What Buddhists believe
The noble eightfold path
Right view, purpose, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and immersion: the Buddhist way to end suffering, and why a path is not enough.
The eight factors
The first sermon calls the eightfold path the middle way between indulgence and self-torment. Buddhist teachers often group the eight into ethics (speech, action, livelihood), meditation (effort, mindfulness, immersion) and wisdom (view, purpose).
It is simply this noble eightfold path, that is: right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is that middle way of practice, which gives vision and knowledge, and leads to peace, direct knowledge, awakening, and extinguishment.
Samyutta Nikaya 56.11:3.2-3.4, Rolling Forth the Wheel of Dhamma (tr. Bhikkhu Sujato) · context
Good things, and the problem
Much of the path's ethics overlaps with what the Bible teaches: do not kill, steal, lie or live by harming others. The problem is not the goodness of the path; it is who walks it. The Bible says no one keeps even God's law perfectly, and that a path of effort cannot remove the guilt we already carry.
20Because by the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:20 (WEB) · context
16yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.
Galatians 2:16 (WEB) · context
10For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
James 2:10 (WEB) · context
The way is a person
Jesus did not add a ninth factor. He said he himself is the way, and he walks with those who follow him.
6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
John 14:6 (WEB) · context
28“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (WEB) · context
Sources
- Earliest source Samyutta Nikaya 56.11; Samyutta Nikaya 38.1. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0), SuttaCentral.