Middle Way

The Middle Way or Middle Path (Pali: Majjhimāpaṭipadā; Sanskrit: Madhyamāpratipada), which is central to Buddhism, was first proclaimed by the historical Buddha after his enlightenment in the Sermon of Benares. It avoids the extremes of debauchery and strict asceticism and enables the realisation of the Four Noble Truths, leading to the Noble Eightfold Path, which leads to salvation from suffering by stopping the wheel of rebirths and to final extinction in Nirvana.