Part 7 - Realization Of The Noble Truths

At that moment he has completely developed the Noble Eightfold Path:

1. Samma ditthi (Right Understanding)
2. Samma sankappa (Right Thought)
3. Samma vaca (Right Speech)
4. Samma kammanta (Right Action)
5. Samma ajiva (Right Livelihood)
6. Samma vayama ( Right Effort)
7. Samma sati (Right Mindfulness)
8. Samma samadhi (Right Concentration)

From the time he can concentrate the mind to a large extent on the object of meditation, i.e., mental physical process, he is developing this Noble Eightfold Path (though not completely). How? When he focuses the mind on the movement of the foot, he has to make a mental effort; that mental effort is Right Effort (Samma vayama). Because of that mental effort, he can focus his mind on the movement of the foot.

That mindfulness is Right Mindfulness (Samma sati) because it leads him to the right understanding of the mental and physical processes. When his mind is focused on the movement of the foot, it is concentrated on it for a moment but when the concentration become continuous and constant/ stronger and deeper, that concentration is Right Concentration (Samma samadhi). It is natural for the mind to wander in the beginning of the practice.

However much effort a meditator makes, the mind does not stay with the movement of the foot at first. Then, one of the mental states which arises together with the mindfulness of the movement of the foot leads the mind to the object of meditation, i.e. the movement of the foot. That mental state which leads the mind to the object of meditation is Right Thought (Samma sankappa).

The characteristic of Right Thought is the directing of the mind to the object of meditation. In this way, the mind becomes well concentrated on the object of meditation, the movement of the foot. Then, it penetrates into the true nature of the physical process of the movement - knowing it as a natural process. That knowing or that understanding of it as a natural process is Right Understanding (Samma ditthi). Thus, we have developed five mental factors of the Noble Eightfold Path when we are mindful of the movement of the foot. These are:-

1. Samma vayama (Right Effort)
2. Samma sati (Right Mindfulness)
3. Samma samadhi (Right Concentration)
4. Samma sankappa (Right Thought)
5. Samma ditthi (Right Understanding)

These five mental factors are included in mindfulness of the mind body processes as they are. While engaged in mindfulness meditation, we abstain from wrong speech, wrong action and wrong livelihood. Abstention from wrong speech means Right Speech (Samma vacca); abstention from wrong action means Right Action (Samma kammanta); abstention from wrong livelihood means Right Livelihood' (Samma ajiva).

So we have altogether the eight mental factors of the Noble Eightfold Path while we are being mindful of any mental or physical process. As we develop the Noble Eightfold Path, we can remove false view (sakkaya ditthi or atta ditthi) by the power of Right Understanding (Samma ditthi), one of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path.

So when a meditator enters into the first path, Sotapatti magga, he has completely developed the Noble Eightfold Path - Magga sacca, the way leading to the cessation of the suffering. This is how he has the Four Noble Truths by means of cultivating mindfulness of mental and physical processes in their true nature.

(End of Chapter One)