Direct Knowledge Is a Product of the Noble Eightfold Path

[Ted]

Hello, Everyone --

The first discourse given by the Buddha to the first five disciples
was known as Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The Teaching was about the
noble middle way (or path of practice) that avoids two extremes. This
nobel middle way is known as the Noble Eightfold Path that gives
vision & knowledge and such a path leads to Direct Knowledge and
Nibbana.
..............................

"Bhikkhus, these two extremes ought not to be cultivated by one gone
forth from the house-life. What are the two? There is devotion to
indulgence of pleasure in the objects of sensual desire, which is
inferior, low, vulgar, ignoble, and leads to no good; and there is
devotion to self-torment, which is painful, ignoble and leads to no
good.

"The middle way discovered by a Perfect One avoids both these
extremes; it gives vision, it gives knowledge, and it leads to peace,
to direct acquaintance, to discovery, to nibbana. And what is that
middle way? It is simply the noble eightfold path, that is to say,
right view, right intention; right speech, right action, right
livelihood; right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. That
is the middle way discovered by a Perfect One, which gives vision,
which gives knowledge, and which leads to peace, to direct
acquaintance, to discovery, to nibbana. [Translator : Ñanamoli Thera]
..............................

An alternate translation of the second paragraph was given by
Thanissaro Bhikkhu :

"And what is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing
vision, producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to
self-awakening, to Unbinding? Precisely this Noble Eightfold Path:
right view, right resolve, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration. This
is the middle way realized by the Tathagata that — producing vision,
producing knowledge — leads to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-
awakening, to Unbinding."

It is interesting to notice that "direct acquaintance" is the same as
"direct knowledge". But "direct knowledge" is more meaningful to me.

Best wishes to you all.

----------------------------