Magga

The Buddhist path (''marga'') to liberation, also referred to as awakening, is described in a wide variety of ways. The classical one is the Noble Eightfold Path, which is only one of several summaries presented in the Sutta Pitaka. A number of other paths to liberation exist within various Buddhist traditions and theology.

Early Buddhism

There are various expositions of the path to liberation in the Early Buddhist texts, the following examples are drawn from the Pali Nikayas.

The Noble Eightfold Path

The Noble Eightfold Path is widely known as ''the'' description of the Buddhist path. In the Sutta Pitaka it is summed up as follows:

Alternate sequences in the Pali Nikayas

Alternate, and possibly older, sequences of the stages on the Buddhist path to liberation, can be found throughout the Pali Canon.

Tevijja Sutta

A standard sequence of developments can be found in the Nikayas, which may predate the more stylised four noble truths. For example the Tevijja Sutta verse 40–75 (Dikha Nikaya 13):metta.lk, ''Tevijja Sutra''

* Verse 40: A Tathàgata is born into the world, who makes his knowledge known to others.
* Verse 41: A householder listens to that truth, acquires faith, and goes forth from the household life into the homeless state.
* Verse 42: He passes a life self-restrained, good in his conduct, guarding the door of his senses; mindful and self-possessed.
* Verse 43–75: This results in:
** The confidence of heart that results from the sense of goodness.
** The way in which he guards the doors of his senses.
** The way in which he is mindful and self-possessed.
** His habit of being content with little, of adopting simplicity of life.
** His conquest of the five hindrances, each with the explanatory simile.
** The joy and peace which, as a result of this conquest, fills his whole being.

Cula-Hatthipadopama-sutta

According to Rod Bucknell, another listing of path stages occurs in various places in the Majjhima Nikaya, and can be illustrated with the following list of stages from the ''Cula-Hatthipadopama-sutta'' (Lesser Discourse on the Simile of the Elephant's Footprints).

# ''Dhamma / saddha/ pabbajja'': A layman hears a Buddha teach the Dhamma, comes to have faith in him, and decides to take ordination as a monk.
# '' Sila'': He adopts the moral precepts.
# ''Indriyasamvara'' (element of right effort): He practises "guarding the six sense-doors."
# ''Sati- sampajanna'': He practises mindfulness and self-possession (actually described as mindfulness of the body, ''kayanussati'').
#Jhana 1: He finds an isolated spot in which to meditate, purifies his mind of the hindrances ( nivarana), and attains the first rupa-jhana.
# Jhana 2: He attains the second jhana.
# Jhana 3: He attains the third jhana.
# Jhana 4: He attains the fourth jhana.
# ''Pubbenivasanussati-ñana'': He recollects his many former existences in samsara.
# ''Sattanam cutupapata-ñana'': He observes the death and rebirth of beings according to their karmas.
# ''Asavakkhaya-ñana'': He brings about the destruction of the asavas (cankers), and attains a profound realization of (as opposed to mere knowledge about) the Four Noble Truths_in_terms_of_its_sixteen_aspects._
#_''Darśana-mārga''_(The_path_of_seeing_or_insight)._According_to_the_AKBh,_in_this_path_one_continues_to_observe_the_four_noble_truths_until_one_realizes_it_and_abandons_eighty_eight_afflictions_(Kleshas_(Buddhism)">kleshas)._
#_''Bhavana">Bhāvanā_

''Bhāvanā''_(Pali;Rhys_Davids_&_Stede_(1921-25),_p._503,_entry_for_"Bhāvanā,"_retrieved_9_December_2008_from_"U._Chicago"_a_Sanskrit:_भावना,_also_''bhāvanā''Monier-Williams_(1899),_p._755,_see_"Bhāvana"_and_"Bhāvanā",_retriev_...