The 37 Constituents of Enlightenment

There are seven categories comprising a total of 37 constituents of enlightenment. The 37 constituents are also known as "states pertaining to enlightenment", "factors of enlightenment" or "requisites of enlightenment". They all form the basis of meditative training as expounded by the Buddha. They serve as a kind of road map and should be practiced with vigor and determination by disciples to succeed on the path. According to Venerable Seelananda, the 37 factors are all interconnected. When it is raining, water is everywhere, which is like the river that leads to the ocean. Ultimately, the 37 factors of enlightenment can be grouped into the three aspects of  wisdom, morality and mental development, which is also found in the Noble Eightfold Path.   

The Noble Eightfold Path

The noble eightfold path is the fourth noble truth to end dukkha.  The eightfold path is divided into three sections, with each supporting one another. It contains the sections on wisdom (panna), morality (sila), and mental development (samadhi). The journey does not simply end with mental development because only with mental development can one grows his wisdom to gain liberation or enlightenment. Remember that all three supports the other. One cannot hope to only acquire the wisdom and practice morality (for example adhering closely to the five precepts). These two have to be supported by mental development. And the latter involves practising meditation, especially samatha and vipassana. The first one is needed to help calm down and unify your mind, and the second one  is needed to let you "see things as they are". The dharma is not about just gaining book knowledge, but also realising the three universal characteristics of impermanence, unsatisfactory nature, and non-self. 

The Four Noble Truths

In the mundane world, what is perceived as the truth to one person might not be accepted as the truth by another person. Also, there are different levels of the same truth, according to the mental capacity of different people to see the truth. However, the Four Noble Truths is the ultimate truth as it is well expounded by the Lord Buddha. This means that the four noble truths is complete as it is already, you cannot simply deduct from the four or add another one to the four. The first truth is unsatisfaction which cause dukkha or suffering. Why ?  Because all conditioned things in this universe is changing, and nothing is permanent. So if one holds the wrong view or understanding that things are permanent, then one will get very disappointed with the outcome indeed. Please refer to the diagram above on the other three noble truths. 

Teaching of All Buddhas

This is the universal teaching of all Buddhas, that is 1) avoid evil;  2) do good; 3) purify the mind. First what is evil ? Here it refers to mental states associated with the roots of evil, namely greed, hatred and delusion which brings forth a host of problems that we see in our world today. This often result in unnecessary pain and suffering though various conflicts. Second what is good ? Good here means combating the above three roots of evil with generosity, loving kindness and wisdom respectively. It is also about putting your mind in a wholesome state of calm, harmony and inner peace. Third what is purifying the mind ? Here it means mental cultivation through the practice of meditation to still the monkey mind. Remember that the whole mental development is geared towards the mind. This is the special domain in Buddhism as the last three of the noble eightfold path actually refers to meditation - right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.  

Four Stages of Sainthood

In Buddhism, there are the four stages of sainthood that leads to the fourth stage, that is the Arahant stage. A person is considered as have entered the stream when he or she has attained the first stage, which is the Sotapanna. He or she is then considered to be on "safe ground". The maximum rebirths between the first and fourth stage is seven. In Theosophy, the fourth stage is known as the Arhat, and the fifth stage is an Adept, which is also called the Perfected Man. This is something which spiritual aspirants aim for. But to achieve even the first stage of a Sotapanna, one has to attain quite a relative high degree of purity of one's vehicles, such as on the mental, emotional, etheric, and physical levels. Mindfulness is another key component. All these require strong faith, practice, discipline, character building and the cultivation of virtues. 

The Five Hindrances

These are the five hindrances that impede our meditation practice towards mental development. They are the obstacles that we often encounter in our progress on the spiritual path. The first of which is our pursuits for sensual pleasure or desire. We should also watch out for the other four minefields of ill will, sloth & torpor, restlessness & worry, and doubts. In order to combat them, we need to have strong mindfulness, loving kindness, perseverance, peace of mind, and wisdom. So do not give up your fight to overcome the five hindrances. 

Developing a Good Mind

We need to maintain a clean & healthy mental body because it will affect the astral/emotional, etheric, and physical bodies. There is a saying, "What you think, you become" which proves that your mind can affect you immensely. You might have a strong physical body, but if you have a weak mind having lost the will to live, you are actually weaker than someone with a weak physical body but has a strong mind having the will to survive,  Hence take care of your mind. One of my teachers like to say this, "You will know if your physical body gets hurt, but do you know if your mind gets hurt ?". Do not harbour any unwholesome or unskillful thoughts. Maintain your calm & composure. Be mindful of your various sense bases throughout the day.  Do not be drawn into unnecessary thinking to drain your mental energy, not to mention creating bad karma with potential negative thought forms.  Therefore, good mental development is key to a healthy & meaningful life.