The Noble Eightfold Path as Expressed by Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Youtube link in the public domain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toVNeTrwbtc&list=PLV7Diz4DTv4nv-RTpS-0QuDNHUh0b1OLP&index=23

This is a continuation of Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths. The fourth truth is described there as “the path to well-being.” This teaching below is an elaboration of that path that leads to well-being. Similar to what I said about TNH’s teaching on the Four Noble Truths, now I also affirm that this simple teaching of Master TNH on the Noble Eightfold Path is one of the best I’ve encountered because it is very deep yet easy to understand. TNH, one can see, is really a master teacher. May this transcription help us all to let this teaching permeate our inner beings and lead to effective practice! (thanks to my Research Assistant Aimee Paradis for help in the transcription!) -jkk

Right View

(00:01) The Noble Eightfold Path comprises eight elements. The first element we spoke of this morning is Right View. Right View is the kind of view that is free from all wrong views, born from notions like being/non-being, birth and death, coming/going, sameness and otherness, and so on. Right View is a kind of insight that helps us to be liberated from all kinds of discrimination, dualism. You are no longer caught between left and right, above and below, white and black, inside and outside, creator and creature, and so on. We remove all pairs of opposites. This is the ultimate truth. And sometimes it's called Nirvana, sometimes it's called Maha Prajnaparamita, the great insight that has the power to transport us to the other shore, the shore of freedom.

(1:48) Based on Right View -- non-discrimination, non-separation, non-dualism, then we can practice Right Thinking. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that goes along the line of Right View. No discrimination, no separation. You are in me; I am in you. There is no discrimination whatsoever. And all of us know [that] a lot of suffering has been created on the basis of discrimination. Religious discrimination, racial discrimination and all kinds of discrimination. We have to practice in order to help remove discrimination in the mind of people. Right Thinking is the kind of thinking that produces understanding and compassion. We can, at any time, produce a thought in the line of Right Thinking. A thought free from discrimination, a thought full of understanding and compassion. As a practitioner, we can produce a thought like that several times a day. As soon as you are able to produce a thought of reconciliation, of compassion, of understanding, that thought begins to heal us and heal the world. Right Thinking can heal the world, can save the world. And wrong thinking can destroy the world. Wrong thinking can lead to suicide, can lead to terrorism, and so on. If we cultivate the Right View, then our thinking will be Right Thinking.

Right Thinking

(4:19) Suppose we produce a thought of anger, of fear, of hate, of despair. That's not good for our health. If we keep producing thoughts of hate, fear, despair, we'll destroy our body and mind, and destroy the world. That is why, as a good practitioner, we have to cultivate the practice of Right Thinking. Our thoughts should be characterized by non-discrimination, mutual understanding and compassion. We understand the suffering inside and the suffering of the other people of the world. From there, compassion arises. And thinking like that is very healing. And we need a teacher, and need fellow practitioners in order to support us, to guide us in the practice of Right Thinking. Right Thinking can change the world and save the world.

Right Speech

(5:43) With the foundation of Right View, we can practice Right Speech. Anything we say has the power to inspire people, to restore faith, to restore communication, to reconcile, to help people feel better, to show the way. That is the right kind of speech that we practice. Right Speech, or loving speech, goes along with compassionate listening. That is the objective of the Fourth Mindfulness Training. Many of us have received The Five Trainings this morning, and the Fourth is about the practice of Right Speech and Deep Listening. The practice of Right Speech and Deep Listening helps us restore communication and reconcile. A few days of practice can already help. When you are able to see the suffering in the other person, when we have the intention to help him or her suffer less, then we are already ready to practice Deep Listening and Loving Speech in order to restore communication and to reconcile. The miracle of reconciliation always takes place in our retreats.

(7:37) When we write a letter, when we send an email, or use our mobile phone, we can very well practice Right Speech. It can restore communication. It can inspire people. It can make a person happy right away. "Darling, I'm here for you." "Darling, I know you are there. That makes me very happy." "Darling, I know that you have difficulties. I'm here for you." All these kinds of practices can help bring relief and healing. As a good practitioner, we are able to practice loving speech several times a day. It does not cost anything. It can restore communication. It can make a person happy right away. Be generous because the other person has good seeds in him or her. If you recognize the good seeds in him or her, they will become a happy person, and you will profit from his or her happiness. Effects come very quickly.

Right Action

(9:14) And then with the Right View, we can practice Right Action. "Action" here is physical bodily action. Anything we do with our body that can support, that can protect, that can save, is Right Action. Because you are motivated by non-discrimination, by understanding and compassion, everything you do will be Right Action. A good practitioner can perform many Right Actions during the day. Even saving an ant, or refraining from using the kind of product that is polluting -- it's all Right Action. And these three practices: one about mind, one about speech (mouth), and one about body are three forms of actions. To think is already to act. When you produce a thought of compassion, a thought of understanding or reconciliation, it begins to heal you and help heal the world. If you keep producing thoughts like that, you change your life and the world in a good direction. But if by mistake you have produced a thought of hate and anger, mindfulness will help you to recognize that. Suppose yesterday I produced a thought of discrimination or anger. And today, during sitting meditation, I recognize that it's not a good action. So, I sit down... and I concentrate and produce another thought, a thought in the opposite direction.

(11:45) I say, sorry I didn't mean to produce that thought yesterday because I was not very mindful. So today I produce this thought, full of non-discrimination and compassion. And as soon as you produce the new thought, it will erase... delete the other thought. That's transformation. You can change the past. You can change even the past; you can prepare for the future. Yesterday, we told the story of a war veteran, who killed children in Vietnam. He suffered, but later on he was told that he could use his life to save many children in the future. So, he was able, by this kind of practice, to remove the complex of guilt and to get back the joy of living because he actually could help save many children from dying. So, thinking is already action; speaking is already action. Speaking well can promote peace and reconciliation. And three kinds of actions, with mind, speech and body, are what we produce every day.

(13:39) Suppose we look at the orange tree in the backyard. The orange tree produces what? Beautiful orange leaves... She produces beautiful orange blossoms and beautiful oranges. And we do the same. As a good practitioner we can produce beautiful thoughts, beautiful speech, and beautiful action. That is our continuation. We are our actions. Like blowing is the action of the wind, and falling is the action of the rain. It is very clear that we are our actions.

(14:41) There is a French philosopher... His name is Jean-Paul Sartre. He said something like "man is the sum of his actions." The definition of man... man is the totality of his actions. And action has three aspects: what you think, what you say, and what you do. The Sanskrit word for action is "karma." When you produce an action, that is your continuation. When this body disintegrates, you always continue with your actions. Nothing is lost. We have learned about the law of conservation of matter. You know that you cannot create new matters. You cannot destroy matter. Also, the law of conservation of energy: you cannot create new energy. You cannot destroy energy. You can transfer energy. Nothing is lost. 

Thought, Speech, Action

(16:20) The French scientist Lavoisier said, nothing is born, nothing dies. "Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée." Very close to the Heart Sutra. He was not a Buddhist, but he did practice looking deeply into reality, and he found the same thing. Nothing is created. Nothing is destroyed. [This is] very close to the removal of the notion of birth and death, being a non-being. It's possible that scientists and Buddhist practitioners work together, that they support each other. So, everything we produce in terms of thought, speech and action will continue us. Don't imagine that they will disappear, no.

(17:36) Every thought that you produce has your signature. You cannot say, "It's not my thought!" Everything you say carries your signature. You are the author. And that is your continuation. So, when you see this body of mine disintegrate, don't think that Thay is no longer there. Thay is still there in his new forms. And look at his actions. His actions continue here. All of us should see that we do not end at all with the disintegration of this body. We continue always more or less beautifully, depending on how we practice!

Cause and Effect

(18:36) So, "to produce" is karma hetu (業因) -- the cause. And "to ripe" is called karma phala (業果) -- the fruit [the effect]. Sometimes you don't need to wait very long. The cause brings the effect right away. As soon as you say something nice, kind or forgiving, you feel wonderful and the other person also. The cause and the effect can go together very quickly. A belief that a cloud can die... or a cloud can pass from being into non-being is not the truth. It's not scientific either. To believe that we will die and become no one is also wrong thinking, wrong view. We continue always, and with the practice it is possible to continue beautifully.

Right Livelihood

(20:09) And, my friends, if you can keep your Bodhicitta, your beginner's mind alive, surely you will make your future much more beautiful for you and for others. And then we have Right Livelihood. Select a kind of livelihood that goes along with the insight of non-discrimination, understanding and compassion.

Right Diligence

(20:26) And then we have the element of Right Diligence. We already learned about this. The practice of selective watering of seeds. In gratitude, you have watered the good seed of love in me; in gratitude, I will water the seed of love, understanding, and happiness in someone too. We support each other in our relationship, and we refrain from watering the negative seeds. We remember to water our flowers every day.

Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration

(21:53) And there are only two more left: Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. We know that mindfulness is the energy that helps us to go home to the here and the now and live deeply our life. Right Concentration helps us to concentrate and to make a breakthrough to get the Right View, that is the foundation of Right Thinking, Right Speech, and Right Action. This is the path proposed by the Buddha not only for monks and nuns but for every one of us.

And the Five Mindfulness Trainings reflect the teaching of the Four Noble Truths and also the teaching of the Noble Eightfold Path.