From the Book : The Teaching of Buddha

                                                 
                                                             THE MIDDLE WAY

To those who choose the path that leads to Enlightenment, there are two extremes that should be carefully avoided. First, there is the extreme of indulgence in the desires of the body. Second, there is the opposite extreme that comes naturally to one who wants to renounce this life and to go to an extreme of ascetic discipline and to torture one's body and mind unreasonably.

The Noble Path, that transcend these two extremes and leads to Enlightenment and wisdom and peace of mind, may be called the Middle Way. What is the Middle Way? It consists of the Eight fold Noble Path: right view, right thought, right speech, right behaviour, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration.