God Seekers in Asia - The Wise World Traveler: Becoming a Part of All that You Meet - page 223

Siddhartha “only moved his hand to touch the ground with his fingertips, and thus bid the…
Earth bear witness to his right to be sitting where he was.” [178] Enlightenment had arrived,
and Siddhartha was now the Buddha (The Enlightened One), and the tree was named the
Bo tree (short for Bodhi, enlightened).
THE BUDDHA'S ENLIGHTENMENT: HIS MESSAGE
The gist of the Buddha's message is usually summed up as the Four Noble Truths and the
Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths are verities: profound but not unique insights. The
first truth is that suffering ( dukka ) pervades and informs all of human life. The second truth
is that the cause of this suffering is desire ( tannha ). The third truth is Nirvana, “Extinction,
blowing out: the extinction of self which brings enlightenment and the liberation from pain
( dukka ).” [179] And the fourth truth is that the way to enlightenment comes from following
the Eightfold Path.
The Eightfold Path is signposted with moral precepts and injunctions. Like the Ten
Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, the Eightfold Path serves two purposes.
It constrains human behavior and offers humankind the prospect of a safe and orderly ex-
istence in which the desires of the individual are subordinated to the welfare of the larger
society. And central to Buddhist teaching, it is the path that liberates us from desire.
As elaborated by Buddhist monks and abbots, the Eightfold Path incorporates more
than 200 rules for a moral life. But the essence of the path is a set of simple rules, precepts,
and aspirations that free us from desire.
Right understanding: Always attempt to see through illusions: for example, the idea
that money buys happiness. “Everything we do and say is governed by the mind. The
Buddha said that if our mind is defiled and untrained suffering will follow just as the chariot
follows the horse.” [180] Right knowledge will lead to good thoughts and good deeds.
Right thought and right motives: Always aspire to do good, to respect others, and to
lead a moral life.
Right speech: Do not lie; do not slander. Do not gossip. Language is more than a means
of communication. Language also conveys good meanings and bad meanings. It signals
good intentions and bad. Thus, use right speech so as not to mislead others, to give them
understanding of your good intentions, to encourage them to lead moral lives, to love all
things both great and small.
Right behavior: Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not be unchaste. Do not drink
intoxicants. Be moderate in consuming food. And do not do to others what you would not
want them to do to you.
Right livelihood: If possible, and for even a short time, become a monk; join a religious
community. Short of that, do not peddle poisons. Have nothing to do with prostitution. Do