The
Eightfold Path or the Arya Ashthangmarg of Buddhism:
1. Right Faith or Beliefs:
The knowledge of the four truths which Buddha enunciated in his first sermon.
2. Right
Aspiration or Resolve: It requires us to renounce pleasures, to bear
no malice and to do no harm to others.
3. Right Speech : It implies that we should abstain
from lying, slander, abuse, harsh words and idle talk.
4. Right
Action or Conduct: We should
refrain from taking what is not given.
5. Right
mode of Livelihood: We should
abstain from any of the forbidden modes of living.
6. Right
Effort: We should strive to suppress the rising of evil conditions,
eradicate those that have arisen and in stimulating good conditions.
7. Right
Recollection: It requires us to look at the body and the soul in such a way as
to remain self-possessed and careful, overcoming both the hankering and
the dejection.
8. Right
Contemplation: It means to take the form of four meditations.
By following
this path we can put an end to sorrow and suffering and reach salvation,
Nirvana, the extinction of all desires.
What are
Buddhist Pitakas?
The Buddhist
scriptures, known as pitakas are divided into three sections, namely,
- the Sutta,
- the Vinaya and
- the Abhidhamma.
Sutta Pitaka: This is
the most important part of the scriptures. It consists of a collection of five religious discourses and
sayings of Buddha. The fifth
collection of the sutta Tripitaka contains celebrated Jatakas of Buddha's birth stories. The Jatakas belong to a class of
literature which foreshadows the great epics of the Ramayana and the
Mahabharata.
Vinaya
Pitaka : This
contains the rules of monastic
discipline.
Abhidhamma
Pitaka : This
contains the philosophical development of the teachings of Buddha.
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