..续本文上一页 "right" and harmonised. When these eight right factors come together, then one”s way of life becomes a Noble Spiritual Path.

　　12. "The Exalted One, while staying at Rajagaha on Vulture”s Peak, gave abundant Dhamma-talk to the bhikkhus: Such is moral conduct, such is meditation, such is wisdom. Meditation, when augmented with moral conduct, gives great fruit and great benefit. Wisdom, when augmented with meditation, gives great fruit and great benefit. The mind, when augmented with wisdom, is completely freed from the outflows of selfhood (asava), that is, the outflow of sensuality, the outflow of becoming, the outflow of views and the outflow of ignorance." D.II,81

　　The Path leading to liberation can be practised and experienced with the help of noble friendship and our own self-motivation. This Path is the development of skilful conduct, meditation and wisdom. Meditation, grounded in harmonious and supportive behaviour, bears the fruit of spiritual wisdom -- liberation of mind and freedom from suffering.

　　In practice, however, this process occurs in harmonised successive stages. A basis of moral behaviour allows the development of meditation, then, when we bring the collectedness and clarity of meditation to bear upon our behaviour, we gain some insight into the attitudes and actions which cause suffering. Applying wisdom, we can free ourselves from this disturbing behaviour and arrive at a more refined level of collectedness and clarity, which then reveals more refined levels of disharmonious behaviour.

　　Wisdom arises from seeing these causal patterns of self-inflicted suffering and wisdom is used to free ourselves from these patterns of self-centred `outflowing”.

　　Skilful Actions

　　13. "Skilful behaviour is the beginning, the foundation, and the chief cause of all good things. Thus one should purify skilful behaviour.

　　"Skilful behaviour is the boundary, the control, and the brightening of the mind; and it is the abiding of all the Buddha”s. Thus one should purify skilful behaviour."

　　Theragatha 612-3

　　"Sandalwood, tagara, lotus, jasmine: above all these kinds of fragrance, the fragrance of virtue is by far the best." Dh.55

　　Skilful behaviour gives stability and viability to spiritual practice. It is the foundation upon which spiritual practice is built and grounds that practice in one”s ordinary, normal life. Otherwise, spiritual practice can too easily become some accessory habit in life, some exceptional but seemingly unliveable experience in life or just a one-off experience which we are unable to contact again.

　　Skilful behaviour also gives control and a boundary to the mind as an aid to meditation. We may think about all kinds of crazy and immoral things, but our conduct is rooted in harmonious and wholesome actions. Thus we can watch and know the entire range of selfish expressions without needing to follow or react to them.

　　14. "Ananda, skilful conduct gives freedom from remorse as its gain and advantage; freedom from remorse gives delight as its gain and advantage; delight gives joy; joy gives tranquillity; tranquillity gives well-being; well-being gives collectedness; collectedness gives knowledge and vision of things as they really are; knowledge and vision of things as they really are gives disenchantment and dispassion; disenchantment and dispassion gives knowledge and vision of freedom as its gain and advantage. So indeed, Ananda, skilful conduct gradually leads on to the highest." A.V,2

　　Skilful conduct or morality provides a foundation for the causal arising of the successive stages of spiritual development. It is not merely an end in itself, although some people may take the freedom from remorse or purity of being which morality engenders as a state of high spiritual attainment. However, many times there is still …

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