The Noble Eightfold Path: the sublime teaching of the Buddha. The Buddha's teachings on the Noble Eightfold Path are often viewed as an elementary and basic teaching - something that is often taught in Sunday catechism classes or in elementary college classes. In this article I assert that the Noble Eightfold Path is actually a sublime and perfect teaching, a teaching that Zen students need to learn thoroughly. I studied in the Zen school, in which the practice centered on meditation, and when I first attended a Zen center, I was taught how to meditate and the rituals associated with meditation, other than that there is little else. Dogen, the 12th-century Patriarch who founded the Zen sect I follow, taught his disciples to just sit in zazen and let go of everything else - like precepts, scriptures, chanting, etc. v… all just focus on zazen only. This practice may have been appropriate only in Japan during the time of Dogen, where everyone was imbued with Buddhist teachings and traditions from their infancy, but here in the West, Buddhism is still fresh, and has Perhaps it will be for a while, we should not rush to burn the stage. The Buddha's teachings are not just a bunch of meditation techniques or some other method of inner transformation, but a whole way of living a life of total awareness. He called this way of life the "marga," or "the way," and patiently referred to the various aspects and dignity of this path in all of his suttas. Meditation is certainly a discipline taught by the Buddha (in the Noble Eightfold Path), but there are many others as well. The reason I call the Noble Eightfold Path a sublime teaching is because, Although parts of these teachings seem simple, easy to teach, and easy to understand, it takes a lifetime to get into and apply them. My master Shunryu Suzuki said that, although enlightenment is not unimportant, the most profound way to cultivate is to develop one's character, and that is the work of a lifetime, never ending. Character means what kind of person you are, and what your dignity is in your dealings with other people and with the whole world around you. Enlightenment has little practical value apart from one's character. The Eightfold Path can be seen as a guide or guide for developing one's character in the light of enlightenment, and each part of the Eightfold Path is equally important, no part should be overlooked. . The Noble Eightfold Path is often interpreted as a series of "right" things: Right view, right thought, right action, right speech, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. To me this use of the word (“right”) seems a bit condescending, judgmental, and a little arrogant, especially when compared to other religions. I would like to call it another way such as: Buddha's view, Buddha's thinking, etc. Another way is to use the word "enlightenment": seeing, understanding, thinking, etc. The word "samma" in Sanskrit - often translated as "right" ” – means true or appropriate; does not mean right versus left. In Zen, there is a story like this: "The monk asked the Zen master Yunmen: "What is the Buddha's life-long work?" Yunmen replied, "Adapting appropriately." Yunmen probably refers to being an enlightened person - it is the work of a lifetime. People with wisdom improvise suitable for all situations in the light of enlightenment. It is the Buddha's life-long work, and also ours. It is strange that the practice of Zen has attracted so much attention and imagination in the West in its exploration of Buddhism. For most of the history of Buddhism, Zen practice seems to have been reserved only for monks and nuns who lived austerely closed lives on campus with strict precepts. Lay people outside often don't have time to practice meditation; They also have to struggle to earn a living. But now things have changed, in this rich Western world, both men and women have ample time to learn and discover the treasures of Zen without having to give up their worldly affairs. That's a good thing, however, Pursuing Zen practice apart from the other seven dharmas of the Noble Eightfold Path can create an unbalanced personality - a person who may be deep inwardly but shallow in other areas, such as is moral conduct and benevolence. I have personally experienced that I spent the first fifteen years of my adult life as a monastic monk, isolated from the outside world, wearing a monastic robe and shaved head. But then, at some point, my instincts rebelled. I feel that I have lost some basic balance, or some necessary foundation to be able to understand and reconcile "reason" and "reality". I remember asking myself, “I wonder what happened to Lew back in the day? I wonder what would happen to him if I left this worldly life, found a job, and live like a normal human again?” Then I did it. Looking back now, I think my hunch led me to search for the rest of the Eightfold Path, the way to a balanced, generous personality and an open response to turmoil and difficulties. of normal life. When I was young I wanted to be enlightened, to be completely transformed. Now that I'm older, I will be content if I can be an honest person, and help others live like that. the path to a balanced, generous disposition and an open response to the disturbances and difficulties of ordinary life. When I was young I wanted to be enlightened, to be completely transformed. Now that I'm older, I will be content if I can be an honest person, and help others live like that. the path to a balanced, generous disposition and an open response to the disturbances and difficulties of ordinary life. When I was young I wanted to be enlightened, to be completely transformed. Now that I'm older, I will be content if I can be an honest person, and help others live like that.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.21/11/2022.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.