The Noble Eightfold Path: Wise Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is a brief talk on building a complete practice. We are called to incorporate a variety of qualities into our practice, and it’s helpful to know where to focus our energy. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness New Practicing Mindfulness Course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/practicing-mindfulness Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2X6FdH3W7dzr3Hg70Z8vgu Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guided-meditations-talks/id1050712922 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oneminddharma 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge The post Building a Complete Practice appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is a talk from our series on Mindfulness for Beginners, where we cover various topics and practices for beginners to meditation. In this talk, we discuss what exactly mindfulness is, how it serves us, and how we cultivate it. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness Mindfulness for Beginners YouTube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2CsBiOXfpeJx228GlDXhtIXGtoBUA4mt Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2X6FdH3W7dzr3Hg70Z8vgu Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guided-meditations-talks/id1050712922 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oneminddharma 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Mindfulness for Beginners: A Guide to Getting Started with Meditation – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/mindfulness-for-beginners 29 Scientific Benefits of Meditation: What the Research Tells Us – https://oneminddharma.com/benefits-of-meditation/ The post Mindfulness for Beginners: What is Mindfulness? appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov Today we wrap up our discussion of the Noble Eightfold Path by looking at the last section of factors. These factors of samadhi are the meditative factors that we traditionally cultivate through meditation practice. As we’ve been doing, we’ll cover some of the suttas and traditional Buddhist teachings as well as the pragmatic applications off the cushion in our everyday lives. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness Subscribe on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2X6FdH3W7dzr3Hg70Z8vgu Subscribe on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guided-meditations-talks/id1050712922 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oneminddharma 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Post on the Noble Eightfold Path: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/noble-eightfold-path Post on Wise Effort: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/wise-effort Mentioned Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html The post The Noble Eightfold Path: Wise Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 12, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is a ten minute guided walking meditation focusing on mindfulness of the body. Walking meditation is a powerful practice that helps us build mindfulness in a new posture, bridge the gap from meditation to daily life, and give a way to bring some energy into our practice. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness More about walking meditation: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/walking-meditation 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge The post 10 Minute Walking Meditation appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This guided meditation is a ten minute body scan practice. We move through the body slowly, paying attention to each part of the body with mindfulness and awareness. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness Read more about body scanning at https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/body-scan 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge The post 10 Minute Body Scan Meditation appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is the third in our series on the Noble Eightfold Path. This week’s talk investigates the practices of sila, or ethics. We’ll cover Wise Speech, Wise Action, and Wise Livelihood. These are three factors that leave us without remorse or regret in meditation, and help us to live in harmony with ourselves and our communities. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Online Sitting Group: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/sit Post on the Noble Eightfold Path: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/noble-eightfold-path Post on the Five Precepts: https://oneminddharma.com/the-five-precepts/ Post on Wise Speech: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/wise-speech Suttas mentioned: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html https://suttacentral.net/an5.198/en/sujato https://suttacentral.net/thag21.1/en/sujato The post The Noble Eightfold Path: Wise Speech, Action, & Livelihood appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is a quick 10 minute guided mindfulness meditation. We’ll cultivate mindfulness with some open awareness practice, noting what arises and passes in our experience. We start with a period of checking in with the body, sounds, and mental state just to arrive where we are. We then move into a more open practice using noting. With mindful noting, we simply note whatever experience we are having. The noting helps us to identify and be present, but not get sucked in. Remember that any time the mind wanders off, to come back with gentleness and kindness! Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Free Weekly Podcast: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/podcast Online Sitting Group: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/sit Bestselling Book: https://oneminddharma.com/book/ Practice Mindfulness in Everyday Life: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/mindfulness-everday-life The post 10 Minute Mindfulness Meditation appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov We’re continuing into our investigation of the Noble Eigthfold Path today. We’ll start with the section on wisdom, looking at Wise View and Wise Intention. These two factors of the path form our understanding and inclination on the path. Cultivating Wise View means seeing experience clearly. This especially relates to the nature of the Four Noble Truths, karma, and dependent origination. Wise Intention is the cultivation of wholesome intentions, an inclining of the mind toward liberation rather than suffering. The three traditional pieces of Wise Intention are the intention of renunciation, the intention of goodwill, and the intention of harmlessness. We can think of Wise View as an understanding of the current situation, and Wise Intention as the orienting toward a direction to move forward. These two factors work together to build wisdom in our path. We will continue next week with a discussion on the factors of ethics. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness 30 Day Meditation Challenge: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Online Sitting Group: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/sit Post on the Noble Eightfold Path: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/noble-eightfold-path Post on Wise Intention: https://oneminddharma.com/right-intention/ Dahmmacakkappavattana Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html Sammaditthi Sutta: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.009.ntbb.html Wildmind Article on Intention: https://www.wildmind.org/blogs/on-practice/the-power-of-intention Watch this Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bildKuY4Rr8 The post The Noble Eigthfold Path: Wise View and Intention appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This is a ten minute morning meditation rooted in the practice of mindfulness. Start your day with mindful presence that you can carry with you throughout your day! This guided meditation begins with a brief period of allowing ourselves space to settle before moving into a body scan. The body scan practice helps us to connect with our present-time experience in the body. We then open up to mindfulness of the breath in the body. As the breath and body are always with us, we connect with the present moment through this anchor. This is a practice, and a cultivation. You don’t have to be perfect. Remember you are training your mind/body with this meditation. To wrap up this 10 minute morning meditation, we connect with an intention for the day. Ideally this will be a deeper intention, not a superficial one. We don’t need to plan or overthink. The practice here is to connect with the intention as it is already within us. I offer this guided meditation in this format as I find it to be a helpful way to get the day going with both mindfulness and clear intentions. It is something I do in my own practice, so I share it here with you in the hopes it supports your practice and wellbeing. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness Free 30 Day Meditation Challenge – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge Online Sitting Group – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/sit One Mind Dharma Podcast – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/podcast Post about Morning Meditation – https://oneminddharma.com/morning-meditation/ Should I Meditate in the Morning or at Night? – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/meditate-morning-night Body Scan Meditation Instructions – https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/body-scan The post 10 Minute Morning Meditation appeared first on One Mind Dharma.

Last Updated on March 9, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov This talk covers the basics of the Four Noble Truths. It is the introduction to our series on the Noble Eightfold Path. The Four Noble Truths were one of the Buddha’s first teachings upon awakening, and remain a foundational part of the dharma. Originally a part of the Buddha’s first talk, The Setting of the Wheel of Dharma in Motion, it teaches us to recognize the dukkha, its causes, and its cessation. Before diving into the Noble Eightfold Path, it is important to understand the context in which this teaching was given. The Eightfold Path is the last of the Four Noble Truths, and answers the question of how we free ourselves from dukkha. Sign up for the free Introduction to Mindfulness online course: https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/intro-to-mindfulness To read more about the Four Noble Truths visit https://oneminddharma.com/four-noble-truths/. To find more podcast episodes and show notes, visit https://oneminddharma.com/podcasts/. For links to the podcast on Spotify, Youtube, Apple, and more, visit https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/podcast. To join our free 30 day meditation challenge, visit https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/meditation-challenge. To learn about our weekly sitting group, head to https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/sit https://www.themindfulcounselor.me/blog/noble-eightfold-path https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html The post Introduction to the Noble Eightfold Path: The Four Noble Truths appeared first on One Mind Dharma.