Orthodoxy and the Noble Eightfold Path, Part One

     What follows in this article is not a syncretic blend of Buddhism and Orthodox Christian spirituality.  However, it does use the Noble Eightfold Path as a guide for living the Orthodox way of life.  And—it must be noted—that the Noble Eightfold Path offers a very good vehicle for transmitting the wisdom of a particular religious tradition, whatever that tradition may be.

     Before we get much further, a little backtracking needs to take place on my part.  So here goes…

     Before I started this blog, I had ideas for several blogs—primarily because I thought I had the ideas for several really cool blog titles.  One of them that I thought had a particularly good ring to it was going to be “From East to East.”  (The other one that I really liked was “Hardcore Christianity: Kick-Ass Asceticism for Orthodox Christians Living in the 21^st Century”—but I digress.)  The blog idea “From East to East” had a particular resonance with me for a couple of reasons.  One, I always enjoyed Eastern philosophy—and still do; I think it has quite a lot to offer modern man.  Two, coming to Orthodoxy from Eastern philosophy, I realize how well the religions of the East (primarily Buddhism and Taoism) actually prepared me for Orthodoxy.  For those who come to Orthodoxy from one of the Western forms of Christianity—whether its Protestantism or Catholicism—there are several stumbling blocks that are difficult for many to get around: the nature of Original Sin, and therefore the meaning of Christ’s atonement, and just what the Paschal mystery actually means; the notion of salvation as an ever-ongoing conversion which will lead us to theosis, to name just a couple.  However, if you had already decided that the Western theological concepts have no (or very little) meaning for you—which you surely must do if you are going to take an interest in the philosophy cum religions of the East—then there aren’t very many stumbling blocks (or at least there are different stumbling blocks) that will prevent you from adopting Orthodoxy’s theological underpinnings.  In fact, you will find a concept such as theosis particularly gratifying and satisfying to your intellectual palate—it seems so close to the Buddhist and Taoist understanding of enlightenment; in fact, theosis is often described as enlightenment.  And third, I knew that my understanding of both Eastern philosophy and Orthodoxy (both which are, I must admit, not that in-depth) could help as a sort of catechesis for those readers who, although they are currently practicing Eastern philosophy, still have a yearning for Christ—whether that yearning may be small or large.

     However, I decided against doing several blogs because I thought that I might not have enough material to regularly update each one.  With that being said, I still want to write the occasional article dealing with the intersection of Far Eastern religions and Eastern Christianity.

     Hence, the article you are staring at on your computer screen.

     Before we get to the meat of this article, and what an Orthodox Eightfold Path would look like, I think it’s important to discuss some of the similarities and the differences between Eastern Christianity and the Buddhist religion.  Here are a few (and perhaps we will discuss these and others in more depth in a future article):

• They are both “practitioner’s religions.”  And I think this may be what can best attract followers of Eastern religions to Orthodoxy compared to other forms of Christianity.  What I mean by a “practitioner’s religion” is that—although both of these religions have beliefs, very different and important beliefs—they are rooted in practice.  Buddhists are expected to meditate regularly, practice mindfulness, and train in compassion (to name a few).  The Orthodox are expected to pray daily (in both a contemplative and discursive manner), fast regularly, practice watchfulness (almost the exact same thing as mindfulness), and engage in other ascetic disciplines.
• Neither of these religions have the goal of “getting saved” as the penultimate achievement.  What turns off many Westerners from the Christianity that they were raised in (or exposed to) is the idea that the goal of being a Christian is to just “accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior” and then you’re done.  (And then, of course, you can listen to the ongoing debate over “once saved, always saved” and other such nonsense.)  For the Buddhist, “salvation” is achieved by attaining enlightenment.  For the Orthodox Christian, to achieve salvation is to attain theosis, or union with God—nothing else will cut it.  Theosis is similar to enlightenment, except that union is achieved with a Personal God: our Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Both of these religions have a healthy distrust of the self.  In fact, I can think of no other religions—outside of Orthodoxy and Buddhism—that view the notion of the self in such similar ways.  In Western Christianity, for instance, there is often a lot of talk on how you need to get in touch with your inmost self, or discussion that the ultimate good comes from your inner self.  Only Buddhism and Orthodoxy claim that this is a bunch of hogwash.  Buddhism says that you lack an intrinsic, inherently independent self, while Orthodoxy claims that the self is simply not to be trusted, because the Truth is that you are not what you take “your self” to be.  You are not your body.  You are not your mind.  You are your soul.  As Saint Macarius the Great (c. 300- c.390) said, “The heart is such a small vessel; and yet dragons and lions are there, and there poisonous creatures and all the treasures of wickedness; rough, and uneven paths are there, and gaping chasms.”

     Now, before we get into the Eightfold Path, I want to discourage anyone from trying to practice more than one religion at the same time.  It won’t work, and, to be honest, it does a disservice to both religions.  And to back up my point, I offer the following quote, not from an Orthodox theologian, but from the esteemed Buddhist scholar Bikkhu Bodhi:

     “One approach to resolving this problem that is popular today is the eclectic one: to pick and choose from the various traditions whatever seems amenable to our needs, welding together different practices and techniques into a synthetic whole that is personally satisfying. Thus one may combine Buddhist mindfulness meditation with sessions of Hindu mantra recitation, Christian prayer with Sufi dancing, Jewish Kabbala with Tibetan visualization exercises. Eclecticism, however, though sometimes helpful in making a transition from a predominantly worldly and materialistic way of life to one that takes on a spiritual hue, eventually wears thin. While it makes a comfortable halfway house, it is not comfortable as a final vehicle.

     “There are two interrelated flaws in eclecticism that account for its ultimate inadequacy. One is that eclecticism compromises the very traditions it draws upon. The great spiritual traditions themselves do not propose their disciplines as independent techniques that may be excised from their setting and freely recombined to enhance the felt quality of our lives. They present them, rather, as parts of an integral whole, of a coherent vision regarding the fundamental nature of reality and the final goal of the spiritual quest. A spiritual tradition is not a shallow stream in which one can wet one's feet and then beat a quick retreat to the shore. It is a mighty, tumultuous river which would rush through the entire landscape of one's life, and if one truly wishes to travel on it, one must be courageous enough to launch one's boat and head out for the depths.

     “The second defect in eclecticism follows from the first. As spiritual practices are built upon visions regarding the nature of reality and the final good, these visions are not mutually compatible. When we honestly examine the teachings of these traditions, we will find that major differences in perspective reveal themselves to our sight, differences which cannot be easily dismissed as alternative ways of saying the same thing. Rather, they point to very different experiences constituting the supreme goal and the path that must be trodden to reach that goal.”[i]

     I hope that settles that.  Now, on to the Path:

The Orthodox Eightfold Path

     The Eightfold Path has—as the name implies—eight “limbs” to it.  They are: right view, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.  They are not meant to follow one after another, as steps that you are to climb.  Rather, they are meant more as spokes on a wheel.  Each spoke relies on the other, and the wheel can really only have its full strength when none of the spokes are missing.

Right View

     This is always the first limb on the path.  In fact, without this limb, the other steps on the path will eventually fall apart.

     For the Buddhist, right view would mean the “Four Noble Truths”.  Or, at least, it would mean the Four Noble Truths as a starting point, though it might also contain the “Three Treasures” of the Dharma: non-self, impermanence, and suffering.  If you don’t believe in the Four Noble Truths, along with the “truths” of non-self, impermanence, and suffering, you can’t rightly call yourself a Buddhist.

     For the Orthodox, right view must mean several different things.  First, it means that we have faith in the Creed, which all Orthodox Christians recite at every Divine Liturgy.  In fact, the minimum that is required of anyone wanting to convert to the Orthodox faith is belief in the Creed.

     But the Creed should also be a starting point.  Another thing we need to have for right view is a “Patristic mind.”  For the Orthodox Christian, to put on the “mind of Christ” is also to put on the “mind” of the Holy Fathers of the Church.  And to put on the “mind” of the Fathers of the Church we need to read and study what they had to say—for what they said in the past is not relegated to some bygone era.  Rather, it is actually applicable to our lives in the 21^st century.  The Patristic teachings need to be looked at seriously, then applied to our current lives.

     In addition to the Fathers of the Church, we need a firm foundation in Holy Scripture.  We need to read scripture, realizing that it too speaks to our lives in these modern times.  Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk says, “Whenever you read the Gospel, Christ Himself is speaking to you.  And while you read, you are speaking and talking to Him.”

     In addition to Scripture, Church Fathers, and the beliefs that we hold to be Truth, we also need to study and read as much as possible from many different traditionally Orthodox sources.  In this way, our mind is slowly transformed into a Patristic, Orthodox mind.

Right Thoughts

     “It’s no mystery that thinking can make us happy or miserable.  Let’s say you’re sitting under a tree one fine spring day.  Nothing particular is happening to you, except perhaps the breeze is ruffling your hair, yet in your mind you’re far away.  Maybe you’re remembering another spring day several years back when you were feeling terrible.  You had just lost a job, or failed an exam, or your cat had wandered off.  That memory turns into a worry.  ‘What if I lose my job again?  Why did I ever say such-and-such to so-and-so?  No doubt this or that will happen and I’ll be out on my ear.  Now I’m really in for it!  How will I pay my bills?’  One worry brings up another, which brings up another.  Soon you feel your life is in shambles, but all this while you’ve been sitting under a tree.”[ii]

     When you have the correct view to begin with, your mind will naturally flow into thoughts that are correct.  And when you practice the other steps on the Path, your mind will naturally flow into what is Good and True.  This is another aspect in which Orthodoxy has the “advantage” over other forms of Christianity.  I know many Protestants who believe they have the correct view, but their internal lives do not show the fruit of such beliefs.  They are no more at peace internally than anyone else.  (In fact, I know atheists who are more at peace than many theists.)

     When Orthodoxy is practiced sincerely and fervently—a life rooted in taking part in all of the Sacraments, in other words, a life rooted in the Church,  along with daily prayer—your mind begins to truly change because you change your thoughts.  Change your thoughts and you change your mind.

     But our thoughts also aid in the rest of our lives.  Our thoughts change how we approach Divine Liturgy, for instance.  When we want to participate in the life of the Church, when we believe that the Body and Blood of our Savior are truly found within the Sacrament of communion, then the liturgy becomes divine.

     And the same goes for the rest of our Orthodox lives.  Here are the words of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnika:

     “Our life depends on the kind of thoughts we nurture. If our thoughts are peaceful, calm, meek, and kind, then that is what our life is like.  If our attention is turned to the circumstances in which we live, we are drawn into a whirlpool of thoughts, and can have neither peace nor tranquility.

      “Everything, both good and evil, comes from our thoughts.  Our thoughts become reality.  Even today we can see that all of creation, everything that exists on earth and in the cosmos, is nothing but Divine thought made material in time and space.  We humans were created in the image of God.  Mankind was given a great gift, but we hardly understand that.  God’s energy and life are in us, but we do not realize it.  Neither do we understand that we greatly influence others with our thoughts.  We can be very good or very evil, depending on the kind of thoughts and desires we breed.

     “If our thoughts are kind, peaceful, and quiet, turned only toward good, then we also influence ourselves and radiate peace all around us—in the family, in our whole country, everywhere.”[iii]

Right Speech

     “Think how often you say to yourself, ‘If only I hadn’t said that,’ or something like, ‘When I saw the look on her face, I knew that what I said had hurt her feelings.’  Wrong speech causes us many problems.  We lie and then get caught in it; we say something nasty about a co-worker and get him into trouble; we speak inconsiderately and offend a client or friend; we spend a whole day in meaningless chatter and get nothing done.”[iv]

     You should notice at this point how right view flows into right thoughts, and right thoughts naturally flow into right speech.  In fact, right speech is nothing more than a natural outflow of the other two.  It’s also why it’s impossible to practice right speech if you’re not first practicing the other two steps.

     Many who were raised in a Protestant upbringing (as I was) may notice that Protestants often behave as if doing something or not doing something (we’ll get around to right action momentarily) or saying something or not saying something somehow makes him or her holy.  However, right speech and right action have nothing holy about them if they are not predicated upon right thoughts.  What does it matter if you say or do something “holy” if your thoughts are not peaceful and kind?

     When outlining the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha said that right speech has four qualities: It is always truthful.  It is never malicious or unkind.  It is gentle, not crude or harsh.  It is moderate, not useless or meaningless.[v]

     In Part Two, we will conclude with the remaining five steps on the Path.

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[i] “The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to End Suffering” by Bikkhu Bodhi.  The Buddhist Publication Society

[ii] “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path,” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.  Gunaratana translates the second step on the Path as “skillful thinking.”

[iii] “Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnika.” 

[iv] “Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness: Walking the Buddha’s Path,” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.

[v] ibid