“There are no enlightened beings, only enlightened actions.”
Buddhism revolves around the principle of Dharma and encompasses various traditions, beliefs and practices of Lord Buddha. Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath to Kaundinya and four other scholars. In Isipatana of Sarnath, he preached about Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which includes Four Noble Truths and Noble Eightfold Path.
It is these fundamental doctrines of Buddhism that have been displayed in the artwork shown below, the title of the artwork being, “Ariya atthangika magga” – The Noble Eightfold Path. The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Buddhism and is the fourth truth of the Four Noble Truths and regarded by Buddha as the medium to attain Enlightenment.
This artwork depicts the Noble Eightfold Path through the Dharma Wheel (Dharma Chakra), with its eight spokes representing the eight elements of the path, namely – right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (or “samadhi”).
The four circles in the corners represent the Four Noble Truths, namely – The existence of suffering, its cause, its cessation and the path leading to its end. The path alluded to in the fourth truth is the Eightfold Path, which ultimately leads to enlightenment or Nirvana. This path is also depicted textually in the form of Tibetan manuscripts in the background of the artwork.
The Noble Eightfold Path is all about ending the suffering of life and achievement of self-awakening. It enables us to overcome the “I” and attain harmony with the world around us. Being always awake and aware, is fundamental to a good life.
The Art Dungeon 