The Noble Eightfold Path in the Buddha’s First and Last Discourses

The noble eightfold path is the first and the last discourses of the Buddha. The Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma Discourse which contains the Buddha’s first discourse emphasizes this as follows:

“Bhikkhus, these two extremes should not be followed by one who has gone forth into homelessness. What two? The pursuit of sensual happiness in sensual pleasures, which is low, vulgar, the way of worldlings, ignoble, unbeneficial; and the pursuit of self-mortification, which is painful, ignoble, unbeneficial. Without veering towards either of these extremes, the Tathāgata has awakened to the middle path, which gives rise to vision, which gives rise to knowledge, which leads to peace, to direct knowledge, to enlightenment, to Nibbāna.

“And what, bhikkhus, is that middle path awakened to by the Tathāgata, which gives rise to vision … which leads to Nibbāna? It is this noble eightfold path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.” (S56:11, the Setting in Motion the Wheel of the Dhamma Discourse, Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi)

(Introduction to Early Buddhism, Bhikkhu Kakmuk)