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`cessation' of Suffering. The 
Buddha found that craving can 
only be overcome if 
craving is extinguished. The way 
that craving can be 
extinguished is by eradicating the 
defilements in the 
mind. If defilements are reduced, 
craving is reduced. 
If craving is reduced, suffering will 
be reduced. If you 
can bring craving to an end, there 
is nothing to cause 
you to be reborn any more. If there 
is no birth any 
more, then that will eradicate 
suffering at its roots. 
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Furthermore, cessation of suffering 
is something we 
can find for ourselves. We don't 
have to wait for an 
unknown `factor' or external agent 
or deity to do the 
work for us. 
B.4 Noble Truth of the Path to the 
Cessation of Suffering 
The Pali word used for this Truth 
is ' magga' which 
means the `Path' or 
' dukkhanirodha gAminE 
paEipadA' which means the `path 
leading to cessation. 
It refers equally to the `Middle 
Way' and to the 
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Noble Eightfold Path. 
The `Middle Way' [majjhimA 
paEipadA] doesn't 
mean `moderation in all things' 
but to cultivate the 
cessation of craving by steering 
between the extremes 
of sensual indulgence 
[kAmasukallikAnuyoga] and 
self-mortification 
[attakilamathAnuyoga] in one's 
spiritual practice. Such cultivation 
is a way of training 
ourselves until the mind can 
wriggle itself free of 
craving — something achieved by 
freeing the mind 
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of all the thoughts that cause it to 
move. If the mind 
is not still it has no way of 
extinguishing craving. 
Furthermore, 
if the mind is still, it will be 
sufficiently 
clear and bright to identify the 
defilements remaining 
in the mind, and it will be possible 
to banish these 
defilements from the mind. This 
way or path of practice 
to bring the mind to a standstill 
consists of eight 
components — which is why it is 
called the Eightfold 
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Path. 
The Noble Eightfold Path can be 
found at all levels 
of advancement, whether it be the 
Sensual Sphere .. 
[IcAmavacarabhEmi], the Form 
Sphere [rEpAvacarabhEmi], 
the Formless Sphere 
[arEpavacarabhumi] 
or the Transcendental Level 
[lokuttarabhEmi]. 
If it arises at the Transcendental 
Level then 
it is called the Transcendental Path 
[lokuttaramagga]. 
If it arises in the Triple World then 
it is called the Mundane 
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Path [lokiyamagga] — although 
the way it is applied 
changes with the level of practice 
(see Table 33.1. 
right) 
Blessing Thirty-Three: Seeing the 
Four Noble Truths 377 
Right View 
[sammA 
Right Intention 
[sammA saIkappa] 
Right Speech 
[sammA vAcA] 
Right Action 
[sammA kammanta] 
Right Livelihood 
[sammA A j Eva] 
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Right Effort 
[sammA vAyAma] 
Right Mindfulness 
[sammA sati] 
Right Concentration 
[sammA samAdhi] 
Confidence in the working of the 
Law of Karma 
and the power of the Triple Gem. 
Overcoming 
Eight Sorts of False View 
The wholesome intention to remove 
oneself from 
the influence of sensual desire, 
vengefulness and 
aggression by being generous, 
keeping Five Precepts 
and meditating 
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Avoiding telling lies, divisive 
speech, harsh speech 
and idle chatter. 
Refraining from killing and cruelty 
towards living 
beings, stealing and sexual relations 
outside marriage. 
Doing things by the rules. 
Refraining from earning one's living 
by selling 
weapons, slaves, animals to the 
slaughterhouse, 
alcohol, drugs, poison or prostitution, 
`fixing' 
weights and measures used for 
business or otherwise 
misleading customers. 
Avoiding evils not yet done, 
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breaking of bad habits, 
development of virtues not yet done 
and maintenance 
of virtues already mastered. 
Keeping our mind on wholesome 
thoughts without 
any deviation, especially by 
practising meditation 
until attaining one-pointedness of 
mind 
Following the absorption of the mind 
onto equanimity. 
Fiercely accurate understanding of 
life and the 
world based on thorough 
understanding of the 
Four Noble Truths and without 
further influence 
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of ignorance or the defilements. 
Insight into the 
becoming of the Five Aggregates 
Release from the three types of 
wrong preoccupation 
[akusala-vitakka] and bias [agati] 
Every word as artful speech or else 
maintaining 
noble silence. 
Practice for the removal of every last 
trace of ignorance 
and craving. 
Earning one's living in a 
compassionate way. 
Dedicating oneself actively to the 
attainment of 
Nirvana. 
Cultivating the Four Foundations of 
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Mindfulness. 
Seeing and knowing the Four Noble 
Truths and 
the Three Universal Characteristics 
in the Five Aggregates 
until releasing oneself from the 
action of 
the defilements. Attainment of 
Cessation of Suffering 
and entry upon Nirvana. 
Mundane [lokiya] Transcendental 
[lokuttara] 
Right View 
Right Intention 
Right Speech 
Right Action 
Right Livelihood 
Right Effort 
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Right Mindfulness 
Right Concentration 
Wisdom 
Self-Discipline 
Meditation 
TABLE 33.1: Practising the 
Eightfold Path on Mundane and 
Transcendental Levels 
TABLE 33.2: Correlation between 
Eightfold Path Factors & the 
Threefold Training 
Eightfold Path Factors Threefold 
Training 
378 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
For as long as a meditator 
cultivates the Noble 
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Eightfold Path purely, completely 
and according to 
the principles of the Middle Way 
(i.e. with the mind 
entering continuously upon the 
pathway at the centre 
of the body), the mind will be 
liberated from 
mood influences in the outside 
world. Once the 
mind has adjusted itself, the 
meditator will see the 
diamond clear PaEhama Magga 
Sphere 
(DhammAnupassanAsatipaEEhAn 
a 
Sphere) at the centre of his 
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or her body. At its smallest it will 
be the size of a 
star. Medium-sized, it will be the 
size of the full 
moon. At its largest it will be the 
size of the midday 
sun. The PaEhama Magga Sphere 
arises when all 
eight components of the Noble 
Eightfold Path are 
present and fuse into unity 
[maggasamaIgE]. This 
is the trailhead of the pathway to 
Nirvana. You need 
to train yourself simultaneously in 
all eight of the 
following the Noble Eightfold 
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Path. 
The Eightfold Path can be 
expanded into the 
whole of the 84,000 teachings of 
the Buddha or contracted 
into the Threefold Training 
[sikkhA] of selfdiscipline 
[sEla], meditation [samAdhi] and 
wisdom 
[pafifiA] 
(as shown in Table 
33.2. p.377) 
C. SEEING THE FOUR 
NOBLE TRUTHS 
C.1 How the Noble Truths can be 
seen 
At this point we now know how 
many sorts of 
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suffering exist — but so far this is 
only theoretical 
knowledge. In fact, for the 
ariyasacca to work, we 
must see them twelve times —
three cycles in 
twelve characteristics. (See Table 
33.4) Seeing the 
Noble Truths is different from 
seeing other things 
because seeing them, one's self is 
transformed by 
the act of seeing. Seeing, for 
example `craving', one 
immediately will relinquish 
craving and having 
relinquished it, you see that one 
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has done so. It is 
equivalent to seeing `this is the 
medicine', while 
automatically realizing `this 
medicine should be 
taken' and eventually recognizing 
`this medicine 
has already been taken'. This is 
possible only because 
it is not the physical eye or 
imagination 
which we use to see the truths but 
the Eye of the 
DhammakAya or 
dhamma-cakkhu' . 
Of course the other inner bodies of 
experience 
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already mentioned in Blessing 
Thirty-two also 
have their equivalent form of 
`inner eye' but, as 
we shall see, (See Table 33.3) 
these eyes are not sufficiently 
refined to be able to see the Four 
Noble 
Truths in the way described: 
The comparative wisdom of 
available to the inner 
bodies at each level was described 
by the Great 
Abbot of Wat Paknam 
Bhasicharoen 
(Phramonkolthepmuni) 
as follows: 
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"If you are able to attain the body 
of enlightenment 
(DhammakAya) you will find that 
it iS 
many tens of times wiser than our 
human 
physical body. 
If you attain the subtle human 
body it is already 
twice as wise. 
Attaining the angelic body, it is 
twice as wise 
again. 
Attaining the subtle angelic body, 
it is three 
times wiser. 
Attaining the form-brahma body, it 
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is four times 
wiser. 
Attaining the subtle form-brahma 
body, it is five 
times wiser. 
Attaining the formless-brahma 
body, it is six 
times wiser. 
Attaining the subtle 
formless-brahma body, it 
is seven times wiser 
Attaining the body of 
enlightenment and subtle 
body of enlightenment, they are 
eight and 
nine times wiser respectively. 
This is the nature of their 
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