The eight fold path is, in practice, only One path - one approach to life. It can be thought of as being various views along the path of life. Thus, look left and we'll see this; look right we'll see that; look up; look down. But still, it is one continuous sweep. We need not worry the particulars of any one view. It is only the path as a whole that is worthy of concern. So how can we know the 'right' from the 'by' paths?

On any path, 'right' or 'by', watching where we are going, moment to moment, is most important. This, along with curiosity and a corresponding urge to resolve 'it' leads to deeper knowing - 'right' from 'by'. Keep in mind though, if it take a dozen or more years to learn the simple realm of human knowledge (education), how much more time will it take to plumb the indistinct and shadowy depths of 'self' knowledge. Such 'self' knowing occurs throughout the mind, from its emotional base up to its intellectual tip (as in the tip of the iceberg) as we struggle towards maturity. It's literally simpler than we can think or put into words (but I won't let that stop me... ).

Why can't we put it into words? Back to the iceberg. Our thoughts are only the tip of who we are. The rest, lacking a better word, I simply call emotion. Our emotional depths, that realm we share with all animals, is vast by comparison. It is beyond the power of names - anonymous. As with the iceberg, our mind's tip arises from the valley of emotion. If that valley is restless, then the lord is lost. How can we ever get anywhere then? Our instinctive 'survival' approach to life works well for survival, but often fails when it comes to dealing with 'the other side'. Why is this so? Because [we] set to much store by life. Not only life, but all the 'goodies' connected to life, as Buddha pointed out in his Second Noble Truth.

The path is one that emotion, not our beautiful words, needs to follow. Thus, we can start right now, right here from beneath our feet. Nothing external is needed, and that is why we say this path is easy. Whew, that's a relief to know, eh? We don't need to do anything, learn anything, see anything - 'it' is all where it always was, right here, right now. Heck, even a newborn baby can practice the teaching that uses no words.

Lynn Cornish:

I'm not sure I get it. The way you use the word emotion sounds more like consciousness to me.

Hi Lynn, Sure, you can interpret this as consciousness. The problem there, though, would be that we usually place thought at the helm of consciousness. My point is that thought is the least important part of it all. All thought is really 'after thought', disconnected from the 'moment'. The path lies deeper than thought can carry us.

So, in the case of the Eight Fold Path, (or anything else really) it is far too easy to get distracted by the names.