AS A NOBLE TRUTH 1.4.1 The truth that is the path 1.4.2 The two paths and nirvana 1.4.3 Cultivating the path 1.4.4 Grouping the path-factors 1.5 THE 3 TRAININGS 1.5.1 The two levels of training; Table 1.5.1 1.5.2 The 3 stages of training; Table 1.5.2 1.6 THE 3 TRAININGS AS AGGREGATES 1.6.1 The fruits of recluseship 1.6.2 The moral training aggregate; Table 1.6.2 1.6.3 Abhisamācārika and ādi,brahma,cariyika 1.6.4 The concentration aggregate 1.6.5 The wisdom aggregate; Table 1.6.5 (1.6.6) BREAKING THE 10 FETTERS 1.6.6 Breaking the 3 fetters 1.6.7 Breaking the 5 lower fetters 1.6.8 Breaking the 5 higher fetters 1.7 THE PATH AS RENUNCIATION 1.7.1 Who walks the path? 1.7.2 The open path 1.7.3 How do we walk the path? 1.7.4 Emotional independence THE INDIVIDUAL PATH-FACTORS [See following page] 1.8 Right view 2 Right intention 3 Right speech 4 Right action 5 Right livelihood 6 Right effort 7 Right mindfulness 8 Right concentration 9 Right knowledge; Table 9.2.1 10 Right freedom 11-14 The noble individuals [see following table] 15 Conclusion Piya Tan SD 10.16 • Ariya aṭthaṅgika magga PATH-FACTORS CONTENTS 1.8 Right view 1.8.1 Significance of right view; Pubbaṅgama Sutta (A 10.121) 1.8.2 The 2 kinds of right views 1.8.3 Wrong views 1.8.4 The karmic fruits of wrong views 1.8.5 Safe bets 1.8.6 Rightly diligent 1.8.7 Reject bad, promote good 1.8.8 Directly seeing 2 Right intention 2.1 What is saṅkappa? 2.2 The polysemy of saṅkappa 2.3 The components of right intention 2.4 The progress of saṅkappa 2.5 Supramundane right intention 3 Right speech 3.1 Why is right speech the first moral virtue path-factor? 3.2 Viññatti 3.3 Abstaining from wrong speech 3.4 The 4 kinds of right speech 3.5 “Connected with the goal” 4 Right action 4.1 Bodily action 4.2 The 3 kinds of wrong action 4.3 Abstaining from wrong action 4.4 The 3 kinds of right action 4.5 Being human 5 Right livelihood 5.1 What is right livelihood? 5.2 The 3 levels of worldly livelihood; profession, occupation, vocation 5.3 Right livelihood as a social organism; the spiritual community 5.4 The monastic livelihood 5.5 Violence and war – the possible way out 5.6 The new society or the ancient city? 6 Right effort 6.1 Brief definitions 6.2 The right efforts: mundane and supramundane 6.3 Practice; the 4 right efforts; the 7 awakening-factors, Tables 7 Right mindfulness 7.0 Definitions 7.1-7.4 (The 4 satipatthanas) 7.5 Liberation 8 Right concentration 8.1 Definition 8.2 Ethical status 8.3 The dhyanas 8.4 Modern psychology and right livelihood 9 Right knowledge 9.0 Right knowledge, right freedom 9.1 Learner and non-learner 9.2 Types of right knowledge 9.3 Anomalies? Ānanda and Anātha,piṇḍika 10 Right freedom; 11 The noble individuals; worldlings and saints 11 The streamwinner; 11.5 (Sattaka) Puggala Sutta (A 7.14) 12 The once-returner; 13 The non-returner 14 The arhat; 14.3.2 Sacchikaraṇīya Sutta (A 4.189) 15 Conclusion 2 http://dharmafarer.org SD 10.16 The noble eightfold path 1 Right understanding of the path 1.1 CONTEXTS OF THE EIGHTFOLD PATH 1.1.1 The 7 sets 1.1.1.1 In terms of teachings, the whole of early Buddhism is traditionally summarized as the following 7 sets of teachings, which total up as the 37 awakening-factors (bodhi,pakkhiya dhamma):1 (1) The 4 focuses of mindfulness catu satipaṭṭhāna (2) The 4 right strivings catu samma-p,padhāna (3) The 4 bases of spiritual success catu iddhi,pāda (4) The 5 spiritual faculties pañc’indriya (5) The 5 spiritual powers pañca bala (6) The 7 awakening-factors satta bojjhaṅga (7) The noble eightfold path ariya aṭṭh’aṅika magga [1.5.1.1] 1.1.1.2 The noble eightfold path is the 7th and last of the sets. It is the most often quoted of the 7 sets, which attests to its significance. Unlike these 7 sets, it is often simply listed without any elabora- tion and stands in its own right, thus: 2 It is this very noble eightfold path, that is to say, (1) right view, sammā diṭṭhi (2) right thought [right intention], sammā saṅkappa (3) right speech, sammā vācā (4) right action, sammā kammantā (5) right livelihood, sammā ājīva (6) right effort, sammā vāyāma (7) right mindfulness, sammā sati 3 (8) right concentration. sammā samādhi (S 56.11), SD 1.1 1.1.1.3 The term “right” is sammā in Pali, is cognate with Sanskrit samy-áñc (mfn), the nomina- tive form is saṁyaṅ.4 It has the literal sense of “connected, in one,” and as such means “(adj) entire, whole, complete, all; correct, proper, accurate, true, right; (adv) thoroughly, properly, rightly, in the way it ought to, perfectly”; opposite, micchā, “wrong.” The Latin cognate is summa (feminine of sum- mum), “highest, topmost” (found in English, eg, as “sum, summary, summit”); akin to super, “over,” eg, “supermundane.” It has two main senses, that is, samīcī (f) (“praise; politeness, decency, civility”) and sammā (Slt samyak or samyag) (“right, full, perfect”).5 It is related to sāmīci (adj), “right, proper,” as sāmīci,paṭi- 1 On the 7 sets, see SD 10.1. These sets are mentioned in: Mahā,parinibbāna S (D 16,10,2+3), SD 9 & Intro to Mahā Sakul’udāyī S (M 77,15-21/2:11 f), SD 6.18 Intro, full tr SD 49.5. The latter Sutta (M 77) lists the 7 sets. See also Vism 22.32-43/678-681; UA 129. 2 For a def and details of the 8 limbs that is the eightfold path, see Sacca Vibhaṅga S (M 141,23-31/3:250-252), SD 11.11; Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna S (D 22,21/2:311-313), SD 13.2; also Mahā Cattārīsaka S (M 117/3:71-78), SD 6.10. See also Gethin 2001:190-226 (ch 6) for an insightful study. 3 According to Gethin, the ariya aṭṭh’aṅgika magga is cited 38 times; he gives other technical details, 2001: 163. For further refs, see Lamotte, Traité III:1129. 4 SED 1181cd sv samyak & samy-añc, “entire, whole, complete, all; correct, proper, accurate, true, right.” PED 655d, sv saṁ- equates sammā with Skt samyak, “towards one point.” Cf Gruber, who comments on the inappro- priateness of translating sammā as “right” (1999:190), qu by Analayo 2003:74. 5 See SED sv samy-áñc. See BHSD sv samyak (1). http://dharmafarer.org 3 Piya Tan SD 10.16 • Ariya aṭthaṅgika magga panna, “of right; proper] conduct.”6 Before double consonants, it is shortened to samma-, as in sam- ma-p,padhāna, “right striving.”7 Before a vowel, it takes a euphonic infix, such as before akkhāta, “taught,” becoming samma-d-akkhāta, “well-taught” (Dh 86), or before eva (an emphatic particle), becoming samma-d-eva (D 1:110; V 1:9). 1.1.1.4 The factors or limbs (aṅga) of the path are often listed apart from the eightfold path itself. In this connection, the “right” (sammā) [1.1.1.3] factors are contrasted with the “wrong” counterparts. The right path is the eightfold path with two final additional factors—right knowledge (sammā,ñāṇa) and right freedom (sammā,vimutti). This set of 10 factors is called the tenfold “rightness” (sammatta). [1.2.2] 1.1.2 The components of the 8 path-factors 1.1.2.1 A straightforward “analysis” (vibhaṅga) of the eightfold path is found in several places in the Nikāyas, such as the Mahā Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (D 22), the Sacca Vibhaṅga Sutta (M 141), the (Magga) Vibhaṅga Sutta (S 45.8), the Vibhaṅga (Vbh 104 f, 235 f) and the Paṭisambhidā,magga (Pm 1:40-42).8 The components of every path-factor are listed in Table 1 below. It is at once obvious that these path-factor components are recurring themes in the suttas, like the other 6 of the 7 sets [1.1.1.1]. It is also clear that the scope of the eightfold path itself is much wider than any of these 6 sets, the noble eightfold path the 3 trainings right view samma diṭṭhi directly seeing the 4 truths right intention sammā saṅkappa charity wisdom lovingkindness (paññā) compassion right speech sammā vācā refraining from false speech refraining from divisive speech refraining from harsh (hurting) speech refraining from frivolous talk moral conduct right action sammā kammantā refraining from taking life (sīla) refraining from taking the not-given refraining from sexual misconduct right livelihood sammā ājīva refraining from wrong speech + action right effort sammā vāyāma preventing unarisen unwholesome states abandoning arisen unwholesome states cultivating unarisen wholesome states maintaining arisen wholesome states mental right mindfulness sammā sati contemplation of the body concentration contemplation of feeling (samādhi ) contemplation of the mind contemplation of dharmas right concentration sammā samādhi cultivating the 4 dhyanas Table 1.