At the heart of the eightfold path is a deep trust in human potential. We have the ability to make a difference in our own lives, and in the world. The eightfold path expresses how noble intentions and mind states shape our actions, and how our actions in turn shape our inner experience.

Christoph's Conception of the Eightfold Path

I did my first meditation retreat when I was 19 years old in India. It was a two-week silent retreat and, after the retreat, I had a distinct feeling of relief. I had a sense of, "Wow, now I know where to go." I didn't reflect on the experience in terms of a path yet but in hindsight, it was the relief of having been somewhat lost and now finding myself on a path. I remember the feeling of, "Oh, it's all easy from now on. I just get on my bike and travel the path quickly so I can reach the goal and enjoy life ever after." 40 years later, I realize that it's a long path! It's a long journey. But still, there's a sense of relief and a sense of joy, of knowing where to go, regardless of how long it takes—a sense of security.

What is truly worthwhile?

One thing I've found always very impressive in the early Buddhist approach to life is its rootedness in the existential realities of being human. Personally, I always had a very strong sense of, "I don't know why I'm here. I don't know where to go, what to do. Why is the world the way it is, with all its beauty and all its terror?" It seems so arbitrary and contingent that we are here, and I felt bewildered by that. "What is truly worthwhile doing in this world?"

Encountering Buddhist teachings, I immediately felt a resonance with the story of the the future Buddha being touched by the realities of old age, sickness, and death, and being thrown into a world that we haven't chosen. We are thrown into a situation with certain parents, in a certain country, with a certain gender that we haven't particularly chosen. And part of our situation is our human capacity to respond to that very situation. So, we respond to it in habitual, instinctual ways—as most human beings do—but as human beings we can make a difference in the way we respond to this life situation. We are not totally helpless. We are not totally at the mercy of our instincts, of our desires and fears, of the conditioning we receive from our upbringing and society.

The way in which Buddhist teachings look at human potential is profoundly meaningful. We can actually make a difference for the better in our lives and in our relationships with the world. But knowing that we can make a difference is maybe not enough. We have to care to make that difference. For me, this beautifully expresses the principle of right view, the basis of the path (or right intention or right aspiration, as it's sometimes called). It is the coming together of a certain understanding of how the world works and an understanding of the finitude of human existence. Yes, there are certain things that are more skillful, and others that are less skillful. So, we understand that we can make a difference and how we can make a difference and then to actually care to make that difference. We put our hearts into it.

The path follows naturally from caring

Once we do this the rest of the path follows in how we speak; how we act; how we go about livelihood, our engagement in the outside world; the effort we put into the quality of our presence in the world; the importance that we don't forget, we remember. Because mindfulness is not just being present, but also remembering to be present, and remembering to relate to life in a skillful way. Finally, it follows in the ability to find emotional balance: to calm the mind, to focus the mind as a basis for clear seeing, clear understanding.

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So I'm looking forward to explore the theme of the eightfold path further with you in the coming units.