Why Is The Eightfold Path Important To Buddhists?
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Answer:
Buddhism developed out of Hinduism in the sixth century B.C.
For a Buddhist salvation is reaching Nirvana. Nirvana is a transcendental, blissful, spiritual state of nothingness--you become a Buddha.
The Noble Eightfold Path is:
1. Right Understanding: accepting the Four Noble Truths. (The existence of suffering; the cause of suffering; the end of suffering; and the end of pain.)
2. Right Resolve: renounce the pleasures of the body. Change your lifestyle so that you harm no living creatures and have kind thoughts for everyone.
3. Right Speech: do not gossip, lie or slander anyone.
4. Right Action: do not kill, steal or engage in an unlawful sexual act.
5. Right Occupation: avoid working at any job that could harm someone.
6. Right Effort: heroically work to eliminate evil from your life. Through your own effort develop good conduct and a clean mind.
7. Right Contemplation: make your self aware of your deeds, words and thoughts so that you can be free of desire and sorrow.
8. Right Meditation: train your mind to focus on a single object without wavering so as to develop a calm mind capable of concentration.
Following the Noble Eightfold Path requires that a person do the above eight things. Salvation is through what a Buddhist does. It is through human works, what a person does with his life.