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Right and Wrong Livelihoods
How do you make your living?
The traditional Buddhist Eight-fold path includes "right livelihood," instructing practitioners to stay clear of, e.g., business in meat, human trafficking, war and intoxicants. But how does this noble path apply today?
Personally I am finding it harder and harder to justify my "big coporate law" job. Only 9 months in but I can only chalk up the experience as worthwhile for so long. I will save my own personal justifications for another time, but I'm curious as to what other professions modern day Buddhists hold - and whether they've ever made a career change based on the path of right livelihood.
Since I still have to find a way to pay off my student loans, I'm curious about the following:
How do you make your living?
How do you define "right livelihood" in the affirmative? i.e. not what isn't right livelihood, but what is right livelihood, in modern terms.
Is "right livelihood" just about the karmic consequences upon others, or does it also include its effects on your own life? Or by asking this question am I failing to recognize the interconnectedness of all things, and hence, right livelihood is for the betterment of all beings including myself?
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different places
Thanks Jon,
I also know a few (and know OF quite a few more) attorneys who have found a righteous livelihood. But at least in the context of my current job, I'm not finding any livelihood role models to follow. I've also made attempts at changing firm culture. I've made proposals to establish an inter-faith discussion group at the firm geared towards balancing spiritual and professional life. Denied.
But perhaps if I stuck it out, acquired further experience and gained respect within the ranks of the firm, I'd have the chance to make certain changes that could help people. Perceiving my future in that regard, I cannot help but feel like life is too short to follow the path of increasingly irresistable salary, aversion to risk, and drone mentality. I feel like I can offer the world more.
Holding out for the year-end bonus and all but decided,
Daniel
"...in some cases, one may simply need to quit and look for other work"
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "The Art of Happiness At Work"
you can find right livelihood in a lot of different places
So many careers afford the opportunity to practice compassion and to be of benefit to others. Even jobs that one might think where it'd be hard to do so––I know lawyers who truly embody "right livelihood." Probably a lot of it has to do with your intention. Thich Nhat Hanh in one of his books talks about meeting with a bomb designer who came to him wanting to quit his job, and Thay told him not to, because he could bring compassion and sanity to the organization he was in due to his practice. I do think one has to start with oneself when thinking about compassion, but it's awfully easy to justify doing bad things in the name of treating oneself well. There is plenty of room to be kind to oneself while being of benefit to others and while trying to minimize the harm you do in the world.
Great questions, thank you for the post.
Jon
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