According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha called his teaching about avoiding extremes the Middle Way.
The Middle Way initially referred to a path between sensual indulgence and severe self-mortification. Siddhartha Gautama had experienced palace luxury and later practiced intense asceticism, but he concluded that neither extreme led to awakening. His discovery of a balanced approach became a defining part of his teaching.
The Middle Way is also connected with the Noble Eightfold Path, which gives practical guidance through ethical conduct, mental discipline, and wisdom. In later Buddhist philosophy, especially Madhyamaka, “Middle Way” acquired additional meanings concerning the avoidance of extreme views about existence and nonexistence.
The term should not be confused with the Noble Eightfold Path itself. The path is the practical framework; the Middle Way is the broader principle of avoiding extremes that the path expresses.