Middle Way

E58750

The Middle Way is a central Buddhist principle advocating a balanced path between extremes of self-indulgence and self-mortification, leading toward enlightenment.

All labels observed (3)

Label Occurrences
Middle Way canonical 9
Noble Eightfold Path 1
majjhimā paṭipadā 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (47)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Buddhist doctrine
philosophical principle
spiritual path
aimsAt cessation of suffering
enlightenment
articulatedIn Turning of the Wheel of Dharma
surface form: Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta

Tripitaka
surface form: Pali Canon
associatedWith Shakyamuni Buddha
surface form: Gautama Buddha
category Buddhist path
Buddhist soteriology
centralToSchool Mahayana
surface form: Mahayana Buddhism

Theravada
surface form: Theravada Buddhism

Vajrayana
surface form: Vajrayana Buddhism
contrastedWith eternalism
nihilism
coreTeachingOf Buddhism
describedAs balanced path between extremes
emphasizes balanced meditation practice
practical moderation in lifestyle
right concentration
right effort
right view
goal liberation from samsara
hasAspect avoidance of extremes
ethical moderation
mental balance
hasDimension ethical
meditative
wisdom (prajñā)
historicalContext formulated after Buddha’s extreme ascetic practices
influenced Buddhist ethics
Buddhist meditation theory
Buddhist philosophy
interpretedAs middle between metaphysical extremes
middle between practical lifestyle extremes
languageOfOrigin Pali
opposes self-indulgence
self-mortification
originalTerm Middle Way self-linksurface differs
surface form: majjhimā paṭipadā
purpose to end dukkha (suffering)
relatedConcept Eightfold Path
surface form: Noble Eightfold Path

dependent origination
emptiness (śūnyatā)
religiousTradition Buddhism
scripturalStatus foundational teaching in early Buddhist texts
teaches rejection of ascetic extremism
rejection of hedonistic extremism

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (11)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Buddhism coreTeaching Middle Way
this entity surface form: Noble Eightfold Path
Buddhism teaches Middle Way
Buddha discusses Middle Way
subject surface form: Buddha (book)
Middle Way originalTerm Middle Way self-linksurface differs
this entity surface form: majjhimā paṭipadā
Asalha Puja relatedConcept Middle Way
Nagarjuna philosophicalConcept Middle Way
Indian Buddhism hasKeyDoctrine Middle Way
Four Arya Truths relatedConcept Middle Way