“Your own self realization is the greatest service you can render the world” ~ Ramana Maharshi
“… You yourself must strive.The Buddhas only point the way …” ~ Buddha
So how does one undertake this “journey” so as to “render” this “greatest service?”
Of course, one can take a deep dive into Ramana Maharshi’s wisdom for this … but, today, we will explore a key aspect of what Buddha said about this most important “endeavor” or “journey” … which is ultimately about the end of suffering.
One of Buddha’s key teachings is about the Noble Eightfold Path, which according to Walpola Sri Rahula (a Sri Lankan monk, who was the author of What the Buddha Taught and a professor at Northwestern University) is:
“Practically the whole teaching of the Buddha, to which he devoted himself during 45 years, deals in some way or other with this path. He explained it in different ways and in different words to different people, according to the stage of their development and their capacity to understand and follow him. But the essence of those many thousand discourses scattered in the Buddhist scriptures is found in the noble eightfold path.” ~ {excerpted from The Noble Eightfold Path, Tricycle}
In Buddhism’s Theravada tradition this path is summarised as: morality, meditation, and insight … or as per Sri Rahula, the three essential elements of Buddhist practice are: ethical or moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. And, in undertaking the eight steps of the Noble Path, one is promoting and perfecting these three elements.
And, here is what Buddha said about this path:
(…) Just this noble eightfold path: right view, right aspiration, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That is the ancient path, the ancient road, traveled by the Rightly Self-awakened Ones of former times. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of aging & death, direct knowledge of the origination of aging & death, direct knowledge of the cessation of aging & death, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of aging & death. I followed that path. Following it, I came to direct knowledge of birth… becoming… clinging… craving… feeling… contact… the six sense media… name-&-form… consciousness, direct knowledge of the origination of consciousness, direct knowledge of the cessation of consciousness, direct knowledge of the path leading to the cessation of consciousness. I followed that path. ~ {excerpted from Noble Eightfold Path Wikipedia page}
We explored this path in a 4-part series, through Henry Shukman (a Zen teacher at Mountain Cloud Zen Center), where he digs into each “fold” in a set of 11 podcast episodes.
We covered ethical conduct in Part 1: Right Livelihood & Ethical Conduct and Part 2: Right Action, Right Speech … & Patience … then mental discipline in Part 3: Right Effort, Mindfulness & Concentration … and finally, wisdom in Part 4: Right View and Right Orientation.
Fascinating how the Universe reveals certain “timeless gems” … There’s a story behind how this exploration into Buddha’s foundational teaching began …
It began with Adyashanti’s poem: Meet Me Here Where Silence Roars …
The poem is about “… Love and the call to live and move as Love embodied in form …” … where the “meeting” is all about living a life where we are embodiments of Love … an embodiment that offers the possibility – for all of us – to live a life of compassion, kindness, and harmony. And, we can live such a life if we consciously “… do not create, and/or add-to, ill-will … and be an ongoing source of harmlessness …” despite the obstacles we may face in the form of “unconscious forces – tendencies” that sway us away from such a life.
Of course, the need for such a conscious way of being has never been more paramount given the mayhem of COVID, economic collapse, and social unrest.
Adyashanti’s poem unearthed a desire to further explore the unknown sourced quote: “… let us vow to …. not create, and/or add-to, ill-will … be an ongoing source of harmlessness … and live this vow to develop/deepen my humility … which serves me well under all circumstances …”
At first blush, it seemed like the above quote embodies Buddha’s Right Speech and Right Action … and possibly the other six “folds.”
So … we started exploring each of the “folds” of the Noble Eightfold path … and for each, did a quick/rudimentary analysis as to how this vow related with the “fold.” … This “mini exploration” has led us to posit that living a life that is guided by, and infused with, this vow … ultimately results in practicing one of Buddha’s foundational teaching: The Noble Eightfold Path … thereby, offering a simple relatable way to navigate life that leads to deepening equanimity, balance, and peace.
As part of offering this series, we recommend an experiment 🙂 …
Consciously practice “… let us vow to …. not create, and/or add-to, ill-will … be an ongoing source of harmlessness … and live this vow to develop/deepen my humility … which serves me well under all circumstances …” … and see what unfolds in your life! … and check if our hypothesis has merit 🙂
As we’ve done since the COVID crisis began … we want to honor and highlight the “heroes” that continue to ensure our health and safety in the midst of the pandemic: Go Fund Me has organized various campaigns targeted towards the COVID-19 relief efforts. All of these campaigns are worthy of our attention … but for now we want to highlight TWO critical ones that we are supporting personally and also as Stillness Speaks (through donations):
We are all facing financial challenges but IF your situation allows you to donate and help then …
… please visit Frontline Responders Fund’s Go Fund Me page … and help deliver crucial supplies to these frontline responders …
… and/or visit America’s Food Fund Go Fund Me page and help feed the neighbors in need.
And, we again, express our deepest gratitude to a) the COVID-19 Frontline Responders (all the healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, hospital/medical-services staff – firefighters, law enforcement, volunteers, and any/all the people involved in keeping the “system-at-large” functioning for ALL of us) … and b) Go Fund Me for organizing America’s Food Fund to feed the needy.
THANK YOU.
May you continue to live a life of neither creating nor adding-to any ill-will … and …
May you be a source of harmlessness in your life’s daily rhythm … and in all your interactions with others … and …
May you remain safe and healthy as you navigate these troubling times.
Opening Ramana Maharshi quote from Ramana Maharshi’s Wikiquotes page.
Quote re ill-will and harmlessness: a Zen paraphrased quote – source unknown.
All text re “… three essential elements of Buddhist practice—moral conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom…” is based on The Noble Eightfold Path by Walpola Sri Rahula (Tricycle)
Images: (edited and logo added): Featured and 1) Old golden Buddha statue by pitnu, 2) Wheel of dhamma of buddhism by FrameAngel, 3) View of beautiful sunset by Imaginechina-Tuchong. All purchased from depositphotos, for use only on our website/social channels (these images are not permitted to be shared separate from this post).
