How does the Noble Eightfold Path help us awaken?
The entire Noble Eightfold Path serves as a system for dismantling the sense of self. It is our clinging to a solid sense of self that causes our suffering. Unless we see that our identity is constructed from a set of beliefs, it’s easy to get sidetracked into further supporting the illusion of the sense of self. We then add to the problem rather than end the suffering. Wise view, the first step of the Noble Eightfold Path, can help us get back on track. It says that our lives are interconnected beyond what is immediately visible. When we don’t understand this interconnection, we erroneously assume we are separate. In this state of separation, we think we have to get over ourselves, get over our mind states. We try ever harder to find freedom in some other timeframe outside of the here and now. But we can’t ‘effort’ ourselves to freedom. Instead, if we simply open to our suffering, rather than resist it, we come back into a state of connectedness. Whether we connect with our knee pain
