The Force and the Eightfold Path: Speech Action Thought

I was thinking today that I am going to start focusing more on the eight fold path. But instead of focusing on "right speech" and "right thought" I think I am just going to be mindful of speech, thought, action, intention, practice, livelihood, view, concentration... hold on let me check what they are again.

Well I think I really think of speech, thought, action. So my eightfold path is a trinity. Which is convenient because I am more Christian culturally. Another Buddhist Trinity I like is Past, Present and Future.


And then I like to think of things in terms of the Physical and the Spiritual.

So here is my Eight fold path, or Eight things to think about.

Speech, Thought, Action.

Past, Present, Future

Spirit and Body.


Now I'm going with being mindful about these things instead of being "right." First of all, I guess I don't always know what is right and it is not necessarily how I make decisions. Whether something is right.

I don't feel like it is a sin to do something "wrong."  But to even have thoughts that are hyped up and frothing at the mouth. Like massive amounts of anger or even joy... insanity... I won;t say insanity is a sin. But you have to have control or at least limits. If your thoughts are completely all over the place all of the time, your done.

And the same goes with speech and actions. Actually actions that are out of control can potentially get you locked up. And speech and get you in trouble or at least sued. That's our society's rules.

But what I am going for is to try and put effort even into speech and definitely action. Basically when i do something... to know what I am doing.

To do it right.

More than to do the right thing.


I was thinking about the Force and the Jedi thing, which though fictional, draws on Buddhism, and also Christianity. But I was thinking about how I don't think that the dark side is bad per se.
I mean in the movie yes. But actually you need a balance. The Dark side is another means of using the force. Ideally you would want to use the dark and the light side of the force. And to struggle and resist the dark side is actually making it stronger. Instead you need to just have it all flow evenly and use the one or the other depending on the situation but to take ownership of both.