Centuries before the birth of Christ, Buddha taught a path of love, compassion and forgiveness originating from his experiences of suffering in the world. The cause of suffering, he believed, lay within the soul, which had become self-centred and egotistic. Buddha inaugurated the Eightfold Path for purification and transformation – eight exercises which could lead to a new relationship with the world, from self-centredness to a warm interest in one’s environment and in other people. The exercises, described and explained here in their correct sequence – with each preparing the individual for the next step – are: the right view, the right resolve, the right word, the right action, the right standpoint, the right effort, the right remembrance and the right contemplation.

In this small book, based on commentary given by Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) as well as his own intensive work with many groups, Joop van Dam has created a practical guide for anyone wishing to take up this path of personal development. He gives particular focus to the benefit that can be gained from the Eightfold Path by those in the educational, therapeutic and caring professions.

JOOP VAN DAM was a Medical Doctor for 40 years in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Now retired, he is still active as a lecturer in educational and medical programmes and in the Anthroposophical Society in the Netherlands, of which he was President for seven years. He is the author of several publications, including The Sixfold Path.