7. Desire for formless life. 8. Pride. 9. Self-love. 10. Ignorance.6. Desire for life in form.
It would not be fitting here to attempt to say what this final ignorance is, except negatively—it is the
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ALWAYS the Buddha spoke of two ways of life—one being the ordinary thoughtless course in which people seek happiness through various pleasures, always hoping that they can obtain conditions which will give them satisfaction, the other being called the Path (as distinguished from the former, which is wandering about), a progressive determination to cease such seeking for pleasure in material things. There is no travelling on this Path, it is stated, for one is not going from one place to another, or even from one mental condition to another. The goal on this path is most occult, hidden from both sense and mind, but is revealed when there is cessation of the ordinary manner of life, which could well be called the way of error and sorrow. The goal is indeed called a ceasing, not a gaining; it is a ceasing of the 3. Correct use of speech. 4. Correct behavior, conduct or actions.THE OCCULT PATH OF BUDDHA
1. Correct understanding, views, outlook, appraisal, judgment.
Analyzing these and other modes of living in my book Character-Building many years ago, I reduced all the defects of human nature to three: laziness, selfishness and thoughtlessness, and all virtues to three, action, goodwill and thoughtfulness. These three touchstones are implied in the word "correct" in each of the four requirements. No. I implies that one has at the outset adopted the outlook described by Buddha, what is called the dhamma (dharma), law, rule, or proper way of life. Dharma means maintenance—the maintenance on all occasions, in all matters of life, small or great, of the resolution to put an end to pain, which is the basis of the three virtues of action, goodwill and thoughtfulness. These three are to be followed regardless of pain or trouble. Much stress is laid on speech for it is in this that dissipation of life most commonly occurs—idle chatter, cruel gossip and talk without information.
The second group of four requirements assigns the tasks:
7. Correct intellectual activity—some study.
8. Correct contemplation—the expectant poise of the mind which allows intuition and insight to begin.
All these eight have to do with daily life and the use of personal abilities and energies in the world. They may be pursued with less or greater determination and constancy; as Edwin Arnold puts it in his beautiful poem The Light of Asia:
So is the Eightfold Path which brings to peace;
By lower or by upper heights it goes.
The firm soul hastes, the feeble tarries. All
Will reach the sunlit snows.
Now we have to look at the inner or esoteric aspect of all this, and answer the question: "What is happening to the pilgrim himself?" For this purpose Buddha gave the four stages of the Path, and showed what are the defects or "fetters" which bind the ordinary man, and how they are to be thrown off one after the other. The first result of practicing the eightfold way is the weakening and disappearance of the error that the body is itself important. All the
7. Desire for formless life. 8. Pride. 9. Self-love. 10. Ignorance. It would not be fitting here to attempt to say what this final ignorance is, except negatively—it is the6. Desire for life in form.
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