Right Livelihood
“To practice Right Livelihood, (samyag ajiva) 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.”
Thich Nhat Hanh in
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace,
Joy,
and Liberation
Right Livelihood is one aspect of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path,
which is the way to well-being. Other aspects are Right View, Right
Mindfulness, Right Speech, Right Thinking, Right Diligence, Right
Action, and Right Concentration.
We can think of
Right Livelihood in terms of choosing an occupation that does not add
to suffering and we can think of it in terms of how we perform our
work. Some jobs would not qualify as Right Livelihood under any
circumstances. Assassins, drug dealers
and arms merchants obviously have not chosen career goals with Right
Livelihood
in mind. What of the person in a helping profession, though, who
appears
to serve others, but does it with a harmful attitude?
Any occupation can be
destructive if it is not carried out in an ethical manner. When
supervisors demean those they supervise, when case managers treat their
clients as cases rather than persons, when nurses turn bitter and
distant, when doctors lord it over the nurses, when those entrusted
with confidences break confidentiality, when spiritual leaders use
their position for self gratification, or when artists degrade the
culture rather than enhance it, suffering is increased and the
livelihood is wrong.
To avoid harmful
occupations is wise and virtuous, but to perform even the most elevated
work with an uncaring
attitude is a mistake. Life is stressful. We must learn to manage the
stress
so that we can treat other people with compassion. We must seek to see
the
people we work with or that we serve as individuals deserving of
kindness.
In order to do these things we must take care of ourselves so that our
bodies
and minds are strong and flexible. We can assure that they are by
attending
to the Eightfold Path.
Practice:
As you prepare
for work each day, consider the attitude you wish to bring to work.
Observe the state of your emotions. If you notice anger, resentment,
anxiety or other negative emotional conditions related to your
employment, focus in on what is really troubling you. Sit with the
feelings and the associated thoughts, and seek to understand their
causes. Look past the surface cause to deeper levels. If your boss
triggers your anger, look at how that has happened in other situations
where someone had authority over you, such as with parents or teachers.
Is the source of your anger in the behavior of the other person solely?
How much of your emotion is the consequence of your own thoughts and
beliefs?
Develop an intention to
bring greater understanding and compassion to your work. Whatever you
do, do it with caring.
Notice the type of
conversations you engage in at work. Are they right speech, or do you
contribute to a culture of complaining and gossip?
Do you give diligent effort
at work?
Do you allow yourself to
relax enough that you don’t lose sight of your own needs and those of
your family? Workaholics are not practitioners of Right Livelihood.
As you move through the
workday, remind yourself to pay attention. Seek to be mindful of your
actions, thoughts, emotions, and interactions. Breathe more mindfully.
Smile more as an expression of the loving kindness you wish to embody.
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©
2002 Tom
Barrett