Nyanatiloka Buddhist Dictionary

7. Right mindfulness (sammá-sati): mindfulness and awareness in contemplating body, feelings, mind, andmind-objects (s. sati, satipatthána).8. Right concentration (sammá-samádhi): concentration of mind associated with wholesome (kusala)consciousness, which eventually may reach the absorptions (jhána, q.v.). Cf. samádhi.There are to be distinguished 2 kinds of concentration, mundane (lokiya) and supermundane (lokuttara)concentration. The latter is associated with those states of consciousness known as the 4 supermundane pathsand fruitions (s. ariya-puggala). As it is said in M. 117:"I tell you, o monks, there are 2 kinds of right view: the understanding that it is good to give alms andofferings, that both good and evil actions will bear fruit and will be followed by results.... This, o monks, is aview which, though still subject to the cankers, is meritorious, yields worldly fruits, and brings good results.But whatever there is of wisdom, of penetration, of right view conjoined with the path - the holy path beingpursued, this is called the supermundane right view (lokuttara-sammá-ditthi), which is not of the world, butwhich is supermundane and conjoined with the path."In a similar way the remaining links of the path are to be understood.As many of those who have written about the Eightfold Path have misunderstood its true nature, it istherefore appropriate to add here a few elucidating remarks about it, as this path is fundamental for theunderstanding and practice of the Buddha's .teaching.First of all, the figurative expression 'path' should not be interpreted to mean that one has to advance step bystep in the sequence of the enumeration until, after successively passing through all the eight stages, onefinally may reach one's destination, Nibbána. If this really were the case, one should have realized, first of all,right view and penetration of the truth, even before one could hope to proceed to the next steps, right thoughtand right speech; and each preceding stage would be the indispensable foundation and condition for eachsucceeding stage. In reality, however, the links 3-5 constituting moral training (síla), are the first 3 links to becultivated, then the links 6-8 constituting mental training (samádhi), and at last right view, etc. constitutingwisdom (paññá).It is, however, true that a really unshakable and safe foundation to the path is provided only by right viewwhich, starting from the tiniest germ of faith and knowledge, gradually, step by step, develops intopenetrating insight (vipassaná) and thus forms the immediate condition for the entrance into the 4supermundane paths and fruits of holiness, and for the realization of Nibbána. Only with regard to thishighest form of supermundane insight, may we indeed say that all the remaining links of the path are nothingbut the outcome and the accompaniments of right view.Regarding the mundane (lokiya) eightfold path, however, its links may arise without the first link, right view.Here it must also be emphasized that the links of the path not only do not arise one after the other, as alreadyindicated, but also that they, at least in part, arise simultaneously as inseparably associated mental factors inone and the same state of consciousness. Thus, for instance, under all circumstances at least 4 links areinseparably bound up with any karmically wholesome consciousness, namely 2, 6, 7 and 8, i.e. right thought,right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration (M. 117), so that as soon as any one of these linksarises, the three others also do so. On the other hand, right view is not necessarily present in everywholesome state of consciousness.Magga is one of the 24 conditions (s. paccaya 18).Literature: The Noble Eightfold Path and its Factors Explained, by Ledi Sayadaw (WHEEL245/247). - The Buddha's Ancient Path, by Piyadassi Thera (BPS).- The Noble Eightfold Path,by Bhikkhu Bodhi (WHEEL 308/311).maggámagga-ñánadassana-visuddhi: 'purification by knowledge of what is path and not-path', is one of the