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Sufism and Taoism
A Comparative Study of Key Philosophical Concepts
by Toshihiko Izutsu
The Noble Eightfold Path, according to Buddhism and as taught by Gautama Buddha, is the way to the cessation of suffering, the fourth part of the Four Noble Truths. It is summarized into three important categories: wisdom (pañña), virtue (sila), and concentration (samadhi).
Paramitas
Author: Katinka Hesselink
It is very easy to get confused about the number of paramitas, especially if one follows the theosophical tradition. The mahayana tradtion names 6 paramitas; The hinayana tradition names 10 (similar) virtues; and as if to confuse the issue even further, blavatsky uses the number 16, but elaborates on 7 paramitas in her classic The Voice of the Silence. These 7 paramitas are the six mahayana paramitas plus a seventh one.
The Five Precepts, Pancha Sila or Pansil
Author: Katinka Hesselink
The five precepts are the basis of Buddhist morality. To take Pancha Sila, that is, to vow to live according to the following rules of conduct, is a set of vows a lay-person may take on, to try and live by, to the best of their understanding. So here goes: Pancha ( = five ) Sila ( = discipline ), the Five Precepts: