Practising the Noble Eightfold Path is not just the duty of the saint or the monk striving for Nirvana - it is also a means by which the householder can secure happiness and prosperity in their personal lives, contributing to a harmonious society on the collective level. Indeed, without the Eightfold Path, life would be chaotic. The practise of the Noble Eightfold Path for laypeople may be different from that practised by the Noble Ones, but it contains the same eight components.

1. Right View

The section which follows gives an explanation of the Noble Eightfold Path on the mundane level as described in the Dhammapada commentary. It explains that Right View means wisdom to recognize the virtue of the Triple Gem as illustrated in the following Tale:

In the city of Saavatthii, two boys were friends. One boy came from a family with Right View, the other came from a family of False View. When the two boys played together, throwing a dice, the boy of Right View would recollect the virtue of the Lord Buddha with the words "Itipi so bhagavaa" and "Namo buddhassa" before throwing the dice. By contrast, the boy from the family of False View would recollect the virtue of various heretics before throwing the dice with the words "Namo titthiyana.m" (Praise be to the heretics!) It turned out that the son from the family of Right View won every single game of dice - and the son from the family of False View lost every game.

This tale has the moral that anyone established in Right View will always conquer those of False View.

1.1 Right View helps us to escape all danger

It is said that those of Right View are protected from all danger, with protection against malevolent spirits as a case in point. The same tale continues the previous tale of the boy of Right View with the following account:

One day the father of the boy of Right View took the boy in the cart to gather kindling wood outside the city gates. Having loaded the kindling onto the cart, they made their way home. On the way, they stopped to let the buffalo graze near a cemetery. The buffalo escaped and made its way back through the city gates. The father pursued the buffalo on foot, leaving the boy asleep alone in the cart, thinking to come back for him as soon as he could find the buffalo. However, by the time he managed to catch the buffalo inside the city, it was already dark and the guards had closed the gates. Not seeing his father return, the boy recollected the virtue of the Lord Buddha with the words "Itipiso bhagavaa..." until falling asleep.

Two ogres prowled in the night looking for prey. One of the ogres was of Right View, the other was of False View. Seeing the boy asleep in the cart, the False View ogre said to the other that they ought to eat the boy up, but the other ogre forbade him. The False View ogre ignored the warning and grabbed the boy's feet, waking him. The boy was startled and exclaimed aloud "Namo buddhassa..." In surprise the False View ogre dropped the boy's feet and retreated. The other ogre reprimanded him saying "Now look what you've done - you have sinned - now you have to make up for your wickedness by finding some food for this boy." The Right View ogre watched over the boy while the other flew away through the air to the royal palace where he found an ornate platter of delicacies, bringing it back for the boy. The ogres then transformed themselves to look like the boy's mother and father. Having fed the boy, they inscribed a message on the platter in letters visible only to the king. They left the platter in the cart with the boy and went on their way.

In the morning, the courtiers noticed that the platter was missing and had the whole city searched. They found the platter in the cart with the boy. They took both the platter and the boy before King Pasenadi of Kosala. The king learned from the boy that his mother and father had brought food for him on the platter. Having read the message written on the platter the king took the boy and his father to meet the Lord Buddha, asking the Buddha how simply recollecting the Buddha's virtue could be so potent in protection.

The Buddha replied that the mind of anyone who cultivates six forms of recollection will protect that person from all danger. The Buddha then taught that a person who wants to cultivate recollection should recollect the following:

1. Recollection of the virtues of the Buddha with the words "Itipi so bhagavaa araha.m sammaasambuddho..."

2. Recollection of the virtues of the Dhamma with the words "Svaakkhaato bhagavaa dhammo..."

3. Recollection of the virtues of the Sangha with the words "Supa.tipanno bhagavaato saavakasa"ngho..."

4. Recollection of the loathesomeness of the body (mindfulness of the body) with the words "kesaa lomaa..."

5. Recollection of compassion towards other living beings with the words "Sabbe sattaa dukkhaa pamu~n-canti..."

6. Recollection of loving kindness towards other living beings with the words "Sabbe sattaa averaa hontu..."

Anyone who cultivates these six recollections, by night and by day, all day long or even three times per day or once-a-day can be counted amongst the worthy disciples of the Tathaagata and will be protected from all danger both in waking and in sleep. The wise who know the virtue of the Triple Gem, who cultivate these six types of recollection, can be considered as being established in Right View at the mundane level.

Furthermore, those who are able to eradicate False View from their minds can be said to be those of Right View. The False Views which should be removed from the mind are as follows:

1. The view that generosity is fruitless;
2. The view that any form of worship or respect is fruitless;
3. The view that wholesome action and unwholesome action have no retribution (lack of belief in the Law of Karma);
4. The view that this world lacks reality or doesn't exist;
5. The view that the afterworld lacks reality or doesn't exist;
6. The view that serving one's mother is fruitless;
7. The view that serving one's father is fruitless;
8. The view that monastics, even those who practise properly, are still unable to attain by their wisdom, in this world or the next, any fruit from their practice or to teach anyone else to do the same.

Furthermore, anyone who believes that death is the end of the story (that there is no life after death) or that there is no afterlife is also someone of False View. As for those who know the fruits of generosity, respect, filial piety and monastic practice is a person of Right View.

2. Right Intention

When Right Intention is described in the Suttas, it is analysed into three types:

1. The Intention to remove oneself from sensual desire [nekkhamma sa"nkappa]
2. The Intention to remove oneself from vengefulness [abyaapaada sa"nkappa]
3. The Intention to remove oneself from aggression [avihi.msaa sa"nkappa]

In the Mahaa Janaka Jaataka (J.539), when the Buddha was still pursuing Perfections as the bodhisattva, taking rebirth as King Mahaa Janaka in the city of Mithila, with a lifespan of 10,000 years. He cultivated the Perfection of generosity and self-discipline for around 1,000 years while still on the throne, until he decided to renounce the throne and become a monk, for the benefit of pursuing the Perfection of renunciation. However, the bodhisattva still had his concerns about the royal wealth of Mithila. He thought to himself:

"Oh! When will I be able to leave this prosperous Mithila with its castles and towers, abundance of the four requisites?"

The bodhisattva thought in this way for four months before he was able to fulfil his renunciation. Such thinking can be referred to as 'the intention to remove oneself from sensual desire'.

When the bodhisattva had renounced the world to live in the forest, he meditated upon a kasi.na until being able to develop mental powers [abhi~n~naa] together with the intention to remove himself both from vengefulness and aggression. At that time, the bodhisattva would have developed Right Intention at the mundane level.

In addition, any mood which leads us to think in a way which is unwholesome - to intend to have unwholesome deeds, words or thoughts - can also be considered to be a sign of False Intention. On the contrary, any intention to have wholesome deeds, words or thoughts can be considered as Right Intention.