Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism

Chinese & Japanese Buddhist Calligraphy Wall Scrolls

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  1. The Noble Eightfold Path

  2. 1. Right Understanding / Right Perspective / Right View / Perfect View

  3. 2. Right Resolve / Right Thought / Right Intention / Perfect Resolve

  4. 3. Right Speech / Right Talk / Perfect Speech

  5. 4. Right Action / Perfect Conduct

  6. 5. Right Living / Right Livelihood / Perfect Livelihood

  7. 6. Right Effort / Right Endeavor / Perfect Effort

  8. 7. Right Mindfulness / Right Memory / Perfect Mindfulness

  9. 8. Right Concentration / Perfect Concentration

10. All Tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path


The Noble Eightfold Path

Ashtangika Marga / Astangika-Marga / Atthangika Magga

 bā zhèng dào
 hasshoudou
The Noble Eightfold Path Scroll

八正道 is a complex set of steps that Buddhists much take to cleanse karma, achieve enlightenment, eventually cease the cycle of rebirth and live in a state of Nirvana.


Note: This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term and remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people. Sometimes written as 八聖道.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment

1. Right Understanding / Right Perspective / Right View / Perfect View

Samyag Dristhi / Samyag Drsti / Samma Ditthi

 zhèng jiàn
 sei ken
1. Right Understanding / Right Perspective / Right View / Perfect View Scroll

正見 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right View, along with the Right Thought, constitutes the path to Wisdom.

To get to the correct view of the world, you must first understand and follow Four Noble Truths.


Note: This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

2. Right Resolve / Right Thought / Right Intention / Perfect Resolve

Samyak Samkalpa / Samma Sankappa

 zhèng sī wéi
 sei shi yui
2. Right Resolve / Right Thought / Right Intention / Perfect Resolve Scroll

正思唯 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Thought, along with the Right View, constitute the path to Wisdom.

In Buddhism, Right Thought, in simple terms, means to free yourself from having ill will towards anyone or anything. It also suggests that you remain harmless to other living creatures.

This can also be defined as “Resolve in favor of renunciation, goodwill, and non-harming of sentient beings.”


惟There is an ancient/alternate version of the third character for this selection. You can see that alternation third character to the right. If you want your selection to use that older character, just click on the character to the right, instead of the button above.

Note: This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

3. Right Speech / Right Talk / Perfect Speech

Samyag Vaca / Samma Vaca / Samma Vacha

 zhèng yǔ
 sei go
3. Right Speech / Right Talk / Perfect Speech Scroll

正語 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Speech, along with Right Action and Right Living, constitute the path to Virtue.

Right Speech is abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter, abstaining from slander, abstaining from gossip, or any form of harmful or wrong speech.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

4. Right Action / Perfect Conduct

Samyak Karmanta / Samma Kammanta

 zhèng yè
 sei gyou
4. Right Action / Perfect Conduct Scroll

正業 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Action, along with Right Speech and Right Living, constitute the path to Virtue.

The five precepts of Right Action are...
1. Refrain from destroying living beings (no murder or any form of taking a life).
2. Refrain from stealing.
3. Refrain from sexual misconduct (adultery, rape, etc.).
4. Refrain from false speech (lying or trickery).
5. Refrain from intoxicants that lead to heedlessness (no drugs or alcohol).

This concept can be summarized as “Avoidance of actions that conflict with moral discipline.”

Note: In Japanese, when read by a non-Buddhist, this will mean “the right job/vocation.”


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

5. Right Living / Right Livelihood / Perfect Livelihood

Samyag Ajiva / Samma Ajiva

 zhèng mìng
 sei myou
5. Right Living / Right Livelihood / Perfect Livelihood Scroll

正命 (right living) is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism.

Right Living, along with Right Speech and Right Action, constitute the path to Virtue.

Right Living means that a Buddhist should only take a job or pursue a career in a field that does no harm. Buddhists should not work in the arms trade, as pimps or in the field of prostitution, as a butcher or in a shop that kills or sells meat, in a laboratory that does animal research, or in any other business that involves scheming or unethical behavior.

Another definition: Avoidance of professions that are harmful to sentient beings, such as slaughterer, hunter, dealer in weaponry or narcotics, etc.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

6. Right Effort / Right Endeavor / Perfect Effort

Samyag Vyayama / Samma Vayama

 zhèng jīng jìn
 sei shou jin
6. Right Effort / Right Endeavor / Perfect Effort Scroll

正精進 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Effort, along with Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration, constitute the path to Concentration or Perfect Thought.

The proper effort is not the effort to make something particular happen. It is the effort to be aware and awake in each moment, the effort to overcome laziness and defilement, and the effort to make each activity of our daily meditation. This concept is about pursuing wholesome things that promote good karma.

Another definition: Cultivation of what is karmically wholesome and avoidance of what is karmically unwholesome.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

7. Right Mindfulness / Right Memory / Perfect Mindfulness

Samyak Smriti / Samyak Smrti / Samma Sati

 zhèng niàn
 sei nen
7. Right Mindfulness / Right Memory / Perfect Mindfulness Scroll

正念 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Mindfulness, along with Right Effort and Right Concentration, constitute the path to Concentration or Perfect Thought.

Right Mindfulness is about remaining focused on one's body, feelings, mind, and mental qualities. It's also about being ardent, aware, and mindful, and supposes that you've already put aside worldly desire and aversion.

Monk Bhikkhu Bodhi described this as “The mind is deliberately kept at the level of bare attention, a detached observation of what is happening within us and around us in the present moment.” When practicing right mindfulness, the mind is trained to remain in the present, open, quiet, and alert, contemplating the present event.

Another definition: Ongoing mindfulness of body, feelings, thinking, and objects of thought.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

8. Right Concentration / Perfect Concentration

Samyak Samadhi / Samma Samadhi

 zhèng dìng
 sei jou
8. Right Concentration / Perfect Concentration Scroll

正定 is one of the Noble Eightfold Paths of Buddhism. Right Concentration, along with Right Effort and Right Mindfulness, constitute the path to Concentration or Perfect Thought.

Right Concentration has to do with leaving behind sensuality, unwholesome states, as well as pleasure and pain. 正定 is a complex idea, but once you have achieved the shedding of worldly sensation, you can truly concentrate and find a higher level of awareness.

Another definition: Concentration of mind that finds its high point in the four absorptions.


This term is exclusively used by devout Buddhists. It is not a common term, and is remains an unknown concept to most Japanese and Chinese people.


See Also:  Buddhism | Enlightenment | Noble Eightfold Path

All Tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path

 zhèng jiàn zhèng sī wéi zhèng yǔ zhèng yè zhèng mìng zhèng jīng jìn zhèng niàn zhèng dìng

 shouken shoushiyui shougo shougo shoumyou shoushoujin shounen shoujou
All Tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path Scroll

These are the eight tenets of the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path written altogether.

Here's this list of tenets in English:
1. Right View / Right Understanding / Right Perspective / Perfect View
2. Right Resolve / Right Thought / Right Intention / Perfect Resolve
3. Right Speech / Right Talk / Perfect Speech
4. Right Action / Perfect Conduct
5. Right Living / Right Livelihood / Perfect Livelihood
6. Right Effort / Right Endeavor / Perfect Effort
7. Right Mindfulness / Right Memory / Perfect Mindfulness
8. Right Concentration / Perfect Concentration


The following table may be helpful for those studying Chinese or Japanese...

Title CharactersRomaji (Romanized Japanese)Various forms of Romanized Chinese
The Noble Eightfold Path八正道hasshoudou / hashodobā zhèng dào
ba1 zheng4 dao4
ba zheng dao
bazhengdao
pa cheng tao
pachengtao
1. Right Understanding
Right Perspective
Right View
Perfect View
正見
正见
sei ken / seikenzhèng jiàn
zheng4 jian4
zheng jian
zhengjian
cheng chien
chengchien
2. Right Resolve
Right Thought
Right Intention
Perfect Resolve
正思唯sei shi yui
seishiyui
zhèng sī wéi
zheng4 si1 wei2
zheng si wei
zhengsiwei
cheng ssu wei
chengssuwei
3. Right Speech
Right Talk
Perfect Speech
正語
正语
sei go / seigozhèng yǔ / zheng4 yu3 / zheng yu / zhengyucheng yü / chengyü
4. Right Action
Perfect Conduct
正業
正业
sei gyou / seigyou / sei gyozhèng yè / zheng4 ye4 / zheng ye / zhengyecheng yeh / chengyeh
5. Right Living
Right Livelihood
Perfect Livelihood
正命sei myou / seimyou / sei myozhèng mìng
zheng4 ming4
zheng ming
zhengming
cheng ming
chengming
6. Right Effort
Right Endeavor
Perfect Effort
正精進
正精进
sei shou jin
seishoujin
sei sho jin
zhèng jīng jìn
zheng4 jing1 jin4
zheng jing jin
zhengjingjin
cheng ching chin
chengchingchin
7. Right Mindfulness
Right Memory
Perfect Mindfulness
正念sei nen / seinenzhèng niàn
zheng4 nian4
zheng nian
zhengnian
cheng nien
chengnien
8. Right Concentration
Perfect Concentration
正定sei jou / seijou / sei jozhèng dìng
zheng4 ding4
zheng ding
zhengding
cheng ting
chengting
All Tenets of the Noble Eightfold Path正見正思唯正語正業正命正精進正念正定
正见正思唯正语正业正命正精进正念正定
shouken shoushiyui shougo shougo shoumyou shoushoujin shounen shoujou
shoken shoshiyui shogo shogo shomyo shoshojin shonen shojo
zhèng jiàn zhèng sī wéi zhèng yǔ zhèng yè zhèng mìng zhèng jīng jìn zhèng niàn zhèng dìng
zheng4 jian4 zheng4 si1 wei2 zheng4 yu3 zheng4 ye4 zheng4 ming4 zheng4 jing1 jin4 zheng4 nian4 zheng4 ding4
zheng jian zheng si wei zheng yu zheng ye zheng ming zheng jing jin zheng nian zheng ding
cheng chien cheng ssu wei cheng yü cheng yeh cheng ming cheng ching chin cheng nien cheng ting
In some entries above you will see that characters have different versions above and below a line.
In these cases, the characters above the line are Traditional Chinese, while the ones below are Simplified Chinese.


All of our calligraphy wall scrolls are handmade.

When the calligrapher finishes creating your artwork, it is taken to my art mounting workshop in Beijing where a wall scroll is made by hand from a combination of silk, rice paper, and wood.
After we create your wall scroll, it takes at least two weeks for air mail delivery from Beijing to you.

Allow a few weeks for delivery. Rush service speeds it up by a week or two for $10!

When you select your calligraphy, you'll be taken to another page where you can choose various custom options.


A nice Chinese calligraphy wall scroll

The wall scroll that Sandy is holding in this picture is a "large size"
single-character wall scroll.
We also offer custom wall scrolls in small, medium, and an even-larger jumbo size.

A professional Chinese Calligrapher

Professional calligraphers are getting to be hard to find these days.
Instead of drawing characters by hand, the new generation in China merely type roman letters into their computer keyboards and pick the character that they want from a list that pops up.

There is some fear that true Chinese calligraphy may become a lost art in the coming years. Many art institutes in China are now promoting calligraphy programs in hopes of keeping this unique form of art alive.

Trying to learn Chinese calligrapher - a futile effort

Even with the teachings of a top-ranked calligrapher in China, my calligraphy will never be good enough to sell. I will leave that to the experts.

A high-ranked Chinese master calligrapher that I met in Zhongwei

The same calligrapher who gave me those lessons also attracted a crowd of thousands and a TV crew as he created characters over 6-feet high. He happens to be ranked as one of the top 100 calligraphers in all of China. He is also one of very few that would actually attempt such a feat.