Ashtangika Marga (Eightfold Path) and Neuroscience.

Program Overview

This 3-hour training program integrates the Buddha’s Ashtangika Marga (Eightfold Path) with neuroscience to guide participants toward ethical living, mental clarity, and liberation. It targets adults, focusing on brain-based strategies to cultivate right view, intention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

This Course is Useful For

Professionals, leaders, students, or individuals aiming to improve emotional awareness and interpersonal relationships.

Program Objectives

– Understand the neural basis of the Eightfold Path’s components.
– Apply neuroscience techniques to enhance ethical behavior and mental discipline.
– Foster mindfulness and concentration for personal and societal well-being.

Duration: 3 Hours

Training Modules

Module 1: Right View and Intention (60 minutes)

Objective: Align thoughts with ethical perspectives using neuroscience.

  • Overview:
    • Right View (Samyak Drishti): Role of ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in forming ethical perspectives and understanding impermanence (anicca).
    • Right Intention (Samyak Sankalpa): Activating dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) for goal-setting and compassionate intent.
    • Neural basis: vmPFC/ACC for self-awareness, dlPFC for planning (Bechara et al., 2000; Miller & Cohen, 2001).

Outcome: Participants develop neural pathways for ethical thinking and purposeful intent.

Module 2: Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood (60 minutes)

Objective: Cultivate ethical behavior through brain-based regulation.

  • Overview:
    • Right Speech (Samyak Vacha): Using insula for empathetic communication to avoid harmful speech.
    • Right Action (Samyak Karmanta): Engaging dlPFC for impulse control to uphold non-violence.
    • Right Livelihood (Samyak Ajiva): Aligning amygdala-driven motivations with ethical work (Adolphs, 2002).
    • Neural basis: Insula/TPJ for empathy, dlPFC for self-regulation.

Outcome: Participants learn to regulate emotional impulses for ethical speech, actions, and work.

Module 3: Right Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration (60 minutes)

Objective: Strengthen mental discipline through mindfulness.

  • Overview:
    • Right Effort (Samyak Vyayama): Using dlPFC to sustain positive mental habits.
    • Right Mindfulness (Samyak Smriti): Deactivating default mode network (DMN) via mindfulness to stay present (Raichle, 2015).
    • Right Concentration (Samyak Samadhi): Enhancing focus through meditation, activating attention networks.
    • Neural basis: Hippocampus for learning, insula for body awareness.

Outcome: Participants build neural resilience for sustained effort, presence, and focus.