Beyond the Noble Eightfold Path

[Michel]

Hello Jhanananda,

Besides practicing the eightfold path every day, what should one be doing?

I'm 61, I don't have any time to waste.I'm not personally interested in speculating about metaphysical matters. However, I'll listen to what the noble ones have to say on this. My interest and focus is the mundane experience of my daily existence. This is where I do my musing; this is my domain -- this is my laboratory. This is how I see it.

What are the practical books that one should be reading? There are so many out there, one can end up really wasting a lot of time. What YouTube videos are worth watching? What are the thoughts that are important to consider? What new skills are worth learning?

The eightfold path is the general formula that tells you what you should be doing, but there are no specifics in some cases. There are other things to consider.

[Jhanananda]

Hello Jhanananda, Besides practicing the eightfold path every day, what should one be doing?

I'm 61, I don't have any time to waste.I'm not personally interested in speculating about metaphysical matters. However, I'll listen to what the noble ones have to say on this. My interest and focus is the mundane experience of my daily existence. This is where I do my musing; this is my domain -- this is my laboratory. This is how I see it.

This is the proper attitude to take for one who seeks liberation and enlightenment in this very lifetime.  What one does who is through with madly pursuing the 7-deadly sins/10 fetters, then one makes all of the necessary changes in one's lifestyle to make it conducive to enlightenment in this very lifetime.

1) One engages full-time in the process of living an enlightened lifestyle.
2) One reduces the stress, and anxiety in one's life. This often requires living a simple life often of poverty, solitude, and celibacy.
3) One avoids addictive and unwholesome behaviors.
4) One begins and ends every day with a meditation session that produces a religious experience.
5) One finds time during the day to return to that religious experience through the practice of meditation as many times as one can.  Six meditation sessions is enough for success.
6) One reads the writing of the mystics for inspiration and guidance.

What are the practical books that one should be reading? There are so many out there, one can end up really wasting a lot of time. What YouTube videos are worth watching?

Most religious literature (videos) are commentaries by people who are deeply deluded, so it just confuses most people.  Therefore, as I stated above, one just reads the writing of the mystics.  Do not waist your time with commentaries, or you are likely to get confused.  Do, study the original literature of the mystics in their original language.  If you study in translation, then at least check key terms in that translation, because translators are no better informed than commentariests, and they often have a vested interest that they are advancing in their translation.

What are the thoughts that are important to consider?

Just still the mind, and keep it still.  Sometimes the mind is needed for things, like a shopping list, balancing the check book, etc.  So, learn where the off-switch is for your mind, and keep it off, and only turn it on when you need the mind for what it is good for.

What new skills are worth learning?

Just be present in the moment.  Still the mind.  Reduce stress and anxiety.  Simplify your lifestyle.  Meditate often and deeply.

The eightfold path is the general formula that tells you what you should be doing, but there are no specifics in some cases. There are other things to consider.

The Noble Eightfold Path is an excellent description of the contemplative life; however, there are many commentaries on it, which are grossly inaccurate.  So one must develop critical thinking, and intuition to find one's way through the maze of delusional commentary.

[Michel]

This a fine reply. Thank-you.

I have all the Nikayas, by Wisdom publications. You often say they are poor translations by scholars who know nothing about the religious experience.

There must be something of value in them. What parts are worth reading and which parts are not worth reading?

[Jhanananda]

Yes, in my study of the suttas I have found that every translation that I have read is grossly mistranslated.  This includes the Nikayas, published by Wisdom Publications.  In my study of the bible and gospels I have found the same problem.

The problem with the translation of religious literature is it is most often funded by a religious movement.  For instance Wisdom Publications is a Mahayanist publishing company, so they are going to publish a translation of the suttas that supports their central belief systems. 

Just as the Roman Vulgate Bible is published by the Catholic Church to support their central premises.  As a scholar of religious literature I find all translations of the bible and gospels too suffers from deep translation errors.

What is needed for the mystics in all religions is to have a translation of their religious literature that was translated by a genuine mystic.

I had hoped to translated at least core set of suttas to support the community of mystics; and I had thought of doing the same thing for the bible and gospels; however that work never got funded sufficiently for me to finish the work.  Most of my effort these days is oriented toward subsistence, just like everyone else.

Nonetheless, until translations of core religious literature can be translated by genuine mystics, then we simply must read what is available to us.  We are aided in this effort by reading as many translations as we can, while making sure we examine key terms in their original form.  For instance: every time the term 'concentration' appears in a translation of the suttas, know that it is an incorrect translation of the Sanskrit term 'samadhi'.  Samadhi is better translated today as 'religious experience,' or ecstasy' in the way Teresa of Avila used that term.

In the bible and gospels we need to keep in mind that John 3:16 is incorrectly translated as "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.  It actually reads chosen.  Also, Jesus was not raised in a town called 'Nazareth'.  Joseph, Jesus' father, was a Nazarite, which means he was a mendicant, or wondering monk.  You fix those to flaws in the Christian Gospels and you will have to re-translate the entire Gospels to get them to make sense.  Once you do, the message of the Christian Gospels becomes radically different than the nonsense that has been aggressively marketed for 17 centuries.

[Michel]

I had hoped to translated at least core set of suttas to support the community of mystics; and I had thought of doing the same thing for the bible and gospels; however that work never got funded sufficiently for me to finish the work.  Most of my effort these days is oriented toward subsistence, just like everyone else.

This is very unfortunate, it's tragic. Many of us would really be interested in a new take on the suttas.

[Jhanananda]

I find it tragic that the Catholic Church burned half of Teresa of Avila's books, and kept her under house arrest.  I find it tragic that the Catholic Church put John of the Cross in prison twice, and tortured him.  But this is how the fundamentalist followers of mainstream religion treat their mystics.  And, this is why mystics have to stick together and create their own religious movement, with its own literature.