If you are seeking for happiness and contentment  you need to identify with Buddha’s 8 Codes for happy living.

Buddha’s 8 Codes for Happy Living

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the whole gist of Buddhism. The eight aspects of the path are to be in rhythm with the universe.

Buddhism and Buddha are terms derived from Bodh. Its literal meaning is realization or getting enlightened. Buddhism has been divided into many sects now. Siddhartha Gautama, an Indian prince was the founder of Buddhism in 520 BC, NE India.

Viewpoint

The correct view is prerequisite, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are. It is an aspect of wisdom to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas. It necessarily doesn’t refers to an intellectual capacity, but simply to wisdom. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, our viewpoint yields our thoughts and actions.

Correct viewpoint can be understood as right diagnosis of a disease and it requires lot of wisdom. Concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions through the practice of meditation which means giving quality time to yourself. All the codes are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

Intent

Intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Buddhism describes three natures of intention, the intention of renunciation, resistance to the pull of desire, the intention of good will, resisting to anger and aversion, and the intention of harmlessness,  not to think or act cruelly, aggressively.

Words

Speech is the ethical conduct. It is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

Action

It involves the body as natural means of expression and deeds. Harmful actions lead to unsound states of mind. Not to harm others including killings or suicide, acts of dishonesty, and sexual misconducts. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep  harmless relationships.

Livelihood

Livelihood means that one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: dealing in weapons, dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), working in meat production and butchery, and selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

Effort

It is an act of your will and you can’t achieve anything without effort. Your mental energy is responsible for your efforts. Four types of endeavours that rank in ascending order of perfection: to prevent the arising of unhealthy states, to abandon such states that have already arisen, to arouse better situations that have not yet arisen, and to maintain and perfect good states which are already there in your life.

Right mindfulness

It is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Four foundations of mindfulness ie Thought of the body, feelings of  repulsiion or attractiion, state of mind, and observation of the whole experience.

Focus

A state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object.  The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

This blog post is republished classic content of rhour.com, originally published on Sep, 2007, some more value & information has been added to ensure relevancy. Facts reffered from www.religionfacts.com