tremism. Moderation will prevent overstimulation. Find a means between the extremes, and this is the path to enlightenment. There must also be some method of purification which will allow us to overcome desire and thus suffering. This method is known as the Eightfold Path, which is the third anf final step, and is contained within the Fourth Noble Truth. The last of the Noble Truths contains a prescription for the relief of our unhappiness and for our eventual release once and for all from the painful and wearisome cycle of birth and death (samsara) to which through our own ignorance of the Four Noble Truths we have been bound. The Eightfold Path sets forth guidelines to help us not to stray from the middle way. The right mode of seeing things includes the Four Noble Truths themselves which give this doctrine a circular and infinite aspect. By following them, we recognize suffering and how to eliminate it from our lives. The Noble Eight fold Path offers a comprehensive practical guide to the development of those wholesome qualities and skills in the human heart that must be cultivated in order to bring the practitioner to the final goal, the supreme freedom and happiness of Nirvana. Step one is "Right Knowledge". It is knowledge of what life is all about; knowledge of the Four Noble Truths is basic to any further growth as a Buddhist. It includes the true understanding of ourselves, of our real motives, of our hopes and fears, envies and hatreds. It is this knowledge that the first step of the path calls for and provides. Know the Four Noble Truths and the path that they lead, and calm your mind. Step two is "Right Aspiration". This is those thoughts that are free from lust, form ill-will, and from cruelty. It means a clear devotion to being on the Path toward Enlightenment. One must be sure that they understand what enlightenment is, and be sure that it's what one truly wants. Seek liberation single-mindedly. ...
