Three-fold Training

The Buddhist three-fold training is the comprehensive path of Buddhist cultivation, personal development and self-realization. It encompasses the three-fold training of Morality (Sīla), Concentration (Samādhi), and Wisdom (Paññā). It is formulated by Śākyamuni Buddha in terms of the Noble Eight Fold Path in the Theravāda tradition. It is crystallized in the form of Noble Path of Six Perfections (Pāramitā) in the Mahāyāna tradition. The Buddhist three-fold training correlates with the Śākyamuni Buddha’s admonition of ‘ Avoid evils, do good and purify the mind’. ‘Avoid evils and do good’ is the exoteric or outward dimension of morality. ‘Purify the mind’ is the esoteric or inward dimension of ‘mental concentration and purification of the mind through tranquility-Insight meditation and self-realization or intuitive discernment of the universal Truth of Three Characteristics (Ti-lakkhaṇas) of Impermanence, Suffering (Dukkha), and Insubstantiality or Non-self (Anattā).

The Noble Eight Fold Path comprises eight contigent conditions, namely, Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Actions, Right Livelihood, Right Efforts, Right mindfulness and Right Concentration. This Noble Path is comprehensive in Buddhist education and training leading to liberation. Liberation should be conceived as the perfection of character formation in the present life. Right Speech, Right Actions, and Right Livelihood constitute the exoteric dimension of Morality. Right Efforts, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration form the esoteric dimension of Concentration. Right Understanding and Right Thought comprise the esoteric dimension of Wisdom. In the Noble Path of Six Perfection of the Mahāyāna tradition, the Morality dimension consists of the aggregates of the Perfection of Generosity or Giving, Perfection of Precepts, Perfection of Endurance, and Perfection of Energy. The Concentration aggregate is the Perfection of Meditation. The Wisdom aggregate is the Perfection of Wisdom.

That Right Understanding is placed first in the formulation of the Noble Eight Fold path is significant in the sense that the beginning Buddhist Right Understanding is mundane, intellectual and conceptual understanding of the Buddha’s path of self-rectification, and self-improvement until self-realization is actualized through intuitive discernment of the ultimate Truth. It is the road map which shows the right direction of the Buddha’s path to tread upon towards self-redemption, that is the annihilation of self-centric ego. This mundane, intellectual and conceptual Right Understanding will eventually be consummated and culminate in the highest fruit of supramundane and intuitive Right Understanding at the final spiritual station of liberation (vimutti) realizing Nibbāna.

The initial Right Understanding is conventional Truth which is conceptual and intellectual knowledge the realm of the phenomenal world which is illusive and unreal. The final Right Understanding is the intuitive apprehension or discernment of ultimate Truth of Three Universal Characteristics (Impermanence, Suffering and Insubstantiality) in terms of the first principle of Dependent Co-arising or Origination (Paṭiccasamuppāda). Dependent Co-arising is the eternal Truth of Unity or Non-duality. Unity or Non-duality is the non-discriminative wisdom of transcending the perceiver and the perceived, the subject and object, the subject and predicate and substance and attribute. No independent individuality or discrete entity exists. All phenomena are interconnected and conglomerated into an infinite Unity. The complete intuitive comprehension of the relationship between the conventional Truth and the ultimate Truth constitutes the Middle Path. Knowledge of the Middle Path is the right knowledge of full Truth. The full Truth is neither absolute existence nor absolute non-existence. It is the dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality. Right knowledge of the complete Truth constitutes the genuine experience of enlightenment or gnosis. The final agenda all esoteric religion including Buddhism is the experience of self-awakening or gnosis.