The Noble Eightfold Path: Excerpts From “Truth” by Venerated Patriarch (Tổ Sư) Minh Đăng Quang (vegetarian), Part 1 of 2

The Venerated Patriarch (Tổ Sư) Minh Đăng Quang (vegetarian), born Nguyễn Thành Đạt in 1923, in Vĩnh Long, Âu Lạc (Vietnam), is a revered Buddhist Master and the founder of the Vietnamese Mendicant Buddhism (Đạo Phật Khất Sĩ Việt Nam). His established Medicant Order emphasizes the path of simplicity, humility, and compassionate living.

His teachings, collected in a work called “Chơn Lý” (Truth), provide insights into Buddhist philosophy, ethics, and spiritual practice. Central to His teachings, as in traditional Buddhism, is the emphasis on the five precepts: no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, and no intoxicants. In 1954, even after His mysterious disappearance, Tổ Sư Minh Đăng Quang’s teachings remained a part of Vietnamese Buddhist practice and continue to inspire countless devotees to live with virtue, simplicity, ethics, and compassion.

Today, it is our pleasure to share selections from chapter five, sections one and two from “Chơn Lý” (Truth).

“The Eightfold Path refers to the eight practices of virtue according to the teachings of enlightened beings. It is also known as the Eightfold Noble Path or the path of self-liberation and liberation of others, aiming to help all beings reach the ultimate goal of Nirvana. The Eightfold Path is also called the Right Dharma or the Middle Way, encompassing both learning and practice. It is described as eight doors, eight joyful paths, eight methods of liberation, and eight rays of light ‒ representing the evolutionary path of sentient beings and the fundamental truth of the universe in which all beings exist.

The Eightfold Path is likened to a mother or the breath of life, or to the earth or the home, which is never lacking or out of place for anyone, whether humans or the Divine. All sentient beings are within the Eightfold Path, and the world itself is based on it. The Eightfold Path represents the essence of life or the soul of sentient beings, from which all teachings and principles of civilization arise. It is not exclusive to any one religion; rather, it is a common ladder for all.

The eight right practices are: 1. Right View Path: The path of seeing correctly. 2. Right Intention Path: The path of correct reflection. 3. Right Speech Path: The path of speaking correctly. 4. Right Action Path: The path of acting correctly. 5. Right Livelihood Path: The path of living correctly. 6. Right Effort Path: The path of diligent effort. 7. Right Mindfulness Path: The path of right thinking. 8. Right Concentration Path: The path of correct concentration. […]”