RIGHT LIVELIHOOD IN

THERAVDA BUDDHISM AND

WESTERN ECONOMY

Buddhist
Economic
s
Studies

Lecturer:
Ajahn hit
a

GROUP 5
Ven. Nguyen Hoang Phuc

(ID.5501201046)
Ven. Nguyen Trong Vinh
(ID.5501201089)

INTRODUCTIO
N
The fifth path of the eightfold is
Right Livelihood. What does this
mean, exactly, and how do you
know if your livelihood is a
"right" one?
Right livelihood means to avoid
harm through your work in the
world. The monks in the
Buddha's time addressed this
issue by taking vows of poverty.
Monks then and now renounce
material possessions, except for
a robe, a begging bowl, and few
other items.

Right livelihood asks you to look at your choices for

work and decide if what you are doing to put food
on the table is causing harm to anyone or anything
else.
Even
more
than
not
doing harm,
right
livelihood
goes a step
further
and
encourages
you
to
do
work that are
helpful
to
others.
It
requests that
you live an

WHAT IS RIGHT
LIVELIHOOD?
Right livelihood is concerned with
ensuring that one earns one's living in a
righteous way. For a lay disciple the
Buddha teaches that wealth should be
gained in accordance with certain
standards. One should acquire it only by
legal means, not illegally; one should
acquire it peacefully, without coercion or
violence; one should acquire it honestly,
not by trickery or deceit; and one should

"And what is right

livelihood? There is the
case where a disciple of
the noble ones, having
abandoned
dishonest
livelihood, keeps his life
going
with
right
livelihood: This is called
right livelihood."
S.45.8 (Vibhagasutta)

To practice Right Livelihood

(samm-jva), you have to
find a way to earn your living
without transgressing your
ideals
of
love
and
compassion. The way you
support yourself can be an
expression of your deepest
self, or it can be a source of
suffering for you and others...
Our vocation can nourish our
understanding
and
compassion, or erode them.
We should be awake to the
consequences, far and near,
of the way we earn our living.

THERE ARE FOUR

KINDS OF RIGHT
LIVELIHOOD
(SAMM-JVA):
1.
Duccarita
micchjva virati:
In the case of laity,
refraining
from
wrong
livelihood
by
means
of
immoral physical
and verbal actions.

2. Anesana micchjva virati: In the case

of monks and recluses, refraining from wrong
livelihood, e.g. by means of giving fruits and
flowers to laymen to win their affection.

3.
Kuhandi
micchjva
virati: In the
case of monks
and
recluses,
refraining from
trickery
and
deception
by
means
of
working
wonders.

4. Tiracchna vijj micchjva virati: In the

case of monks and recluses, refraining from
wrong livelihood, e.g. by means of performing
base arts, such as reading signs and omens,
which are against the rules and practices of the
Order.

RIGHT LIVELIHOOD FOR

BHIKKHUS ON
PRISUDDHISLA
Pure
Precepts
(Prisuddhisla) are
the
disciplinary
rules that monks
need to study and
observe in order to
purify the morality
of
action
and
speech. This is the
foundation
for
purifying the mind

i. Restraint in accordance
with
the
monastic
disciplinary
code
(pimokkhasavarasla),
ii. Restraint of the senses
(indriyasavarasla),
iii. Pure conduct regarding
livelihood
(jvaprisuddhisla),
iv. Restraint regarding the
necessities
of
life
(paccayasannissitasla).
(Vism.16)

Purity
of
conduct
regarding
livelihood
(jvaprisuddhisla) is
conducting
right
livelihood, abstaining
from wrong livelihood
and
the
five
unwholesome states of
violating the six types
of precepts (Prjika to
Dukkaa) on the basis
of occupation.

The following are the six precepts that Lord Buddha

laid down regarding occupation:
1. A monk with wrong desire controlled by greed who
falsely claims a superior human state that he doesnt
have commits a Prjika offence.
2. A monk who arranges a date, affair, or marriage
between a man and a woman commits a Saghadisesa
offence.
3. A monk who says, The monk in your shelter is a
Perfect one, commits a Thullaccaya offence.
4. A monk who is not sick but asks for fine food for
himself commits a Pcittiya offence.
5. A bhikkhun who is not sick but asks for fine food for
herself commits a Pidesanya offence.
6. A monk who is not sick but asks for soup or rice for
himself commits a Dukkaa offence. (Vism.22)

The commentary explains that

the term Right Livelihood
means Right Conduct (cra)
which Lord Buddha praises in
action and speech regarding
the requisites, such as food,
clothing, shelter and medicine.
jvaprisuddhisla
is
Pariyehisuddhi because it is
purified
when
the
monk
always searches for and
obtains requisites in proper
ways.

Twenty-one kinds of wrong livelihood for

monastics(Bhikkhus and Bhikkhuns):
1.

Medical
practice
(vejjakamma karoti)
2. Acting as a messenger
(dtakamma karoti)
3. Doing things at the behest of
laymen
(pahiakamma
karoti)
4. Lancing boils (gaa phleti)
5.
Giving
oil
for
medical
application
(arumakkhaa
deti)
6. Giving emetics (uddha
virecana deti)
7.
Giving
purgatives
(adho
virecana deti)

8. Preparing oil for nose-treatment (natthutela

pacati)
9. Preparing oil for medicine (pivanatela pacati)
10. Presenting bamboos (veudna deti)
11. Presenting leaves (pattadna deti)
12. Presenting flowers (pupphadna deti)
13. Presenting fruits (phaladna deti)
14. Presenting soap-clay (sinnadna deti)
15. Presenting tooth-sticks (dantakahadna
deti)
16. Presenting water for washing the face
(mukhodakadna deti)

17. Presenting talcum powder (cuamattikadna

deti)
18. Using flattering speech (cukakamma karoti)
19. Acting like half-cooked bean soup, i.e., speaking
half-truths
(muggaspiya karoti)
20. Fondling children (pribhau karoti)
21. Running errands (jaghapesaniya karoti).
(MA.iii.6)

Right
Livelihoodfor
Lay Followers
The Buddha
mentions five specific
kinds of livelihood which bring
harm to others and are therefore
to be avoided: dealing in weapons,
in living beings (including raising
animals for slaughter as well as
slave trade and prostitution), in
meat production and butchery, in
poisons, and in intoxicants.

"A lay follower should not

engage in five types of
business.
Which
five?
Business
in
weapons
(satthavaijj), business in
human
beings
(sattavaijj), business in
meat
(masavaijj),
business
in
intoxicants
(majjavaijj), and business
in poison (visavaijj)."
(A.5.177 -Vaijjsutta)

- Business in weapons: trading in all kinds of

weapons and instruments for killing.
- Business in human beings: slave trading,
prostitution, or the buying and selling of
children or adults.
- Business in meat: "meat" refers to the
bodies of beings after they are killed. This
includes breeding animals for slaughter.
- Business in intoxicants: manufacturing or
selling intoxicating drinks or addictive drugs.
- Business in poison: producing or trading in
any kind of poison or a toxic product
designed to kill.

He further names several

dishonest means of gaining
wealth which fall under
wrong livelihood: practicing
deceit,
treachery,
soothsaying, trickery, and
usury.
Obviously
any
occupation
that
requires
violation of right speech and
right action is a wrong form
of livelihood, but other
occupations, such as selling
weapons or intoxicants, may
not violate those factors and

A BALANCED
LIVELIHOOD
The Buddhas thought of the certain
economic and ethical ideas for the lay
persons that will remain always relevant to
lead a successful family and social life. The
relevancy of those ideas is amplified in the
present situation as the subjects of
temptation have grown enormously before us
with the economic globalization. For the
Buddha, the meaning of the happiness is
different from what is being projected today
by the market runners. He says that there
are
four
conditions
conduce
to
a

The
accomplishment
of
persistent
effort
(uhnasampad),
The
accomplishment
of
watchfulness (rakkhasampad),
Good
friendship
(kalyamittat)
And
balanced
livelihood
(samajvit).
(A.8.54 - Vygghapajjasutta)

It should be born in the mind

that the Buddha does not ignore
the importance of sufficient
financial support in order to lead
a happy householder life but, at
the same time, He reminds us
that there are a few other
factors which must be existent
in the life to make it an ideal
life.

The first happiness is to enjoy economic

security or sufficient wealth acquired by just
and righteous means (atthisukha);
The second is spending that wealth liberally
on himself, his family, his friends and
relatives,
and
on
meritorious
deeds
(bhogasukha);

The third to be free from debts

(aaasukha);
The fourth happiness is to love a faultless,
and a pure life without committing evil in
thought, word or deed (anavajjasukha).
(A.4.62 - nayasutta)

Considering these principles, we

should reflect carefully what we
actually need in our life rather than
what market wants us to believe as

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN
WESTERN AND BUDDHIST
ECONOMICS.
Western understanding
Self-interest (atta)
Maximizing profits and
individual gains
Accumulate more and
more material wealth
Product

Buddhist understanding
No-self (anatta)
Minimize suffering (losses)
for all living or non-living
things
Simplify one's desires
Happiness

CONCLUSI
ON
to Buddhism, Right Livelihood

According
is
abandoning wrong ways of living which bring
harm and suffering to others. Right
Livelihood means not to live on work that
would in any way bring harm to living beings.
The Buddha said: "Do not earn your living by
harming others. Do not seek happiness by
making others unhappy". And the Western
concept of right livelihood is a job primarily
for the money rather than the social good.

Many
thanks for
your
attention.