The Noble Eightfold Path is the Fourth of the Four Noble Truths. It is not steps of a linear path. It is really 8 factors. One works on more than one at a time.
From Wikipedia:
The Noble Eightfold Path is sometimes divided into three basic divisions, as follows:[35]
Moral virtue[29] (Sanskrit: śīla, Pāli: sīla)
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
Meditation[29] (Sanskrit and Pāli: samādhi)
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
Insight, Wisdom (Sanskrit: prajñā, Pāli: paññā)
1. Right view
2. Right resolve
Note that the order above does not match the ‘numbers’ on the Path factors. This ‘three division’ order is a later development, when discriminating insight (prajna) became central to Buddhist soteriology, and came to be regarded as the culmination of the Buddhist path.[36] Yet, Majjhima Nikaya 117, Mahācattārīsaka Sutta, describes the first seven practices as requisites for right samadhi. According to Vetter, this may have been the original soteriological practice in early Buddhism.[5]
"Moral virtues" (Sanskrit: śīla, Pāli: sīla) group consists of three paths: right speech, right action and right livelihood.[29] The word śīla though translated by English writers as linked to "morals or ethics", states Bhikkhu Bodhi, is in ancient and medieval Buddhist commentary tradition closer to the concept of discipline and disposition that "leads to harmony at several levels – social, psychological, karmic and contemplative".[37] Such harmony creates an environment to pursue the meditative steps in the Noble Eightfold Path by reducing social disorder, preventing inner conflict that result from transgressions, favoring future karma-triggered movement through better rebirths, and purifying the mind.[37][38]
The meditation group ("samadhi") of the path progresses from moral restraints to training the mind.[39][40] The goal in this group of the Noble Eightfold Path is to develop clarity and insight into the nature of reality – dukkha, anicca and anatta, discard negative states and dispel avidya, ultimately attaining nirvana.[41]
In the threefold division, prajna (insight, wisdom) is presented as the culmination of the path, whereas in the eightfold division the path starts with correct knowledge or insight, which is needed to understand why this path should be followed.[42]
The Moral Virtue group is essentially the same as Circle 2 (Ethics) of my teacher's Eight Concentric Circles.
From Wikipedia -
Right effort (samyag-vyāyāma / sammā-vāyāma) is presented in the Pali Canon, such as the Sacca-vibhanga Sutta as follows:[62][68]
And what is right effort?
Here the monk arouses his will, puts forth effort, generates energy, exerts his mind, and strives to prevent the arising of evil and unwholesome mental states that have not yet arisen.
He arouses his will... and strives to eliminate evil and unwholesome mental states that have already arisen. He arouses his will... and strives to generate wholesome mental states that have not yet arisen.
He arouses his will, puts forth effort, generates energy, exerts his mind, and strives to maintain wholesome mental states that have already arisen, to keep them free of delusion, to develop, increase, cultivate, and perfect them.
This is called right effort.
The unwholesome states (akusala) are described in the Buddhist texts, as those relating to thoughts, emotions, intentions, and these include pancanivarana (five hindrances) - sensual thoughts, doubts about the path, restlessness, drowsiness, and ill will of any kind.[75][84] Of these, the Buddhist traditions consider sensual thoughts and ill will needing more right effort. Sensual desire that must be eliminated by effort includes anything related to sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch.[85] Ill will that must be eliminated by effort includes any form of aversion including hatred, anger, resentment towards anything or anyone.[85]
My description of Right Effort includes having a ‘middle-way’ approach. One needs just enough believe to start meditating but then be open to what is experienced in meditation. Although we are careful to stay away from dogma or beliefs one needs enough of a belief in the benefits of meditation to at least start meditating.
On the other hand one should have ‘intentions’ for meditation they should not not have strong goals or expectations. They should not be judgemental about how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ the meditation was. One can also try so hard for specific outcomes in meditation (or the entire practice) that the ‘attachment’ to that is a strong impediment. I was lucky when I started in that I did not believe in Awakening (Enlightenment). I just wanted to do the meditations to see what happened.
One should treat this as a scientist would treat an experiment. There is the intention for the experiment to produce certain results but the scientist is open to whatever the results are. Sometimes the ‘wrong’ results lead to great discoveries.
It is confusing here that Right Mindfulness comes before Right Concentration even though we generally teach Concentration meditation before Mindfulness meditation. The point of doing that is to concentrate the mind before doing Mindfulness meditation to keep Mindfulness meditation from turning into day dreaming.
However, one can also be mindful when doing Concentration meditation. As you see below, Concentration can go much deeper than the initial Access Concentration we strive for, down into the deeper Jhana states of Concentration. One should be mindful when doing the Jhanas, so it makes sense that Mindfulness would come before Concentration in that case.
From Wikipedia:
Main article: Mindfulness (Buddhism)
Right mindfulness (samyak-smṛti / sammā-sati) in the Sacca-vibhanga Sutta is explained as follows:[62][68]
And what is right mindfulness?
Here the monk remains contemplating the body as body, resolute, aware and mindful, having put aside worldly desire and sadness;
he remains contemplating feelings as feelings;
he remains contemplating mental states as mental states;
he remains contemplating mental objects as mental objects, resolute, aware and mindful, having put aside worldly desire and sadness;
This is called right mindfulness.
This factor in the Noble Eightfold Path helps the monk to guard the mind, and not to crave and cling to any transitory state or thing, by complete and constant awareness of phenomena as impermanent, suffering and without self.[41] (Russ - This is key!) The most detailed discussion of the right mindfulness in the Pali Canon is in the Satipatthana Sutta, where the emphasis is to consider the "four contemplations" – body, feelings (Russ - satisfactory/unstaisfactory/nuetral) , mind and phenomena – as just that and nothing more, and not ascribe to them any substantiality, nor self.[86][note 5]
According to modern Theravada orthodoxy, these "four contemplations" through right mindfulness lead to insight of the three characteristics of existence – anicca, dukkha and anatta, and cover the five skandhas (five aggregates, heaps).[88][note 6]
Concentration here means the deeper states of Concentration than the Concentration Meditation we do. After becoming concentrated, instead of going into Mindfulness Meditation, one can continue go deeper into Concentration Meditation and the Jhanas.
From Wikipedia:
Samadhi (samyak-samādhi / sammā-samādhi) is a common practice in Indian religions. Although often translated as "concentration," as in the limiting of the attention of the mind on one object, it also refers to the clearness and heightened alertness of mind which appears through prolonged practice of dhyana.[89] The term samadhi derives from the root sam-a-dha, which means 'to collect' or 'bring together', and thus it is often translated as 'concentration' or 'unification of mind'. In the early Buddhist texts, samadhi is also associated with the term samatha (calm abiding). In the suttas, samadhi is defined as one-pointedness of mind (Cittass'ekaggatā).[90] Buddhagosa defines samadhi as "the centering of consciousness and consciousness concomitants evenly and rightly on a single object...the state in virtue of which consciousness and its concomitants remain evenly and rightly on a single object, undistracted and unscattered."[91]
Neither the Four Noble Truths nor the Noble Eightfold Path discourse, states Johannes Bronkhorst, provide details of right samadhi.[92] The explanation is to be found in the Canonical texts of Buddhism, in several Suttas, such as the following in Saccavibhanga Sutta:[62][68]
And what is right concentration?
[i] Here, the monk, detached from sense-desires, detached from unwholesome states, enters and remains in the first jhana (level of concentration, Sanskrit: dhyāna), in which there is applied and sustained thinking, together with joy and pleasure born of detachment;
[ii] And through the subsiding of applied and sustained thinking, with the gaining of inner stillness and oneness of mind, he enters and remains in the second jhana, which is without applied and sustained thinking, and in which there are joy and pleasure born of concentration;
[iii] And through the fading of joy, he remains equanimous, mindful and aware, and he experiences in his body the pleasure of which the Noble Ones say: "equanimous, mindful and dwelling in pleasure", and thus he enters and remains in the third jhana;
[iv] And through the giving up of pleasure and pain, and through the previous disappearance of happiness and sadness, he enters and remains in the fourth jhana, which is without pleasure and pain, and in which there is pure equanimity and mindfulness.
This is called right concentration.[68][93]
At first Right View is understanding many of the Buddhist Teachings. Later on it is a deeper direct experience of these things.
It is described by the Sammaditthi Sutta.
Right View encompasses:
From Wikipedia -
Right resolve (samyak-saṃkalpa / sammā sankappa) can also be known as "right thought", "right intention", or "right aspiration". In this factor, the practitioner resolves to leave home, renounce the worldly life and dedicate himself to a spiritual pursuit.[23][29] In section III.248, the Majjhima Nikaya states,
And what is right resolve? Being resolved on renunciation, on freedom from ill will, on harmlessness: This is called right resolve.[60]
Like right view, this factor has two levels. At the mundane level, the resolve includes being harmless (ahimsa) and refraining from ill will (avyabadha) to any being, as this accrues karma and leads to rebirth.[29][61] At the supramundane level, the factor includes a resolve to consider everything and everyone as impermanent, a source of suffering and without a Self.[61]
From Trans4mind -
There are three aspects of right intention:
Renunciation - Originally this meant becoming a Monk. Today many follow more of a ‘Middle Way’ and do not go to the extreme of becoming a Monk. However, wanton Desire is not good. Remember that Desire and Attachment are not the same thing. Wanting something is OK but look closely at what your feeling (satisfactory/unsatisfactory/neutral) would be if you do not get what you desire. If your feeling would be ‘unsatisfactory’ then you are attached to the outcome. Another way to say this is - would you be equanimous with the outcome?
A trick pull out a feeling associated with a decision or desire is to flip a coin on it. Assign an outcome to heads or tails. Flip the coin. Look closely at what feeling arises when the result (heads or tails) is seen.
Also from Trans4mind -
Of course, we might not ask this exact questions, or any questions. We might just be aware that an action is unskilled (leads to suffering, for us or others, including other sentient beings). Of course, at some time we may need to carefully think about what we do and what we think, and we would probably use language and questions to guide our thinking wisely.