Gain a visceral, experiential understanding that suffering (dukkha) is an inescapable part of the human condition and being embodied, as this is the first step towards the possibility of freedom.
Prioritize developing skillful or wise understanding and thinking, as these foundational steps set the tone and are the “soil” for everything that comes after on the Eightfold Path.
Cultivate clear and wise understanding about what you’re learning, experiencing, and the conditions of mind and heart, because if your view is “off,” subsequent practices will also be off.
Condition your mind to think in skillful, non-harming ways with clarity, rather than trying to eliminate thinking, as the mind naturally thinks.
Be open and willing to engage with the possibility of alternative understandings or ways of thinking, as a closed mindset prevents engagement with any aspect of the Eightfold Path.
Lean into and trust the wisdom and understanding that comes from intuition and the felt sense in your body, as it provides pre-verbal, pre-cognitive information for greater awareness.
Strive for clear seeing, which means perceiving things without the lens of ego or past experience, allowing past experiences to inform but not determine current actions and choices.
Engage in meditative practice to access intuition, as the silence and quiet allow you to become present to its felt experience in your body, which you can then cultivate.
Support your body’s well-being by ensuring you get enough sleep, drink enough water, and take care of your physical needs, as this is useful for supporting your system.
Develop equanimity, the capacity to remain balanced and in the middle, equidistant from both suffering and joy, as it serves as a major organizing principle for practice.
Practice forms of meditation to train the four Brahma Viharas (friendliness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) as useful mental skills.
Develop your internal capacity for loving friendliness or loving kindness, a non-codependent feeling of wishing well-being for yourself and others, as an antidote to judgmental thoughts.
Develop compassion by recognizing the widespread suffering in human beings and wishing for all beings to be free from suffering, using it as an antidote to unskillful thoughts like cruelty or ill will.
Cultivate sympathetic joy by taking delight in others’ happiness and, if appropriate, sharing your own joy with those who may not be able to generate it themselves.
Cultivate wise thought by practicing renunciation, which involves understanding and touching into the experience of non-addiction to anything that causes suffering.
Begin the practice of renunciation by using restraint and practicing the wisdom of saying “no” to change habituated patterns that lead to suffering.
Engage in the practice of letting go; even a little letting go brings some peace, and complete letting go can lead to complete peace and an end to struggles.
Focus on practicing non-attachment to the outcomes of your actions and endeavors, rather than non-attachment to people, pets, or possessions.
Practice loving people and things deeply without attachment to their permanence, recognizing that everything is impermanent, which is a healthier way to relate to a chaotic world.
Intimately investigate your personal understanding and felt experience of the word “renunciation” to become aware of your current relationship with it, determining what beliefs to let go of or deconstruct.
Practice generosity and appreciation for the goodness in life and in others as a way to skillfully cultivate goodness and counter the core of addiction.
Actively commit to and practice methods that reduce suffering, driven by a personal interest in not suffering.
Engage with and practice the eight steps of the Eightfold Path to move towards liberation, an open heart, and to live with less suffering.
View the Eightfold Path as a living guideline, constantly assessing and paying attention to how you are living and incorporating ongoing self-investigation rather than a one-time checklist.
Use equanimity as an organizing principle, consistently catching yourself and observing how the Eightfold Path’s steps are playing out in any given moment.
Practice mindfulness to develop self-awareness of bodily sensations and combine it with loving kindness to improve intuition and recognize how feelings, not just thoughts, can guide you.
Develop loving kindness by cultivating thoughts that promote your own well-being and that of others, free from judgment, non-acceptance, or the desire for self or others to be different.
Relax, be nice and kind to people, trying to help them and get along with them rather than hurting or falling out with them.
Cultivate compassion by recognizing the widespread suffering in human beings and using it as an antidote to unskillful thoughts like cruelty, ill will, or wanting to cause harm.
Consistently choosing skillful thoughts over unskillful ones builds your capacity and reduces suffering, creating a path towards greater peace.
Focus on being present in the current moment, rather than dwelling on past actions or future tasks, as this is useful for engaging with the path.
Understand that fear, anger, and similar states are draining and consume a lot of energy, motivating you to cultivate practices that reduce their hold.
When unskillful thoughts or emotions arise, catch yourself and acknowledge them immediately, rather than letting them linger and consume your energy for extended periods.
Instead of suppressing emotions or thought patterns, aim to cultivate a different relationship with them so you don’t constantly drown in them.
Engage in formal loving kindness meditation by envisioning yourself and others (easy, neutral, difficult, all beings) while sending wishes like “May you be happy, healthy, safe, live with ease,” and for compassion, wish for freedom from suffering.
Make a practice of truly seeing and connecting with people, even strangers you may never see again, by offering a moment of genuine engagement, which benefits both you and them.
When engaging in actions that foster well-being and reduce suffering for yourself and others, trust that the outcomes of circumstances are often beyond your control and will unfold as they may.
Be thoughtful about creating conditions, habits, and routines that support well-being, rest, and reduce suffering in your life.
Cultivate conditions of lightening up and relaxing to support your well-being and provide the energy needed to engage with and work through the Eightfold Path.
Cultivate a sense of humor and avoid taking yourself too seriously, as this is a common trait among experienced meditators and can arise from deep self-observation.
To understand the Buddha’s core teachings and improve life, start by studying the Eightfold Path, which is an eight-part recipe for living better.
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