Q13. Which Way of Practice Constitutes the Ordinary Path and Which Is the Shortest, Most Direct Path?
~ By Buddhadāsa Bhikkhu ~
Concerning ordinary practice, we might answer ‘The noble eightfold path.’ You have probably heard the details, namely, right understanding, right aim, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. This is called noble eightfold path. It has a most orderly arrangement that can be grouped under the aspects of morality, concentration, and insight. It forms a progressive system of practice, which we refer to as walking the ordinary path. It is suitable for people who can’t take the more direct path. It isn’t a wrong path; however, it is the ordinary level of right path and takes a long time.
The Buddha has taught a shortcut as well. He said that when there’s no clinging to any of the six sense media (āyatana) and things associated with them as being selfentities, then noble eightfold path will arise instantly in all of its eight aspects. This is a most important and fundamental principle of Dhamma.
First of all, we must review that the six sense media (āyatana) are the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Each of these six organs has five aspects. In the case of the eyes, the first aspect is the eyes themselves; the second is the visual object that makes contact with the eyes; the third is the sense awareness or cognition (viññāṇa) that knows that visual object making contact with the eyes; the fourth is the activity of contact (phassa) effected in the meeting of cognition, eyes, and visual object; and the fifth is the pleasurable or painful feeling (vedanā) that arises with the contact. These are the five aspects to sense experience. The eyes have these five aspects. The ears have five also, the nose has five, and so on. Each of them plays a part in inducing a lack of mindfulness leading to grasping at something as being ego or self. For example, we grasp at the awareness that cognizes and sees via the eyes. Because we can be aware of something, we jump to the conclusion that ‘I’m aware of it.’ In this way, we grasp at and cling to eye-consciousness as being self, or grasp at eye-contact (fourth aspect) as self, or cling to eye-contact feeling pleasant or unpleasant (fifth aspect) as self. Sometimes a melodious sound comes to the ears and we grasp at the awareness of melody as being self. Sometimes a tasty flavor comes to the tongue and we grasp at the awareness of tastiness as being self.
Each of the six sense media has five aspects, making altogether thirty aspects. Any of these can be grasped at as self, clung to with the greatest ease many times over in a single day. As soon as we grasp and cling, suffering results. We are mistaken and have enmeshed ourselves in a mass of suffering. This isn’t walking the path. When there is neither grasping nor clinging due to awareness that none of the sense media and their aspects are self, the Buddha said noble eightfold path is fully present in that very moment. At that moment there is right understanding, right aim, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right unification. To practice non-grasping at the six sense media is a shortcut for the entire eightfold path to arise immediately.
The Buddha taught the quickest shortcut – emptiness of sense media – in one of his discourses. Not holding on to self regarding eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind gives rise to the entire noble eightfold path in a single moment. If we aren’t up to the shortcut, then study the noble eightfold path of morality, concentration, and wisdom. Practicing it from the beginning, proceeding gradually and by slow degrees, may use up much time. So we find that Buddhism offers both an ordinary way and a shortcut.
(From “Buddha-Dhamma for Inquiring Minds”)
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Buddha-Dhamma for Students (title of original translation) was composed of two talks given by Ajahn Buddhadāsa in January 1966 to students at Thammasat University, Bangkok. It was translated from the Thai by Rod Bucknell, and revised in 2018 by Santikaro Upasaka. To read/download as free ebook (pdf).
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Photo: Buddhadāsa Indapañño Archives E-33