What is this Noble Eightfold Way ?
These eight things, friends, when developed and cultivated
lead to Nibbāna, have Nibbāna as their ultimate destination,
have Nibbāna as their final goal! What eight?
Right View
Right Motivation
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Awareness
Right Concentration
Friends, true knowledge is initiating all advantageous states,
with a sense of shame and fear of wrongdoing coming after!
For a clever person, who has arrived at such true knowledge,
right view emerges. For one of right view, right motivation
improves. For one of right motivation, right speech evolves.
For one of right speech, right action springs up. For one of
right action, right livelihood comes into being. For one of right
livelihood, right effort arises. For one of right effort, right
awareness appears. For one of right Awareness & mindfulness,
right Concentration develops.
Friends, this is the sign and precursor for arising of the sun: dawn!
So too, friends, for a person, this is the sign and precursor for the
arising of the Noble 8-fold Way, that is, Good & Noble Friendship...!!!
When a person has a Good Noble Friend, it is to be expected that he
will develop and cultivate this Noble 8-fold Way...
And how does a person, who has a good friend develop & cultivate
this Noble 8-fold Way? Here, friends, a person develops right view,
right motivation, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right
effort, right awareness, and right concentration, which has as its
final goal the complete elimination of greed, the eradication of hate,
and the luminous ceasing of all ignorance...
Source: The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha on the Way. SN V (56)
http://www.pariyatti.com/book.cgi?prod_id=948507
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/samyutta/index.html
Further study on the Noble 8-fold Way:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Middle_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Fulfilled_First_.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Noble_8_fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_3-fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Failed_by_Neglect.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/The_Noble_8-Fold_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Golden_Middle_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Fruits_of_the_Noble_Way.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_4th_Noble_Truth_on_The_Way_to_Cease_Suffering.htm
