Yes, they're very similar. It's just a matter of what we're actually focusing on at these particular times. It's not as if we can develop the Noble Eightfold Path separate to the Ten Paramis, separate to the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, it can't be done like that. They have to be developed in unison.
For instance, the Wisdom Parami has to do with the first two factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, and also has to do with the second Factor of Enlightenment, investigation into mental objects. They're given to understand what qualities are beneficial in our practice and which direction to take, with the Noble Eightfold Path in particular. I see it as the big thing that incorporates everything else.
Then someone else may say, well the Ten Paramis incorporate everything else, too. They overlap. We can't actually separate them. As I see it, as far as the Noble Eightfold Path is concerned, one has to have Right View and Right Understanding to develop any of the other factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. While we're trying to develop the Noble Eightfold Path we can similarly be developing the Paramis. I don't think one can be developed first and then we go on to the next one, it's not a sort of step by step thing like that. At certain times we focus on one or the other.
For example, when we're speaking with others, it would be an appropriate time to develop Right Speech. In order to understand what Right Speech is we have to have Right Understanding of what is beneficial speech or unbeneficial speech. And in order to have Right Speech we have to have Truthfulness. So the Paramis are working together with the Noble Eightfold Path at that time. Also, the Mindfulness Factor of Enlightenment, we have to have Mindfulness present to be able to do this. They work in unison. It's just a matter of where we're focusing our attention at that particular time and what's appropriate for the moment.
If we reflect on the Ten Paramis, it will enable us to then, perhaps, bring this understanding of the Ten Paramis to help us to deal with all our experiences in our practice, and all experiences in life. If we have an understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path, then we can realize whether we have Right Thinking or Right Understanding, or wrong understanding and wrong thinking. In order to do that, we have to have a basic understanding of the Four Noble Truths. So they work in unison. If we know all of them well, it will help us to develop them.
If we don't actually know what they are, and don't know what the Noble Eightfold Path is, and the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path, and also have an understanding of what they are, it's very difficult to walk the Noble Eightfold Path. So it's important to actually have a bit of intellectual understanding of the Noble Eightfold Path, what the Noble Eightfold Path is. Investigate into the Dhamma, memorize it, so that we can then investigate into it more.
In order to develop the Paramis we have to know what they are, so it's very helpful to memorize them. So we can then reflect on them. The same with the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and then, as you're doing the practice, you may see what's appropriate to focus on at that particular moment. For instance, if you have got a lot of sloth and torpor in the mind, it's probably not a good time to develop the Tranquility factor of enlightenment, rather more the Energy factor of enlightenment, and so on, understanding how the mind is affected by these different factors of enlightenment.