I find the term & label Buddhist somewhat uncomfortable, I prefer dhamma-vinaya, the term the Buddha used as the name for his teachings, and I would imagine a description all Noble beings practised whether or not they had heard of the Buddha.*
My sense is that the path is a reflective path, this includes all the teachings, and it is this reflective quality that makes the path Noble. It is sometimes said that the Buddha didn't teach a metaphysics or ontology, which is correct, but there are aspects of these in the teachings, whether or not these expressions of philosophy within the teachings are correct or not in a worldly sense, doesn't really matter, as it is within the spiritual sense that these should be considered, and more importantly, whether or not the use of and reflection on these work.
It is great being able to say that the Four Noble Truths are Dukkha, the cause of Dukkha, the Cessation of Dukkha, and the path leading to the cessation of Dukkha, but what about the practice of these, how can we practice Dukkha, the Cessation of Dukkha, and the path leading to the cessation of Dukkha? By saying it? learning it? or reflecting on it? and does our practice conform with the teachings, and do what it says on the tin, or not?
Whether or not the philosophical aspects of the teachings are true or not in a worldly sense, doesn't really matter, it is whether the practice conforms to these verify the claims that matters.
My sense is that the path is a reflective path, this includes all the teachings, and it is this reflective quality that makes the path Noble. It is sometimes said that the Buddha didn't teach a metaphysics or ontology, which is correct, but there are aspects of these in the teachings, whether or not these expressions of philosophy within the teachings are correct or not in a worldly sense, doesn't really matter, as it is within the spiritual sense that these should be considered, and more importantly, whether or not the use of and reflection on these work.
It is great being able to say that the Four Noble Truths are Dukkha, the cause of Dukkha, the Cessation of Dukkha, and the path leading to the cessation of Dukkha, but what about the practice of these, how can we practice Dukkha, the Cessation of Dukkha, and the path leading to the cessation of Dukkha? By saying it? learning it? or reflecting on it? and does our practice conform with the teachings, and do what it says on the tin, or not?
Whether or not the philosophical aspects of the teachings are true or not in a worldly sense, doesn't really matter, it is whether the practice conforms to these verify the claims that matters.
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