Magga

Set of ethical and practical principles- part of the dharma
Wheel with 8 spokes- all interlinked components, each factor supports each other. Effort has to be spread equally across all aspects or it will inhibit your progress in life
Provides an interpretation of human existence
Set of instructions left behind by the Buddha to help Buddhists achieve nibbana
Wisdom and meditation help Buddhists understand why achieving nibbana is worthwhile and give life meaning and purpose
3 sections of the Eightfold Path
- Wisdom-prajna
- Morality- sila
- Meditation- samadhi

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Right Understanding/View - Samma Ditthi

Wisdom/prajna
Involves having a correct understanding of how things actually are
Some see it as the most important part- it is the starting point
Buddha said that 'right view is the forerunner'
There are 2 types of view; mundane and supramundane
Mundane- right ownership of action and involves understanding karma and samsara and overcoming the 3 mental poisons
Supramundane- deep understanding that penetrates the truth, requires meditation
Buddha- 'sees no factor so responsible for the arising of unwholesome states of mind as wrong view'

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Wisdom/prajna
Buddhists must fully commit to the path from the heart
Intention is just as important as actions. Bad intention (kamma chanda) leads to negative karma phala
It is placed between right view and the 3 moral actions as it forms a crucial link between mental formulations and actions. Pure intentions lead to pure actions
Buddha realised that bad thoughts obstruct wisdom
There are 3 main sections of right thought
- renunciation- opposes the intention of desire
- goodwill- opposes the intention of illwill
- harmlessness- opposes the intention of harmfulness

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Morality/sila
Requires wisdom and kindness, leading to an understanding of the dharma
Avoidance of bad (varitta) things for example, gossiping, abusive speech and lying. These would be akusala (unskilful) and would lead to bad karma phala
Committment to good (caritta) things for example telling the truth. This would be kusala (skilful) and would lead to good karma phala
Buddha said 'before acting with body, speech or mind, one should think'

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Morality/sila
Wholesome actions- Buddhist needs a sound state of mind
Buddhists must follow the 5 precepts
- Abstain from harming
- Abstain from taking anything not given
- Abstain from misuse of speech
- Abstain from misuse of senses
- Abstain from clouding the mind with substances
These cultivate the positive qualitites of kindness, generosity, compassion and equanimity
'to abstain from all evil, to cultivate the good and to purify ones mind, this is the teaching of the Buddha.'

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Morality/sila
How you make a living affects the world and the people in it
Wrong livelihoods are ones that break the 5 precepts. An example of this is a soldier that breaks the 'abstain from harming' precept
A good livelihood is morally responsible and benefits others for example, a teacher or an aid worker
The supreme example is a monk or nun. They follow the 5 precepts and have given up worldly possesions

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Meditation/samadhi
Without effort, nothing would be achieved.
Effort produces the energy (viraya) for a task
Our state of mind affects what we do. We need to make an effort to overcome negative states of mind and unwholesome states (5 hindrances for example, laziness, lust, worrying)
We must develop wholesome states of mind (7 factors of enlightenment e.g. joy, tranquility, mindfulness)
Buddha is the last physician- the remedy for akusala is metta (loving kindness)

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Meditation/samadhi
Leads to serenity and insight
Four foundations of mindfulness
- Contemplation of body-breathing, postures, detach from the body
- Contemplation of feeling- pleasant, painful and neutral feelings (verdanas)
- Contemplation of mind- reject a permanent state of mind, develop positive states of mind
- Contemplation of phenomena- maintain and stabilise the skilful states of mind which have been generated

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Meditation/samadhi
The ability to fix the mind on a single object
Requires wholesome meditation and bhavana (mental cultivation)
In meditation we must focus on diminshing the 5 hindrances and cultivating the 7 factors of enlightenment as well as cultivating metta to lead to bramavihra
There are various levels of deep calm (jhanas)
Buddha said 'any singleness of mind equipped with these 7 factors is called noble concentration'

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