Clear Mind Newsletter #94 - 37 Factors of Enlightenment

Below we continue summarising Lama Choedak Rinpoche's 2005 teachings on the 37 Factors of Enlightenment. The teachings are very important as they cover the qualities which make enlightenment possible. The 37 Factors of Enlightenment are divided into seven groups, the last of which is the Noble Eightfold Path.

The Noble Eightfold Path comprises: right view; right intention or attitude; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right mindfulness; and right concentration or meditation. The path of enlightenment is called the noble path or arya marga in Sanskrit. The point of departure is suffering and the destination is the extinction of suffering, that is the complete cessation or total elimination of suffering. This is not just changing one place for another but a complete change of experience.

Unenlightened minds are full of greed, hatred, delusions, afflictions and negative habits, resulting from ignorance. To change this state of affairs, one needs to be acquainted with the nature of pain and suffering and the possibility of change and, therefore, have sound reasons to depart on the noble path. That point of departure is cyclical existence, repeated birth, death and rebirth. Again and again the causes of future misery are created and, failing to realise this, one might continue to blame external factors as the causes. This is the reason one has to understand the nature of suffering before departing on the journey to enlightenment. In failing to see one's sufferings are self-induced and, as a consequence, by continuing to blame other people, one will double one's negative karma and things will not get better.

The main provision for departure is a resolute mind, a definite conviction that suffering is caused by one's own conduct, one's own attitude, one's own way of being oneself. One therefore needs to nurture a strong sense of inner disgust, renunciation and wanting to leave suffering behind. The first step, therefore, is going for refuge in the Triple Gem of the Buddha, the Dharma or teachings and the Sangha or community of Dharma practitioners. Until one has formally taken refuge, one might be studying Dharma, maybe reading about it and have interest in its philosophical aspects, but the journey to enlightenment will not have begun. Going for refuge in the Triple Gem entails recognition and renunciation of the futility, hollowness and meaninglessness of one's present behaviour and situation. The remedy is knowing sufferings are caused by one's karma and afflictions and, then, following the Buddha's teachings.

In order to travel along the noble path one needs to develop eight qualities. These eight qualities are the eight aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path. The first of these qualities is usually called ‘right view' or ‘right understanding'. Right view has the meaning of right realisation or understanding of things as they are, that is understanding of the true nature of phenomena. Next is ‘right intention or attitude'. One ordinarily distinguishes between opposites, for example, short and tall, fresh and stale, old and young and so on. When one begins to distinguish between characteristics like this, there is a view present. Watching a fresh flower whither or a young person become older gives rise to right attitude in that one does not expect the flower or the young person to remain the same, one sees change and impermanence.

When one has right understanding, right attitude manifests. One can be very convincing when one carefully checks one's attitude to see whether it is right or wrong, analyses phenomena in one's own mind, and then with right attitude established, one can explain to others with ‘right speech'. Whatever one is saying will seem convincing and worthy of being said. Right speech usually only comes when one has right attitude and right attitude when one has right view. When one knows with certainty what one should say, that it is definitely beneficial to say it, it is because one has right attitude and right view. Right speech is not easy to produce and one may well hesitate to say anything unless one has established both right view and right attitude. When these two are firmly established one will have no doubt about the appropriateness of one's speech.

Once one speaks, it should have an effect which is ‘right action'. What one does is in accord with what one said during one's right speech and then there will be a fruitful outcome from the action. Most people's actions are fruitless actions and, therefore, not right actions. Right action has huge benefits and can accomplish many things. So, based on right view the language will be appropriate and right action will result, right action being the physical manifestation of one's attitude, concepts and actual language. The next aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path is ‘right livelihood'. Right livelihood means that, whatever one does, the action becomes sustainable, abundant livelihood or wisdom of action. This right livelihood or wisdom of action is like a legacy for oneself and others. Someone performs a wonderful action and it inspires others to follow suit. Right livelihood is not just about sustaining one's body, it is also about sustaining many beings by one's actions, it is the legacy one cultivates.

Following right livelihood on the Noble Eightfold Path is ‘right effort or diligence'. Right diligence entails wholesome actions and it is assisted by ‘right mindfulness'. Mindfulness acts to intensify the quality of right diligence. Mindfulness ensures the qualities yielded by practising the first six aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path are not threatened by any afflictions, it guards the benefit yielded by the practice of these aspects. It is called right mindfulness because it is mindfulness of what should be prevented; it is forward looking mind, seeing what could happen, and seeing how to sustain the benefits of practising the Noble Eightfold Path.

Lastly is ‘Right Concentration or Right Meditation'. Through exercise of right mindfulness, not allowing the afflictions to gain sway and not permitting mindfulness to decline, right concentration arises, concentration which is sharply focused. One-pointed concentration is like the peak of the result achieved by practising all the other seven aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path. It is said that when one has this one-pointed concentration, then one can sustain the subtle meaning of right view. In other circumstances one might have a temporary, intellectual understanding of right view, a limited understanding, and then lose it. In this situation one can see the importance of meditation. One knows one must meditate, practise concentration. One may understand the sequence of the aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path and realise the necessity of practising the first seven aspects, nonetheless the first and practical thing one has to do is develop right concentration or meditation, the last of the Noble Eightfold Path's aspects. One has to practise meditation to gain benefit from practising the first seven aspects of the Noble Eightfold Path. If one does not meditate one does not have mindfulness every day whereas with formal meditation there will be better mindfulness throughout the whole day.