Despite not necessarily directly affiliated with any religion in the present, I will say that I grew up with the teachings of Buddhism having gone to temple every week for roughly 2 years. As a result, many of the actions I choose to take in life directly reflect some of the Buddhist traditions embedded in the Noble Eightfold Path, or quite simply the path to Enlightenment. The people that most directly reflect those beliefs would be Tiffany, Amy, and two of my sisters Annie and Jenny.
It’s really an eight-step process.
First, you need to have an understanding that the world is a balance of karma and suffering. Having good and bad things happen on a day to day basis is a natural consequence of life. Once you have the right view, you must use the knowledge you possess to have the right intentions in life, which of course entail renunciation (anti-desire, not wanting things), exercising good will (being kind to others), and harmlessness (never trying to hurt others).
My sisters Annie and Jenny represent very easily the right intentions embedded within the Eightfold path. Immersed well into Buddhism, they are not that into material possessions, are kind to those that are kind to them, and never try to willingly hurt others. This makes them two of my favorite sisters, and the closest ones I communicate with.
Having a right view and a right intention, you need to engage in right speech, which entails not lying, not making stuff up, not gossiping, and no rude language. Right action parallels right view in living a life with no killing, no stealing, no misusing sex, no lying, and no abusing intoxicants. If you have truly right speech and right action in life, your livelihood and what you live for should reflect those beliefs. My livelihood is dedicated to teaching and ultimately helping others on the road to self discovery, and I’m proud of that fact.
Tiffany helps encompass all of these elements. She knows how to communicate to others while not engaging in the mean-girl-type-persona popular girls like her often end up becoming. She does on a daily basis the right thing so to speak in considering her actions, especially in the field of not drinking and abusing intoxicants. Based on her personality she will never do anything that she deems morally wrong, and will pursue a livelihood that will make her fulfilled both intrinsically and extrinsically. Regardless, she is a great role model for me to follow the footsteps of in considering my future, my actions, and the words I choose to speak (all elements I’m still working on perfecting).
Finally, with right speech, action, and livelihood comes right effort, mindfulness, and concentration. I need to make the right effort to be generous, kind, and give wisdom to others. The classroom is one of the primary mechanisms I can choose to do so. I should exercise right mindfulness and be aware of my surroundings, always reflecting, meditating, and thinking when I get the chance to do so. I constantly think about my past, present, future, and the role I want to shape in the world in which I live. Finally, I must have the right concentration, with the ultimate belief that material attachments are a bad thing. Though Buddhism stresses detachment from all things, I believe an attachment to abstract concepts such as love, family, friends, and good will towards others is superior to material attachments to electronics, toys, and other consumer goods.
Amy represents a girl who is generous and kind to those around her, and tries to impact wisdom to those she constantly comes into contact with. As an environmentalist, she is pursuing a livelihood directly related to what she values in the world around her. She had time to be mindful of her actions, and I’m sure she would agree with me that abstract attachments in the end trump material ones.
Whichever the case, The Noble Eightfold Path is not a perfect system by which to follow. Though it has some strict guidelines I do believe that I can take what I need out of it in order to become a better and more enlightened person like Tiffany, Amy, Annie, & Jenny.
Next Week: Nhi, Leta, Louise, & Julia
