Editing The Buddha (section)

==== The path to liberation ====
[[File:Seated Buddha, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Ghandhara region, 2nd - 3rd century, gray schist, HAA.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Gandharan]] sculpture of the Buddha in the [[Lotus position|full lotus]] seated meditation posture, 2nd–3rd century CE]]
[[File:20160124 Sri Lanka 3769 Polonnaruwa sRGB (25144212713).jpg|thumb|Buddha Statues from [[Gal Vihara]]. The Early Buddhist texts also mention meditation practice while standing and lying down.]]
{{Main|Buddhist paths to liberation|Buddhist meditation}}

The Buddha taught a path (''marga'') of training to undo the [[samyojana]], [[Kleshas (Buddhism)|kleshas]] and [[āsava]]s and attain ''vimutti'' (liberation).{{sfnp|Siderits|2019}}{{sfnp|Bodhi|2005|p=229}} This path taught by the Buddha is depicted in the early texts (most famously in the Pali ''Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta'' and its numerous parallel texts) as a "[[Middle Way]]" between sensual indulgence on one hand and mortification of the body on the other.{{sfnp|Anālayo|2013a}}

A common presentation of the core structure of Buddha's teaching found in the early texts is that of the [[Four Noble Truths]],{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|pp=63–64}} which refers to the [[Noble Eightfold Path]].{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=81}}{{efn|right view; right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=164}}}} According to Gethin, another common summary of the path to awakening wisely used in the early texts is "abandoning the [[Five hindrances|hindrances]], practice of the four establishments of mindfulness and development of [[Bojjhangas|the awakening factors]]".{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|pp=217–218}}

According to Rupert Gethin, in the Nikayas and Agamas, the Buddha's path is mainly presented in a cumulative and gradual "step by step" process, such as that outlined in the ''[[Samaññaphala Sutta]]''.{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|pp=83, 165}}{{efn|Early texts that outline the graduated path include the ''Cula-Hatthipadopama-sutta'' (MN 27, with Chinese parallel at MĀ 146) and the ''Tevijja Sutta'' (DN 13, with Chinese parallel at DĀ 26 and a fragmentary Sanskrit parallel entitled the ''Vāsiṣṭha-sūtra'').{{sfnp|Bucknell|1984}}{{sfnp|Anālayo|2011|p=189}}{{sfnp|Anālayo|2015}}<br>Gethin adds: "This schema is assumed and, in one way or another, adapted by the later manuals such as the [[Visuddhimagga]], the [[Abhidharmakosa]], Kamalasila's [[Bhavanakrama]] ('Stages of Meditation', eighth century) and also Chinese and later Tibetan works such as Chih-i's [[Mohe Zhiguan|Mo-ho chih-kuan]] ('Great Calm and Insight') and Hsiu-hsi chih-kuan tso-ch'an fa-yao ('The Essentials for Sitting in Meditation and Cultivating Calm and Insight', sixth century), [[Gampopa|sGam-po-pa]]'s Thar-pa rin-po che'i rgyan ('Jewel Ornament of Liberation', twelfth century) and [[Je Tsongkhapa|Tsong-kha-pa]]'s Lam rim chen mo ('Great Graduated Path', fourteenth century).{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=165}}}} Other early texts like the ''Upanisa sutta'' (SN 12.23), present the path as reversions of the process of Dependent Origination.<ref>Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1995). [http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/upanisa_sutta.pdf ''Transcendental Dependent Arising. A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206214116/http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/upanisa_sutta.pdf |date=6 December 2019 }}.</ref>{{efn|As Gethin notes: "A significant ancient variation on the formula of dependent arising, having detailed the standard sequence of conditions leading to the arising of this whole mass of suffering, thus goes on to state that: Conditioned by (1) suffering, there is (2) faith, conditioned by faith, there is (3) gladness, conditioned by gladness, there is (4) joy, conditioned by joy, there is (5) tranquillity, conditioned by tranquillity, there is (6) happiness, conditioned by happiness, there is (7) concentration, conditioned by concentration, there is (8) knowledge and vision of what truly is, conditioned by knowledge and vision of what truly is, there is (9) disenchantment, conditioned by disenchantment, there is (10) dispassion, conditioned by dispassion, there is (11) freedom, conditioned by freedom, there is (12) knowledge that the defilements are destroyed."{{sfnp|Gethin|1998|p=157}}}}

''[[Bhavana|Bhāvanā]]'', cultivation of wholesome states, is central to the Buddha's path. Common practices to this goal, which are shared by most of these early presentations of the path, include ''[[Buddhist ethics|sila]]'' (ethical training), restraint of the senses (''indriyasamvara''), ''[[Sati (Buddhism)|sati]]'' (mindfulness) and ''[[sampajañña]]'' (clear awareness), and the practice of ''[[Dhyana in Buddhism|dhyana]]'', the cumulative development of wholesome states{{sfnp|Bucknell|1984}} leading to a "state of perfect [[Upekkha|equanimity]] and awareness (''upekkhā-sati-parisuddhi'')".{{sfnp|Vetter|1988|p=5}} Dhyana is preceded and supported by various aspects of the path such as sense restraint{{sfnp|Anālayo|2017a|pp=80, 128, 135}} and [[mindfulness]], which is elaborated in the ''[[satipatthana]]''-scheme, as taught in the Pali ''[[Satipatthana Sutta]]'' and the sixteen elements of ''[[Anapanasati]]'', as taught in the ''[[Anapanasati Sutta]]''.{{efn|For a comparative survey of Satipatthana in the Pali, Tibetan and Chinese sources, see: {{cite book|ref=none |last=Anālayo |year=2014 |title=Perspectives on Satipatthana}}{{full citation needed|date=March 2021}}. For a comparative survey of Anapanasati, see: {{cite journal|ref=none |last=Dhammajoti |first=K.L. |date=2008 |title=Sixteen-mode Mindfulness of Breathing |journal=JCBSSL |volume=VI}}{{full citation needed|date=March 2021}}. }}