Right Thinking according to the Noble 8 fold path
The second step in the Noble 8 Fold Path is Right Thinking.
There is a famous saying in Western Philosophy- “I thinktherefore I am”. This is where Western Philosophy (as opposed toWestern religions) and Eastern Philosophy diverge and go theirseparate ways. The Western Civilizations has taken thought asits ideal and constructed modern science and industrialtechnique which have transformed civilization. WesternCivilization has also constructed many systems of analyticalphilosophy.
Eastern Philosophy on the other hand lays stress on experientialunderstanding and insight. This involves not learning how tothink but learning how to stop thinking.
Teachings of Buddhism. Eightfold path tells us to avoid thinking fruitlessly
From the point of view of the Buddhist Noble 8 Fold Path thepurpose of Right Thinking is to gain insight (or right view) ofthe nature of ourselves and of the world. It stresses experienceof reality as I said earlier. This necessarily involves beingpresent in the Here and Now. The Here and Now is the only placewhere we can experience reality. And this means not thinkingbecause thought – by definition – can deal only with the past orthe future. It can never deal with the present. We experiencethe present not by thinking but by stopping thinking. This is what is to be kept in mind while trying to understand the second element of the Noble 8 Fold Path – Right Thinking.
We have it on the authority of Shakespeare that “Man cannot, bytaking thought, add a cubit to his stature”. Also there is afamous saying of Zen Buddhism – “Think not thinking”. Thus wehave the path of insight or right thinking clear in front of us.Try not to think, be present in the Here and Now.
Benefits of following these Buddhism teachings
There are many benefits to this way of life and I will list onlya few. There are: -
1) Gaining insight based on an experience of reality, not onartificially constructed systems of thoughts.
2) Empathy with other beings – as we are one with ourselves andour feelings (without conceptualization) we can empathize withthe feelings of others.
3) As we reduce analytic thinking and conceptualization we movetowards a more intuitive way of experiencing life. This meansthat we will be using both hemispheres of the brain leading tobetter brain synchrony. This is the way the Einsteins and thegreat thinkers experience life.
These then are a few of the benefits and the methods aresimplicity itself. They are: -
1) Avoid unnecessary conceptualizations.
2) Be present in the Here and Now.
Practicing one of the main Buddhism teachings – avoid thinking fruitlessly
I said that the methods are simple but this does not mean thatpracticing them is easy. We are here, trying to reverse thehabits of a lifetime. Every time we escape into the past andfuture we need to bring ourselves back to the present. Itinvolves moment to moment watchfulness but the results are worthit. Better brain functioning, better emotional health, insightinto ourselves and the world around us are some of the benefitsand these few are enough to transform our lives.
Thich Nhat Hanh gives the following pointers to right thinking according to Buddhism. Eightfold path and its practice involves:-
1) Cultivating a habit of asking yourself continuously “Are yousure?” we have seen in the article on right view (the firstmethod of the noble 8 fold path) that wrong views orperceptions are very common and cause almost all our sufferings.We need to also remind ourselves – if – after due diligence – wethink we are sure even then we need to remind ourselves that ourperception is just one point of view and others may look at thesame reality and reach completely different opinion.
2) Ask yourself “what am I doing now?” Cultivate the habit ofasking yourself this question from time to time during the day.This will bring us back to the present moment. The habit ofescaping into the past or the future will be stopped in thetracks.
3) Be aware of your habit energies. There are some who believethat we are so conditioned by our childhood that in our adultlife we behave like automatic response mechanisms. Whenever wefeel ourselves responding in a mechanical manner to anysituation, stop and watch. This is your habit energy. Makefriends with it and be one with it. It will lose its power overyou and you will be free to choose your response.
This habit force is most observed in the Western world by ourhabits of work (we may be workaholics) alcohol, sex, drugs andthe like which are definitely harmful if carried to extremes.
For more information on the Buddhist method of Right Thinking(as stated in the Eightfold Path of Buddhism) please refer The Heart of Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh. It is a compassionateand insightful book like all other books by the same author.This book is available at Amazon.
For more information please also visit this page on Eightfold Path Buddhism
About the history of Buddhism you will find some food for thought on this page on Buddhism religion history
For a complete list of all the articles visit this page on Buddhism.
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