The Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of the Buddha, who described it as the way leading to the cessation of suffering (dukkha) and the achievement of self-awakening It is used in Buddhist practice as a technique to develop insight into the nature of things and to eradicate greed, hatred, and delusion. All eight elements of the Path begin with the word “right”, which translates the word samyaƱc (in Sanskrit) or samm. These denote completion, togetherness, and coherence, and can also suggest the senses of “perfect” or “ideal.
What is Buddhism?
Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices considered by most to be a religion and is based on the teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as “The Buddha” (the Awakened One), who lived in the northeastern region of the Indian subcontinent. He likely died around 400 BCE. Buddhist schools disagree on what the historical teachings of Gautama Buddha were, so much so that some scholars claim Buddhism does not have a clearly definable common core
Science meets Buddhism
The Eightfold Way is a term coined by American physicist Murray Gell-Mann for a theory organizing subatomic baryons and mesons into octets, alluding to the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism. The theory was independently proposed by Israeli physicist Yuval Ne’eman and led to the subsequent development of the quark model.