THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS By Ajahn Sumedho - DharmaFlower.Net

And just by doing that, then the way out of suffering isn’t throughgetting out of our human experience by living in refined consciousstates, but by embracing the totality of all the human and Brahmarealms through mindfulness. In this way, the Buddha pointed to atotal realisation rather than a temporary escape through refinementand beauty. This is what the Buddha means when he is pointing theway to Nibbana.THE EIGHTFOLD PATH AS A REFLECTIVE TEACHINGIn this Eightfold Path, the eight elements work like eight legssupporting you. It is not like: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 on a linear scale; itis more of a working together. It is not that you develop panna firstand then when you have panna, you can develop your sila; and onceyour sila is developed, then you will have samadhi. That is how wethink, isn’t it: ‘You have to have one, then two and then three.’ As anactual realisation, developing the Eightfold Path is an experience in amoment, it is all one. All the parts are working as one strongdevelopment; it is not a linear process - we might think that waybecause we can only have one thought at a time.Everything I have said about the Eightfold Path and the Four NobleTruths is only a reflection. What is really important is for you torealise what I am actually doing as I reflect rather than to grasp thethings that I am saying. It is a process of bringing the Eightfold Pathinto your mind, using it as a reflective teaching so that you canconsider what it really means. Don’t just think you know it becauseyou can say, ‘Samma ditthi means Right Understanding and Sammasankappa means Right Thought.’ This is intellectual understanding.Someone might say, ‘No, I think samma sankappa means....’ And youanswer, ‘No, in the book it says Right Thought. You’ve got it wrong.’This is not reflection.We can translate samma sankappa as Right Thought or Attitude orIntention; we try things out. We can use these tools for contemplationrather than thinking that they are absolutely fixed, and that we haveto accept them in an orthodox style; any kind of variation from theexact interpretation is heresy. Sometimes our minds do think in thatrigid way, but we are trying to transcend that way of thinking bydeveloping a mind that moves around, watches, investigates,considers, wonders and reflects.I am trying to encourage each one of you to be brave enough to wiselyconsider the way things are rather than have someone tell youwhether you are ready or not for enlightenment. But actually, theBuddhist teaching is one of being enlightened now rather than doinganything to become enlightened. The idea that you must do somethingto become enlightened can only come from wrong understanding.Then enlightenment is merely another condition dependent upon