Eightfold Path
A Gnostic explanation of the Eightfold Path of the Buddha.
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1. Suffering and Right View
The three primary types of suffering and the basis upon which they can be overcome: the correct understanding of the Absolute, the Emptiness.
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“It is through not understanding, not realizing four things, that I, disciples, as well as you, had to wander so long through this round of rebirths. And what are these four things? They are the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering, and the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the extinction of suffering.” – Buddha Shakyamuni
2. Right Intention
How to act properly while on the Eightfold Path.
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3. Right Speech
The use of the sacred word as part of the Eightfold Path to Self-realization.
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“Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” – James 3
4. Right Action or Thelema: Willpower
The importance and use of willpower in any spiritual discipline. Part of the Eightfold Path.
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5. Right Livelihood: Vocation
Find your mission in life: your true work.
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6. Right Effort
This lecture is missing for the archives.
7. Right Mindfulness
A practical introduction to mindfulness, awareness, attention, consciousness, self-observation and Self-remembering.
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8. Why Meditate
The goal of every religion is the union of the human consciousness with divinity. The technique that facilitates this union is a very precise use of the consciousness. Through activating and directing our consciousness in the right way, we can open the doors to its roots, which are beyond the mind, emotion, and the body. This is why meditation, or the technique of conscious self-reflection, is the primary action of spiritual development.
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“The technique of meditation allows us to arrive at the heights of illumination.” -Samael Aun Weor
Lecture Quote:
“The Eightfold Path is a path that can be only seen by the inner sight, or “insight.” This path is not a path that you can see outside, it is a path that is inside of us. This is why Buddhism emphasizes the technique of meditation. When you think about Buddhism, the first image that comes to mind is the Buddha in a state of meditation, with his eyes slightly opened and contemplating himself. When we talk about Buddhism, immediately we associate it with meditation. And actually, different techniques of meditation are taught in Buddhism. In Gnosticism, we know that Buddha is an entity or part which is within each one of us, that we call the Innermost.”
Content is borrowed from http://gnosticradio.org/lectures/courses/eightfold-path/
