What is this critical Right Livelihood ?
The Noble Eightfold Way, leading to Nibbāna, is simply this:
Right View, Right Motivation, Right Speech, Right Action, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Awareness, & Right Concentration.
But what is Right Livelihood ?
The Characterization of Right Livelihood:
Any livelihood that neither involves any killing, injuring, wounding
nor imprisoning of any living being, nor stealing, taking what is not
given, cheating, any bribery nor corruption, nor lying, deceiving,
tricks nor use of false measures & weights, neither sensual nor sexual
abuse, neither use nor selling of alcohol nor intoxicating illegal drugs,
that causes carelessness, neither by oneself nor by getting others to
do so, such is Right Livelihood!
The Explanation of Right Livelihood for Buddhist Monks & Nuns:
Neither living nor receiving food by astrology, soothsaying, prediction of
future events, nor by palmistry, geomancy, dream-reading, charms & spells,
or divination, nor by any rituals, running errands nor messages, flattering,
arranging marriages, funerals nor divorces, medical praxis, nor by producing
art nor poetry, nor by disputation or debate, this is Right Livelihood!
Knowing right & wrong Livelihood as right & wrong Livelihood, is Right View.
Awareness of presence of right & wrong Livelihood, is Right Awareness.
Exchanging wrong Livelihood with right Livelihood, is Right Effort...
