The right path

“Let us pass through your land; we will stay on the main road. We will not turn to the right or to the left.

Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

At the LORD’s command, Moses recorded the stages of their journey. These are the stages listed by their starting points:

I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

The path of the righteous is level; You clear a straight path for the upright.

He led them on a straight path to reach a city where they could live.

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi says: Which way of life is an upright path that a person should select for himself; what should be his guiding principle? One should love admonition, for as long as statements of admonition from the wise are heard in the world, pleasantness comes into the world, goodness and blessing come into the world, and evil departs from the world, as it is stated: “But to those who admonish shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them” (Proverbs 24:25). And some say: The path one should select is to adhere to utmost faithfulness in business and interpersonal relations, as it is stated: “My eyes are upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me; he who walks in a way of integrity, he shall serve Me” (Psalms 101:6).

The Gemara provides a source for this claim. As it is written: “Therefore, behold, I will hedge up your way with thorns, and make a wall against her, that she shall not find her paths” (Hosea 2:8). Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It is derived from here, as it is written: “He has made my paths crooked” (Lamentations 3:9), which indicates that over the course of the exile the routes have become longer.

As it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: In a situation where the multitudes selected a path for themselves in a field, or between fields, the path that they selected, they selected, and they retain the right to traverse this path even if the place belongs to an individual. Here too, as the partition of the courtyard was breached to the extent that the public can enter, its status is that of a public domain. The Gemara expresses surprise at this opinion: Is that so? But didn’t Rav Giddel say that Rav said: And this applies only if they had misplaced a path in that field. Generally speaking, the public does not have the right to establish a path wherever it chooses. The baraita is referring to a case where a public path used to run through that field, but it fell into disuse, and no one remembers its precise course. In this case the public may once again select a path through the field.

On a straight path

And should guide them unto a straight path

Show us the straight path

Narrated Hammam: Hudhaifa said, "O the Group of Al-Qurra! Follow the straight path, for then you have taken a great lead (and will be the leaders), but if you divert right or left, then you will go astray far away

Narrated ʿAli: We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) in a funeral procession at Baqi Al-Gharqad. He said, "There is none of you but has his place written for him in Paradise or in the Hell- Fire." They said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall we depend (on this fact and give up work)?" He said, "Carry on doing (good deeds), for every body will find it easy to do (what will lead him to his destined place)." Then he recited: 'As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah, and believes in the Best reward from Allah (i.e. Allah will compensate him for what he will spend in Allah's way). So, We will make smooth for him the path of ease. But he who is a greedy miser....for him, the path for evil

Narrated ʿAli: We were in the company of the Prophet (ﷺ) and he said, "There is none among you but has his place written for him, either in Paradise or in the Hell-Fire." We said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! Shall we depend (on this fact and give up work)?" He replied, "No! Carry on doing good deeds, for everybody will find easy (to do) such deeds as will lead him to his destined place." Then the Prophet (ﷺ) recited: 'As for him who gives (in charity) and keeps his duty to Allah, and believes in the Best reward. We will make smooth for him the path of ease....the path for evil

Lord Shri Krishna replied: In this world, as I have said, there is a twofold path, O sinless one! There is the path of wisdom for those who meditate, and the path of action for those who work.

Beyond lies the path, from which, once found, there is no return. This is the Primal God from whom this ancient creation has sprung.

The level which is attained through wisdom is also reached through right action. He who perceives that the two are one, knows the truth.

Arise! Awake! Having reached the Great Ones (illumined Teachers), gain understanding. The path is as sharp as a razor, impassable and difficult to travel, so the wise declare.

O Agni (Bright Being)! Lead us to blessedness by the good path. O Lord! Thou knowest all our deeds, remove all evil and delusion from us. To Thee we offer our prostrations and supplications again and again.

Next (the teaching) is regarding Adhyatman (the embodied Soul). The mind seems to approach Him (Brahman). By this mind (the seeker) again and again remembers and thinks about Brahman.

Guarded in speech, restrained in mind, doing no unskillful bodily deed. Purify these three ways of performing deeds, and win the path known to seers. From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends. Knowing these two paths— of progress and decline— you should conduct yourself so that wisdom grows.

Therefore: An attentive one, wise and learned, a behemoth of virtue, true to their vows, noble: follow a true and intelligent person such as this, as the moon tracks the path of the stars.

Deep in wisdom, intelligent, expert in the path and what is not the path; arrived at the highest goal: that’s who I declare a brahmin.

Then as the students Vāseṭṭha and Bhāradvāja were going for a walk they began a discussion regarding what is the path and what is not the path. Vāseṭṭha said this: “This is the only straight path, the direct route that delivers one who applies it to the company of Divinity; namely, that explained by the brahmin Pokkharasāti.” Bhāradvāja said this: “This is the only straight path, the direct route that delivers one who applies it to the company of Divinity; namely, that explained by the brahmin Tārukkha.” But neither was able to persuade the other. So Vāseṭṭha said to Bhāradvāja, “Bhāradvāja, the ascetic Gotama—a Sakyan, gone forth from a Sakyan family—is staying in a mango grove on a bank of the Aciravatī River to the north of Manasākaṭa. He has this good reputation: ‘That Blessed One is perfected, a fully awakened Buddha, accomplished in knowledge and conduct, holy, knower of the world, supreme guide for those fit for training, teacher of gods and humans, awakened, blessed.’ Come, let’s go to see him and ask him about this matter. As he answers, so we’ll remember it.” “Yes, worthy sir,” replied Bhāradvāja. 1. What is the Path and What is Not the Path So they went to the Buddha and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, they sat down to one side and Vāseṭṭha told him of their conversation, adding: “In this matter we have a dispute, a disagreement, a difference of opinion.” “So, Vāseṭṭha, it seems that you say that the straight path is that explained by Pokkharasāti, while Bhāradvāja says that the straight path is that explained by Tārukkha. But what exactly is your disagreement about?”

The Linked Discourses on the Path, the first section.

Those who were satisfied by the Clear-eyed One, the Buddha, Kinsman of the Sun, led the spiritual life in his presence, the one of such outstanding wisdom. If you practice in accordance with each of these questions as taught by the Buddha, you’ll go from the near shore to the far. Developing the supreme path, you’ll go from the near shore to the far. This path is for going to the far shore; that’s why it’s called “The Way to the Far Shore”.

O my mind, do not waver or walk on the crooked path; take the straight and true path. The terrible tiger is behind you, and the pool of fire is ahead. My soul is skeptical and doubtful, but I cannot see any other way to go. O Nanak, as Gurmukh, dwell with your Beloved Lord, and you shall be saved. ||7||

He takes the crooked path of the unrighteous way; leaving the straight and narrow path, he weaves his way backwards. ||3|| God is the Lord and Master of both worlds. He, whom the Lord unites with Himself, O Nanak, is liberated. ||4||29||98||

The path upon which I must walk is very depressing. It is sharper than a two-edged sword, and very narrow. That is where my path lies. O Shaykh Fareed, think of that path early on. ||4||1||

He who devotes himself to learning (seeks) from day to day to increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to the Tao (seeks) from day to day to diminish (his doing). He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing (on purpose). Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do. He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble (with that end). If one take trouble (with that end), he is not equal to getting as his own all under heaven.

Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows. Therefore the sages got their knowledge without travelling; gave their (right) names to things without seeing them; and accomplished their ends without any purpose of doing so.

For regulating the human (in our constitution) and rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation. It is only by this moderation that there is effected an early return (to man’s normal state). That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes (of the Tao). With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes the subjugation (of every obstacle to such return). Of this subjugation we know not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state. He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long. His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm:—this is the way to secure that its enduring life shall long be seen.