The Buddha Rediscovered the Ancient Path

The Buddha did not claim to have created a new path. He said that he rediscovered the ancient path traveled by the Fully Awakened Buddhas of the past. That ancient path is the Noble Eightfold Path. By following it, he directly realized dependent origination: the arising and cessation of suffering and the way leading to its cessation.

“I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Fully Awakened Ones of former times.

And what is that ancient path? It is this Noble Eightfold Path: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.

I followed that path. By following it, I directly understood aging and death, its origin, its cessation, and the way leading to its cessation. I directly understood birth, becoming, clinging, craving, feeling, contact, the six sense bases, name-and-form, consciousness, and volitional formations.”

— SN 12.65, Nagara Sutta (The City)