February 2025 Newsletter
The Eightfold Path: Wise View and Wise Intention
“Mindfulness is a love affair with the present moment."
-Jon Kabat-Zinn
Hello, fellow travelers!
I hope that everyone is well, enjoying the tail end of winter and beginning to notice and feel the first stirrings of spring. Transitions between seasons fill our world with such beauty. They also serve as an exquisite reminder of the impermanence of all things and the grace and fluidity with which Mother Nature shows us how we can be with change.
Speaking of change, this month we began a new journey into the Noble Eightfold Path, with a few other Buddhist wisdoms weaved in along the way.
In the online biweekly meditation class that I facilitate (details here, if you’re interested in learning more about Buddhist philosophy and psychology and deepening your mindfulness and meditation practice in community), we talked about the meaning of dharma, briefly recapped the Four Noble Truths and discussed the Five Remembrances (the Buddha really loved his lists!) before working our way into the first two tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path—Wise View and Wise Intention.
Dharma & The Five Remembrances
The word dharma comes from Pali, the language of ancient India spoken when the Buddha lived. Most of us understand the word dharma to reference the teachings of the Buddha, which it does. It also translates into truth—the truth of the way things are that are statements of fact.
A bold place to begin, we accept what the Buddha called the Five Remembrances as truths.
As translated by Thich Nat Hahn, the Five Remembrances are:
I am of the nature to grow old.
There is no way to escape growing old.
I am of the nature to have ill-health.
There is no way to escape having ill-health.
I am of the nature to die.
There is no way to escape death.
All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change.
There is no way to escape being separated from them.
My actions are my only true belongings.
I cannot escape the consequences of my actions.
My actions are the ground on which I stand.
Much like we universally know and accept that day will be followed by night, that water can transform into multiple forms, and that gravity makes things fall when we drop them, we know and accept these tenets, and the Buddha’s subsequent teachings, as dharma, as the truth.
When it comes to the Five Remembrances, it’s basic human conditioning to want to push at least the first four of these truths aside or away. Insomuch, we hoard as to keep things close. We feel shocked when we or the people we love get sick or die. We live in illusion, telling ourselves that these very natural occurrences could not possibly happen in our worlds. Yet, they will and do, and the more we can accept these truths as an intrinsic part of life, the less we may suffer.
The fifth Remembrance, which we might also try to push away, directs us to remember that all that remains when all else is stripped away are our actions and what our actions bring. As Jean Paul Sartre said, “We are the sum of our actions.” In other words, or in terms of karma, what we do today, we inherit tomorrow.
The Four Noble Truths Into The Eightfold Path
If you missed or want to revisit last month’s newsletter on the Four Noble Truths, which serves as the gateway into the Eightfold path, the January 2025 Newsletter: The Four Noble Truths and Life’s Bumpy Road is live in the blog now.
To briefly reiterate here, the Four Noble Truths are:
There is suffering.
Craving is the cause of suffering— desire, wanting, not wanting, grasping, not letting go.
There is a way to end suffering.
The Eightfold Path is the way to end suffering.
The Noble Eightfold Path is the Buddha’s prescription for how to end suffering. Another list (of course), this path is broken down into three sections: Paññā (wisdom), Sīla (ethics), and Samādhi (concentration). It’s important to note here that I’m choosing to use the word “wise” in referencing these tenets; however, the words “right,” “skilled” and “attuned” are also often used, and I invite you to work with the word that most resonates with you.
Wise View and Wise Intention—weaved together as aspects of Wisdom.
Wise Action, Wise Speech and Wise Livelihood—weaved together as aspects of Ethics.
Wise Effort, Wise Mindfulness and Wise Concentration—weaved together as aspects of Concentration.
In addition to making lists, the Buddha often referred to paths, such as the Eightfold Path and the Middle Path. Paths offer us a clearing to walk along, as in the woods, that lead us somewhere. In this case, the intent is to lead us out of suffering. When the Buddha spoke of what he saw in his 49 days and nights of meditation under the Bodhi Tree, he described a path—this Eightfold Path—that had already been in use by previously awakened beings—beings already with this wisdom and way of being in the world.
Over the next few months, we’ll delve into each aspect of the Noble Eightfold Path. This month, we start with the first two that offer us wisdom through view and intention as a place to begin this journey.
Wise View
I appreciate the wisdom in the Buddha beginning with wise view, and like to think of it, as mentioned, as beginning a journey, having just arrived at a place we want to travel. Let’s say it’s a lovely hillside with a gorgeous view of a valley and a lake beyond. We have the Eightfold Path as our GPS coordinates, only what we really need with us, and we are ready. In this context, being ready means that we understand and accept the truths that we’ll encounter along the way—the dharma of how things truly are.
We accept and understand that everything in life is interconnected and that our view of the world shapes who we are and how we think, speak and act. In the beginning of this journey, we understand, with deep knowing, that unwholesome thoughts and acts have consequences, as do wholesome acts and thoughts.
Wise Intention
As offered to us by the Buddha, wise intention (also referred to as wise thinking) is connected to how our present moment choices are shaped by our core values and beliefs. It’s our intention that anchors us into these values, defines how we show up in the world and sets the tone for who we want to be and what we aspire to create.
Intention is often confused with goals (we see this a lot around the New Year), but they are very different. Goals are always future-oriented—something we’re working toward achieving—and are rooted in desire. As we learned through the hindrance of sensual desire, being in a state of ‘clinging’ and ‘want’ has a high proclivity to produce rather than alleviate suffering.
In reference to the Path, wise intention gives us a place to start—to cultivate greater wisdom, end suffering, and experience freedom from the greed, hate and delusion that ails us. In this tenet, the Buddha gave instructions on how to travel the path as best we can.
First on the list, he advises us to be harmless—to not create harm for others or for ourselves. Second, he offers the intention to be friendly and live with loving kindness. His third instruction is to renounce—to learn and practice the wisdom of “no” in renunciation.
In working with wise intention, meditation teacher Gil Fronsdale uses the analogy of a trip.
“It helps when you go into the forest to have certain intentions about how you orient yourself to the world you see there, the people you encounter on the path, the animals you encounter. One of the intentions that is helpful for other people and animals is to be kind and harmless. If people feel that you will be harmless, [and kind], other people on the path will be much more supportive of you.” He adds that, “walking in a forest with very little to carry is certainly best.”
Again, we see that wise intention is different from goals. For instance, the goal might be to get up the mountain, but the deeper intention is HOW we get up that mountain, step-by-step, in each present moment as external conditions will certainly change. We keep in mind that it’s the WAY that we travel the path that is the intention—doing no harm, being loving and kind, and staying aware of what we’re taking—not taking more than we really need. In renunciation, we put into practice that less really is more, something that I’ve been working on myself this year. :)
Wise intention helps us respond to life with compassion and cultivate qualities that lead to happiness and are not dependent on external circumstances. We know the impermanence of all things and accept that external circumstances will change. This is the truth and nature of reality.
Cat Tales...
What Pearl Teaches Us about the simple practice of joy
Pearl loves meditation practice! She eagerly jumps into my lap when it’s time to meditate, begins purring even before she settles down, and continues to luxuriate in the stillness, warmth and peacefulness of our time together. I imagine that purring is as delightful for her as it is for me. She gets to feel the vibrations and hear the sounds of her own joy, on the inside of herself, as well as to hear it as it surrounds her.
Truth be told, Pearl is 100 percent my meditation accountability buddy. Immediately upon waking, she follows me around every morning, knowing that I’ll soon sit cross-legged, offering a lap that she can jump up into and curl in. Her purrs are strong, proud and loud. She knows what she wants and seeks out the joy she so loves while bringing the discipline of practice—practicing joy, practicing embodiment, practicing love.
Wouldn’t it be great if we, like our sweet Pearl, could really feel the joy and the love that is available to each of us in every moment and with each breath? Or, drawing from Jon Kabat-Zinn's quote at the top of this newsletter, how great would it feel to be so aware, awake and in awe through mindfulness that we were in a love affair with each present moment?
That’s a tall order for sure; however, the invitation this month, as we’re reflecting on wise view and wise intention, is to explore how you can be in the present moment in ways that feel imbued with love. Or with joy. Or with the loving kindness that the Buddha instructed us to bring into our every-moment intention.
As we’ve talked about many times, mindfulness is really just remembering to remember. Throughout this month, as we move from winter into spring, I invite and encourage you to take some time to anchor into your intention—how you want to live your life and show up every day. And, then put that into practice. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll experience a moment or two when you're fully in a state of presence and joy and feel a spark of love for all that is. Perhaps you'll be so in love with the moment that you'll purr!
I want to express my deepest appreciation and love to each of you.
Thank you for your presence—I’m so happy that you are here!
May you be filled with warmth and kindness.
May you be happy, healthy and safe.
May your heart know peace.
In kindness,
Karen
The Practice
Practicing Wise Intention
Even those of us with the best intentions (and the best intention to stick to our intentions) can sometimes lose sight of them. We might become disconnected from both the Buddha's instructions on wise intention, as well as any intentions set for ourselves to help us live as our most wholesome, best selves.
In her Lion's Roar article, How To Practice Wise Intention, American author, psychotherapist and Buddhist teacher Sylvia Boorstein reminds us that consistently reminding ourselves of our intentions is key to keeping our lives heading in the direction we want.
After reading Sylvia's article, the practice this month is to connect with the instruction from the Buddha on wise intention, as well as perhaps create your own intention—your own sacred vow. Sylvia offers examples of Buddhist precepts around intention, which you can use. Or, you can create your own.
Once you have precepts that feel good, right, wise, skillful and attuned for you, write them down and put them in a place or places (perhaps your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, or on your calendar) that you'll see them often.
As we move into the remaining aspects of the Eightfold Path, returning to your intention and the Buddha's instruction on intention again and again can be of great use when it comes to maintaining wholesome effort and concentration.
Resources
Read...
The Power of Awareness: Jon Kabat-Zinn in Conversation. In part one of a Lion's Roar series, renowned mindfulness teacher, Jon Kabat-Zinn, goes into depth on awareness and our intrinsic, beautiful true nature—our buddhanature. He explains mindfulness as "a love affair with the present moment," and that while we need formal forms of meditation to help us learn to sustain moment-to-moment attention, life is the real meditation practice. He also contends that awareness is at least as powerful as cognition (all of those narratives that are generally running the show), and that with awareness, balance can be restored in all aspects of our lives and in the world.
Watch...
The Buddha's Eight Part Recipe for Happiness |DaRa Williams. In this episode of Happier, Dan connects with DaRa Williams, a meditation teacher and psychotherapist with 25 years of meditation practice, on right (wise) view and right (wise) intention, or thinking as DaRa refers to this tenet in their conversation. DaRa explains the first two aspects as the "soil" of the Eightfold Path, which are needed to prepare us to skillfully engage with the other efforts and aspects that follow. She also provides insight into how clear seeing, intuition and openness have helped her on her personal path, as well as how we can better let go of attachment to outcomes.
Listen...
The Eightfold Path Explained|Ajahn Amaro. In this short and easy to follow video, Theravada Buddhist monk and well respected teacher, Ajahn Amaro takes us through the Noble Eightfold Path and how each of the tenets corresponds to virtue, mind training/concentration or wisdom. He explains the importance of these three key aspects working together in our daily lives, no matter who we are or what we do for work. Whether we are a monk or a banker, right view, right effort and right mindfulness have particular prominence in everybody's life, helping us all to become more skillful in how we work, what we do, and how we do it.
In case you’re unaware and interested, I offer an online, donation-based meditation class/guided practice every other Monday night 8-9pm EST in a relaxed and warm setting on Zoom. The only requirement is an interest in increasing mindful awareness and skills through practice and growing your inner wisdom. If you’re interested in beginning, reconnecting with or deepening your meditation practice in community, we’d love for you to join us! Get more details and register here.
Also, if you know of anyone interested in deepening their mindfulness and meditation practices, please forward this email along and invite them to join as well! All are welcome and can sign up for the newsletter on my website.
Dr. Karen Walant has been a practicing psychotherapist for almost three decades and holds a MSW and PhD in Clinical Social Work from New York University. Karen supervises other clinicians in private practice and has given lectures around the country on issues related to attachment, mindfulness, meditation, addiction and recovery, deepening the therapeutic relationship, parenting with kindness, and fostering compassionate relationships. She is the author of Creating the Capacity for Attachment: Treating Addictions and the Alienated Self. A long-time meditator and teacher, Karen is a 2021 graduate of the 2-year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Program (taught by meditation experts Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield), is certified as a Mindfulness Meditation Mentor, and is certified as a Level I Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) Teacher through Brown University, and completed her Certificate in Mindfulness and Psychotherapy from the Institute for Mindfulness and Psychotherapy in 2022.