“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.” – Buddha

“The Noble Eightfold Path” describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things.Together with the Four Noble Truths, it constitutes the gist of Buddhism.Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana.The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truths. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.
2. Right Intention While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: (1) The intention of renunciation,which means resistance to the pull of desire. (2) The intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion. (3) The intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.
3. Right Speech Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path.This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct.The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious:words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: (1) To abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully (2) To abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others (3) To abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others (4) To abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth.Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly,warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

4. Right Action The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions.Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind,while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind.Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means: (1) To abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently (2) To abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty. (3) To abstain from sexual misconduct.Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.
5. Right Livelihood Right livelihood means that one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: (1) Dealing in weapons (2) Dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution). (3) Working in meat production and butchery (4) Selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.
6. Right Effort Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort,which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved,whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence.Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states.The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavors that rank in ascending order of perfection: (1) To prevent the arising of unrisen, unwholesome states (2) To abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen (3) To arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen (4) To maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead,we almost always conceptualize sense impressions and thoughts immediately.We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences,which naturally go beyond the facts of the original impression.The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go.Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: (1) Contemplation of the body (2) Contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral) (3) Contemplation of the state of mind (4) Contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions.The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation.The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step.Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

Buddha says
We live in illusion and the appearance of things.There is a reality.We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything.That is all.

The Four Reliances

First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;  Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;  Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;  And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.  We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.With our thoughts,we make our world. To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life; foolish people are idle, wise people are diligent.  Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.  Pay no attention to the faults of others, things done or left undone by others.  Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.  Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.  Do not overrate what you have received, nor envy others.He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.  An insincere and evil friend is more to be feared than a wild beast; a wild beast may wound your body, but an evil friend will wound your mind  Words have the power to both destroy and heal.When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.  Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind.Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten. Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.  Words have the power to both destroy and heal.When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.  On life’s journey Faith is nourishment, Virtuous deeds are a shelter, Wisdom is the light by day and Right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life nothing can destroy him; If he has conquered greed nothing can limit his freedom.  One of his students asked Buddha, “Are you the messiah?” “No”, answered Buddha. “Then are you a healer?” “No”, Buddha replied. “Then are you a teacher?” the student persisted. “No, I am not a teacher.” “Then what are you?” asked the student, exasperated. “I am awake”, Buddha replied. Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.