<P> The Noble Eightfold Path (Pali: ariyo aṭṭhaṅgiko maggo, Sanskrit: āryāṣṭāṅgamārga) is an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth . </P> <P> The Eightfold Path consists of eight practices: right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right "samadhi" (meditative absorption or union). In the earliest Buddhism these practices started with insight (right view), culminating in dhyana / samadhi as the core soteriological practice . In later Buddhism insight (prajna) became the central soteriological instrument, leading to a different concept and structure of the path . </P> <P> The Eightfold Path teaches that by restraining oneself, cultivating discipline, and practicing mindfulness and meditation, house - leavers (monks and nuns) attain nirvana and stop their craving, clinging and karmic accumulations, thereby ending their rebirth and suffering . </P> <P> The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the principal teachings of Theravada Buddhism, leading to Arhatship . In the Theravada tradition, this path is also summarized as sila (morals), samadhi (meditation) and prajna (insight). In Mahayana Buddhism it is contrasted with the Bodhisattva path, which culminates in full Buddhahood . </P>

What is the purpose of the eight fold path
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