The Eightfold Path

The Eightfold Path: A Way of Development for Those Working in Education, Therapy and the Caring Professions

Centuries before the birth of Christ, the Buddha taught a path of love, compassion, and forgiveness, originating from his experiences of suffering in the world. The cause of suffering, he believed, lay within the soul, which had become self-centered and egoistic.

The Buddha inaugurated the Eightfold Path for purification and transformation—eight exercises that can lead to a new relationship with the world, from self-centeredness to warm interest in one’s environment and other people. The exercises, described and explained here in their correct sequence—each preparing the individual for the next step—are right view, right resolve, right word, right action, right standpoint, right effort, right remembrance, and right contemplation.

In this small book, based on commentary by Rudolf Steiner, as well as his own intensive work with many groups, Joop van Dam has created a practical guide for anyone wishing to take this path of personal development. He focuses particularly on the benefit to be gained from the Eightfold Path by those working as educators, therapists, and caretakers.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction

1. The Right View
2. The Right Resolve
3. The Right Word
4. The Right Action
5. The Right Standpoint
6. The Right Effort
7. The Right Remembrance
8. The Right Contemplation

Practicing the Eightfold Path
The Profession of the Therapist
How Does the Eightfold Path Work?
The Relation to the Days of the Week
The Sixth Century BC: The “Hinge” of Time

About the Author

Joop van Dam was a medical practitioner in Haarlem, the Netherlands, until his retirement. He remains active in education in the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands.