Unit 1 | What is the Eightfold Path?

After welcoming you to the course, the teachers present four talks on the eightfold path, explaining what it is and where it fits in the scheme of the Buddha's teachings. The Buddha said that the eightfold path is the means by which suffering comes to an end. However, there are questions of interpretation and emphasis to explore, and the very personal project of walking the path in the particular circumstances of our lives. We'll hear how the eightfold path has informed and enriched the teachers' lives. In each of the following units, there will be open discussion of these issues, and a meditation to begin our inquiry.

Unit 2 | Wise View and Wise Intention

We'll settle with a brief meditation and then start our exploration where the path begins—with right view, or appropriate view. Jake will show that, to start on the path, we need a basic understanding that certain wholesome mind states and actions will lead to desirable, ethical results for ourselves and for others. This entails an understanding of the four noble truths, of which the eightfold path itself is the fourth. This foundational teaching tells us that unwholesome mind states, rooted in craving and aversion, are unsatisfactory and, in fact, lead to further suffering. The good news is that this suffering can come to an end through the actualization of the eightfold path.

Having understood what mind states lead to suffering, and which mind states lead to tranquility, we set an intention to walk this path: to be free from ill will, to be harmless, and to relinquish unnecessary and unhelpful habits that obstruct the path. Stephen will reinterpret this factor as "wise imagination" and explore how we can use imagination in ways that help us to progress on the path, especially in situations where creativity can help us find ethical, wise, compassionate ways forward.

Unit 3 | Wise Action and Wise Livelihood

Ethics is indispensible as a foundation for tranquility, collectedness, and wisdom. Christoph will explore what it means to enact our ethical intentions. This means abstaining from killing beings, taking what is not given, and an inappropriate relationship to sensuality. We can also see this as a responsibility to protect living beings, to be generous and supportive of others, to treat them with respect, and to cultivate circumspection towards sensual pleasure.

Similarly, Martine will explore the area of appropriate livelihood and how our practice relates to our working life. We'll see how our livelihood can be a source of wellbeing for ourselves and others, rather than a source of strife.

Unit 4 | Wise Speech and Wise Effort

Usually the third element of the path, contemplating appropriate ways of speaking and communicating is a decisive factor for so many meditators. Through speech we can uplift people, or, if we are not mindful and compassionate, we can often hurt them. On this path, we make a commitment to truthful, intentional, purposeful speech. We speak gently, not harshly or with the intention to create division. Christoph will widen this area of inquiry to include how we communicate in this interconnected age. This is such a crucial area in our lives for bringing joy, but also, of course, includes times of misunderstanding and difficulty that we can address.

Stephen will show how the practice of appropriate effort is to prevent and abandon unwholesome mind states while cultivating that which is beneficial to ourselves and others. With mindfulness, we see craving, aversion, or delusion arise. We reflect on the drawbacks of this unwholesome state, relax, and return to cultivating wholesome, ethical mind states. We may need to do this many times—in meditation, and in life situations—but gradually the mind comes to settle in deeper states of lovingkindness, collectedness, and awareness.

Unit 5 | Wise Mindfulness and Wise Collectedness

With the other factors of the eightfold path in place, we are much more likely to find smooth progress in meditation. We may notice mindfulness becoming stronger, this capacity to notice when craving takes hold. We see what's happening and remember the teachings. As a result, we bring more wholesome qualities and mind states into being. Jake will share his reflections on practicing mindfulness effectively in meditation and in the midst of life.

Martine will reappraise the factor of "samādhi," often translated as "concentration," a translation that has led to important misconceptions. We will see that our aim is to cultivate gatheredness, collectedness, and composure that unifies the mind—both in meditation and while interacting in the world. In this way, the eightfold path brings us to a mind state that is capable of clear seeing and wakefulness. Just as the other stations of the path strengthen mindfulness and collectedness, this awareness and gatheredness supports every other factor of the path.

Unit 6 | Walking the Path

In the final unit, the four teachers present their individual understandings of the eightfold path in light of the discoveries made during this course. You will hear their different takes and different emphases. There will be discussion and guidance for continuing to walk the path. You are also invited to reflect on how you yourself view the eightfold path, how it applies specifically to the life you lead, and the intentions, habits, and practices you can put in place to cultivate greater peace and contentment in your own life.