The Boatman

Image courtesy of Getty Images Let Go Suffering Through the Eight-fold Path "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." - Buddha In another article , I wrote about the ' Four Noble Truths ' as taught by Buddha, or at least my understanding of them. In short, they tell us that there will be suffering and that suffering can be relieved through following our ethical and spiritual paths. One of the bases for the cessation of suffering in Eastern philosophy is known as the Eight-fold Path . This is the path that the Buddha described in the Four Noble Truths. For me, the Eight-fold Path is a wonderful beginning to understanding the nature of things "as they are". Although I am not a true Buddhist, the Eight-fold Path continues to be a source of light as I grow to understand my own sufferings and aspire to liberate others along the way. Below, I will give my layman interpretation of the Eight-fold Path, what it means to me, and why I think it...

Suffering is Optional The Four Noble Truths are the very basis of Buddha's teachings. The first teaching ever given by the Buddha was to five student monks under the Bodhi Tree in a deer park. During these teachings, Buddha spoke of four truths he had come to understand during his own search for enlightenment. Although I am not a true Buddhist, many of the Buddha's teachings resonate with me. My own personal journeys from darkness to the light have opened my eyes - indeed my heart - to the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Pain and suffering are a part of life. They are... and no amount of positive thinking will keep them at bay forever. As humans, we form attachments, we have desires, and we make judgments, and we feel emotions throughout the entire spectrum. With acceptance of being human, and living in a physical world, we must accept that suffering is a part of our path. In fact, if we don't acknowledge or accept it, our resistance will simply create m...