The Eightfold Noble Path: Wise Development

Written by Larissa Link

We’ve journeyed through Wise Perspective and Intention, then added Wise Speech, Action, and Livelihood. Now we’ll take a closer look at Wise Effort, Mindfulness, and finally the last step, Wise Wholeness or Bliss. I’m going to include all humans when I say, I think we could ALL use a little more  wisdom, and bliss!, in our lives <3 

The last step (Sama Samadhi, Wise Wholeness/Bliss) is sometimes translated as  

Whole Wholeness or Effortless Effort.  

Doesn’t that sound like a really lovely way of existing?? To be wholly whole is to accept ourselves as we are: no parts, emotions, or experiences we’re trying to avoid, hide or wish differently – just fully whole, flaws and all. The effortless effort doesn’t point to never having to put forth effort again, but to ease and peace in every step, even the hard ones. It’s allowing even the mis-steps to be a learning process, rather than a failure. It’s recognizing that forceful effort can only take us so far, and it’s the culmination of the whole path, leading us toward our most compassionate and wise self.  

The idea with The Path is that we begin with how we see, and then think about, the world – and we end with a clear understanding of how our mind is trying to direct us, eventually guiding us toward our own steady mindfulness, our own internal bliss, our own whole wholeness and effortless effort. Wise speech, livelihood, and action arise naturally out of clear perspective and beneficial thoughts/intentions. 

So how do we move toward effortless effort or whole wholeness? 

As a reminder, the Eightfold Noble Path is 8 steps, comprised of 3 parts, and has been written and taught like this for centuries: 

The 8 Steps:  

1. Wise Perspective/View –> Sammā-diṭṭhi 
2. Wise Thought/Intention–> Sammā-saṅkappa 
3. Wise Speech –> Sammā-vācā  
4. Wise Action –> Sammā-kammanta  
5. Wise Livelihood –> Sammā-ājīva  
6. Wise Effort –> Sammā-vāyāma  
7. Wise Mindfulness –> Sammā-sati  
8. Wise Mental Acuity/Bliss  –> Sammā-samādhi 

3 Parts: 

• Part 1: Wisdom and Intuition (steps 1-3)  

• Part 2: Wise Living (steps 3-6)  

• Part 3: Wise Development (steps 7-8) 

In part 3, we first need some Wise Effort before we can dive into the effortless kind. Wise Effort can be as simple as watching your breath; your inhale and your exhale, action and rest, are always in balance with each other. We logically know we can’t inhale forever, but sometimes we try to force more work or productivity out of ourselves than is balanced or beneficial. The same is true when we slow down for our meditation practice. We sometimes try to force our mind to be still, or we get frustrated when a practice is boring or agitating rather than just peaceful. Wise Effort can be as simple as allowing your exhale to soften the grip a particular thought has on you, to soften your shoulders as you breathe out, rather than try to force the thought away with more effort. 

We also have Wise Mindfulness or Wise Concentration as part of our path. If you are anything like me or most people I know, we sometimes accidentally practice distraction instead of concentration (that small, black box you might be reading this on is one of our most common modern distractions!). Choosing to practice concentration in a world full of distractions takes a wise effort all on its own. 

Have you ever watched the previews on Netflix for longer than you actually watched a show? (or maybe you didn’t watch a show at all, just scrolled for longer than you wanted? welcome to begin a modern human :).  

Sometimes that can be a fun adventure to fill up your watch list with fun, new things! At other times, it feels frustrating, filled with decision fatigue, or just plain boredom, even with a million entertainments at your fingertips. This is just one example of how distraction and scattered effort can bring us away from our inner bliss.  

These last 3 steps of Wise Development are to help us more consistently remember that our bliss and contentedness is often just a few breaths away. Focusing on a few deep breaths or meditating for 5 days straight doesn’t fix your life-challenges, but it DOES give you access to hold those challenges with a little more tenderness (rather than judgement), and it DOES give you a little space so you can choose your Wise Effort and Wise Concentration again (rather than just flying by the seat of your pants in the business of life!). 

PRACTICE: 

For tomorrow: 

1. Grab a piece of paper and write down:
   • All the things you must get done tomorrow (Task List) 
   • 1 thing you know will enjoy (Joy List)
2. This does 2 things immediately: 
   • Gets it out of your brain and on paper, which gives you more brain space to either take action or finally relax. Win!  (If you already regularly write down your to-dos and keep a joy list, keep going! Research supports this as beneficial for Wise Effort and Wise Concentration.)
   • Gives your brain something positive to focus on.  (Your brain is always looking for what’s not working and what is unsafe, so adding this positive/beneficial goal helps balance your efforts. )
3. BONUS: Especially if you are busy and you tend to put off your own Joy List, what’s one small thing you can do right now that will help you complete what you wrote down?  
   • Ex: Put your running shoes or yoga clothes next to your keys right now, as a reminder and one less thing to gather tomorrow.  
   • Or, text a friend and invite them along, or ask them to ask you how it went. 
   • Even if your Joy List is something as simple as reading instead of scrolling, writing it down helps you remember what’s important to you, when the habit of scrolling wants to take over. 

For right now: 

1. Take a deep, slow breath in, and a slower exhale out. Notice the subtle physical changes, like how your abdomen moves as you breathe in and out.
2. Count out 5 breaths just like this. 
   • I’m breathing in, 1. I’m breathing out 1. Breathing in 2. Breathing out 2, etc 
3. If you lose count, just start over until you get to 5. 
4. This helps you: 

1. • Focus and concentrate 
   • Train your brain to follow your instruction in the moment, instead of getting lost in thought 
   • Turn on your calming systems (reduction in cortisol) 
   • Notice when your breath is quick and shallow, which often indicates some form of stress asking to be tended to. 
   • Practice gratitude, to notice and appreciate the breath you are taking, which is arguably one of the most important things you do on any given day. 

As always, there’s an open invitation to join us for our free morning meditations. You can show up in your pj’s from anywhere in the world, you land in a supportive community, and we get to simply exist for a few moments in time. Perhaps your Joy List can include 15 minutes to just be, while you watch your breath and body take exquisite care of you <3 

We hope to see you soon!