5 Minute Dharma

The Buddha said, “And what is right action? Avoiding killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct. This is called right action” (SN 45.8). The Buddha said, “a noble disciple gives up killing living creatures…. a noble disciple gives up stealing…. a noble disciple gives up sexual misconduct…. a noble disciple gives up lying…. a noble disciple gives up alcoholic drinks that cause negligence” (AN 8.39).

The Buddha said, “And what is right speech? Avoiding speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called right speech” (SN 45.8). The Buddha said, “Mendicants, speech that has five factors is well spoken, not poorly spoken. It’s blameless and is not criticized by sensible people. What five? It is speech that is timely, true, gentle, beneficial, and loving. Speech with these five factors is well spoken, not poorly spoken. It’s blameless and is not criticized by sensible people”

In this episode, we discover what right intention is. The Buddha said, “And what is right intention? It is the intention of renunciation, goodwill, and harmlessness. This is called right intention” (SN 45.8). Right intention is the intention directed as renunciation, goodwill, and compassion. Wrong intention is the opposite of this, it is being motivated by sense desire, ill will, and harmfulness.

Before we can move on to the second component in the Noble Eightfold Path, which is right intention, we must first understand karma. Karma is the foundation for all Buddhist thought on morality. The Buddha said, “It is intention that I call karma*. For after making a choice one acts by way of body, speech, and mind” (AN 6.63). In Buddhism, morality is not prescribed by a transcendent God, but is an essential part of the nature of reality.

In this episode, I will argue that the Buddha taught rebirth. Now he was either right about rebirth, or he was wrong. First, let us be clear about the fact that the Buddha taught rebirth. The Buddha said, “I recollected my many kinds of past lives, with features and details. This was the first knowledge, which I achieved in the first watch of the night” (MN 36). The question of rebirth may never be answered by science. We have the choice to trust the testimony of the Buddha or not.

The Noble Eightfold Path has eight aspects to it, one is “right beliefs” (SN 56.11). Today I want to clarify why beliefs are important. I think a lot of confusion exists about beliefs because most people are not clear on what they are. A belief is a claim that is accepted as true, which then becomes a rule of action. You actually have thousands of beliefs, the vast majority of your beliefs are unconscious assumptions.

The Buddha taught that there are two kinds of right beliefs. He said, “And what are right beliefs? Right beliefs are twofold, I say. There are right beliefs that are affected by distortions, having the attributes of good deeds, and results in worldly acquisitions. And there are right beliefs that are noble, undistorted, transcendent, a factor of the path” (MN 117.6). So there are two kinds of right beliefs, ordinary right beliefs and transcendent right beliefs.

The Buddha said, “Now this is the noble truth of the path that leads to the ending of unhappiness. It is simply this Noble Eightfold Path, that is: right perspective, right motivation, right speech, right conduct, right employment, right effort, right awareness, and right concentration” (SN 56.11). Today we want to just focus on right perspective.

The Four Noble Truths come with four tasks attached to them, four challenges that give practical application to the truths. “This noble truth of suffering is to be fully understood….. This noble truth of the origin of suffering is to be abandoned…. This noble truth of the cessation of suffering is to be realized…. The noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering is to be developed….” (SN 56:11).

Today we are dealing with the last of the Four Noble Truths. “Now this, bhikkhus, is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is this Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration” (SN 56:11).