Siddhartha Eightfold Path Essay

Siddhartha Gautama was a rich prince that lived in India in the 6th century BC. For the beginning of his life, he lived a sheltered existence until when on a visit to the outside world, Siddhartha was confronted by the harsh reality of suffering that existed outside of his palace bubble. Moved by the suffering he saw and seeking a way to solve it, Siddhartha abandoned his riches and set off on the path that would lead to him becoming the Buddha and beginning the teachings of Buddhism in hopes of saving others from suffering. Once the Buddha was Enlightened, his first sermon preached described The Middle Way, the path he had found to eliminate suffering, not by the way of ascetism or hedonism but through what he called the Four Noble Truths.

Within the Middle Way is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is prescribed as a “cure” for the ails of dukkha. The components of the Eightfold Path are split into three sections or principles. The first principle is that of wisdom, which includes the steps of right view and right thought. Wisdom involves seeing things as they are with all their interconnected processes and understanding the path to overcoming dukkha. The next principle is moral conduct, which contains the steps of right speech, right action, and right livelihood. The steps of moral conduct focus on purifying “one’s motives, speech, and action” (Koller 59) which then has the effect of stopping future cravings and attachments to Samsara from forming. The final principle is mental discipline, encompassing right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. The principle of mental discipline allows for the gaining of insight and the elimination of past habits relating to ignorance and craving while guarding against the future development of negative or harmful dispositions. While helping us let go of harmful pasts and build a future free from dukkha, the Buddha teaches that adherence to the Middle Way and the Eightfold Path will help break the cycle of Samsara and lead eventually to enlightenment and Nirvana, which is the ultimate goal of his