Doctrine of Path – Path leading to the extinction of passion (Cause of Happiness);
Eightfold Path The eight right ways leading to Nirvana. The eight are: Right View, Right Thought,
Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right mindfulness, Right Concentration
My Experience with the middle path, even still cannot get the right one but at least I try to walk on the good side, off course sometime we walk to left side or to right side and must often to remind our self to walk in the middle path.
Before Learn Dharma, I don’t understand about Buddhism, thought Buddhism pray worship for the statues and give offering for some supra natural thinks, and other the misconception views about Buddha. After learn Dharma, I know more about The Four Noble Truth, Law of Karma, Dependent Origination, Punarbhava (The law of Rebirth), make my eyes opened and have more wisdom to look in everything that we must learn to know. 84000 Dharma so wide and deep need times to learn, I try to learn everything need to learn, I try to give up all that not necessary to learn, don’t wasting our time and our life.
Right Speech very hard to practice, because without mindfulness we often talk nonsense, lying, slander, back biting, harsh words and idle talk. With our speech hurt others feeling, some times the word from our lips more sharp then a knife. “Our tongue no bone so speaking with no feeling”. We must have right speech and right mindfulness in every moment, first thinks what we want to said, than said the good words. Sometimes I got misunderstanding with others and have clash with others because of language.
And now I realize the benefit of: ” Silent is golden”.
Right Action have relation with taking the precept, Off course I never killed people in this life ( in the past life I don’t remembered), but I realized sometimes I killed some animals like mosquitoes , ants, flies, others. But the terrible thinks is, before I get vow to become vegetarian, I’m a “Meat Lover’s”, every day no meal without meat. I very like chicken nugget, fried chicken like KFC, MC Donald, Beef Steaks, Fried pork, etc. I know I never killed them but I eat them all. Now I had repentance all of my faults. And offering merits for all the sentient beings that have angers with me.
My experience with take the fifth precept, no alcohol: I never drink alcohol before until four years ago when I studied in Beijing, I have drunk it and feel the effect of to be drunk. It’s Happened When I just arrived in China and by my friend help to rent a house, so I still didn’t know my house mate habits, they likes drink and disco so much, every weekend they have go to party, go to KTV or Bar, spend the night with other foreign student. It’s my first time in other country, made me in hard condition with their living style, I can’t said no in my first month, I must join them where ever they go, I don’t have any choices. In the first time in my life, they give me tequila I thought it’s like soft drink, but one slot I drink my face and my body become red, I felt my head become big and bigger, and after 10 minutes I fall dunk have no mindful I fall to a deep sleep. Found the wrong friend made me felt born in the hell. From that time I decide never touch alcohol any more, and never join them if they go to some where. And after that my housemate respect me decision and could understand my reason. After that time I looking for good friends, at the weekend I go to my ‘kalyana mitta’ (Dharma friend) house to discuss Dharma. And with the good condition we establish Mangala Buddhist Organisation for Indonesian Student in Beijing , and felt I was rebirth from hell and born in the Heaven again.
Of Course because our dharma practice, we have hard work and have a good deeds to do in every weeks, we have organization, we have good friends in the good motivation, we have a lot activities, we have meditation program, social program, vocal and music program, etc. In our diligent to walking in the middle path “I’m not alone”, and we have good result and the good karma seed that make me walking more fast and more far, From Beijing to Taiwan. From Layman become a Sramana, From the ignorance slowly but sure seen the illuminate and the beauty of dharma dew.
I Thought the most important things is Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration, it’s the basic of the Buddha Teaching, to develop wisdom we could start from Sila and Samadhi. Take the precept and developing Samadhi , and wisdom is the result of that’s all. But all of it’s can’t separate, must do together. May all of Us could walk in the right paths.