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Concept
Buddhist paths to liberation
Summary
The Buddhist path (marga) to liberation, also referred to as awakening, is described in a wide variety of ways. The classical one is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is only one of several summaries presented in the Sutta Pitaka. A number of other paths to liberation exist within various Buddhist traditions and theology.
Sutta Pitaka and Early Buddhist schools
There are various expositions of the path to liberation in the Early Buddhist texts, the following examples are drawn from the Pali Nikayas.
Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path is widely known as the description of the Buddhist path. In the Sutta Pitaka it is summed up as follows:
The Blessed One said, "Now what, monks, is the Noble Eightfold Path? Right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration [samadhi].
Alternate, and possibly older, sequences of the stages on the Buddhist path to liberation, can be found throughout the Pali Canon.
A standard sequence of developments can be found in the Nikayas, which may predate the more stylised four noble truths. For example the Tevijja Sutta verse 40–75 (Dikha Nikaya 13):
Verse 40: A Tathàgata is born into the world, who makes his knowledge known to others.
Verse 41: A householder listens to that truth, acquires faith, and goes forth from the household life into the homeless state.
Verse 42: He passes a life self-restrained, good in his conduct, guarding the door of his senses; mindful and self-possessed.
Verse 43–75: This results in:
The confidence of heart that results from the sense of goodness.
The way in which he guards the doors of his senses.
The way in which he is mindful and self-possessed.
His habit of being content with little, of adopting simplicity of life.
His conquest of the five hindrances, each with the explanatory simile.
The joy and peace which, as a result of this conquest, fills his whole being.
Official source
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