Some of these Right Livelihood enterprises have been financially successful and become substantial ventures, raising funds for Dharma teaching and other altruistic projects. One of the pioneers in this area was the now closed windhorse:evolution , a UK -based company which ran a wholesale retail business and a chain of gift shops. Listen to explorations of Right Livelihood. I daresay that all religions have ethical principles of this sort regarding making one's living -- certainly the Judeo-Christian tradition does.
In the much more complicated societies of today, what might "right livelihood" really mean? This is a very important issue, and not only for Buddhists. With many of the world's people subsisting on a few dollars a day, and with 15 million unemployed here in the U. In my book, Work as a Spiritual Practice , I introduced the idea of right livelihood as conscious livelihood. In other words, regardless of our job or lack of a job we should be aware of the implications and consequences of what we do.
Society at large also has a responsibility to be conscious of the consequences of its economic and employment policies, even more today than in when when the economy was booming. It is not clear whether the Buddha thought of right livelihood in this way, but it behooves us to do so now. Two thousand five hundred years ago the Buddha could not have conceived of today's complex societies.
But he clearly understood what is harm and what is not harm. Right livelihood is matching your passion to your talent to find the work that is right for you. The first thing you need to do to find work you love is to identify what kind of work you love. The second task is to identify what kinds of jobs are a good match for your passions and talents. And finally, you have to prepare yourself for the job of your dreams. You can identify what kind of work you love by making a list of all the things that you enjoy.
In the second column next to each passion, write down a list of possible occupations. For instance, if you like animals, you could list veterinarian, zoo worker, pet store worker, breeder, farmworker, ranch worker, animal trainer, dog groomer, dog walker, dog boarder, and probably a dozen more. When you are done with your lists—it might take several weeks, or even months, to complete them as you think of additional occupations that fit your interests.
Select the occupations that most appeal to you. List the skills needed for that job. Do you have those skills? If not, list all the ways you can learn them. What type of work matches your passions and your talents?
If you need to learn new skills, what will it take to get those skills? Is it feasible for you to get those skills? After a while, you may find that a few occupations have a strong "pull. Start talking about those occupations. Mention your interest in everyone you know or meet. You never know who will have some good advice for you or who may have a lead for you, or who might even have a job for you.
Once you know what you want, dedication and perseverance will get you there. It may not be possible to do no harm. Also, not everything is clear-cut.
In the process of doing something that is good for the world and yourself, you may have to be associated with something you feel is not so good. See if the good outweighs the bad. Figure out how you can minimize the harm. You may not find the perfect job. The perfect job for you may not even exist. If you can find a reasonable amount of satisfaction from your work, count yourself lucky. Always keep your desire for right livelihood in the front of your mind, and you will be fine.
The neurolinguistic movement tells us we get what we think about. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
I am talking about what Buddha actually taught. Many of them do not adhere to the teachings of Buddha. Many have overlaid other religious beliefs onto Buddhism. And like members of religions all over the world, many who claim to be part of a particular religion do not actually live by the teachings of that religion. An interesting read as I have lived in Thailand for the last 7 years and the religion is predominantly Buddhist.
Given some of the Buddhists occupations Thanks for the compliment. Glad you liked it. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads.
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