Mobile VersionMeditation for BeginnersThe Noble Eightfold Path on the Mundane Level # 5Dealing in flesh : Rearing live animals (like buffalos, pigs, ducks and chickens)5.Right LivelihoodAt its most basic, Right Livelihood means earning one’s living in a way which avoids the five types of Wrong Trade:1. Dealing in slaves [satthavanijja]: For example, prostitution or buying people at a low price and selling them at aq higher price, supporting oneself from the profit made;2. Dealing in weapons [sattavanijja]: Selling weapons destined for killing, supporting oneself from the profit made;3. Dealing in flesh [mamsavanijja]: Rearing live animals (like buffalos, pigs, ducks and chickens) to slaughter oneself or have someone else slaughter for us, supporting oneself from the profit made;4. Dealing in alcohol [uisavanijja]: selling poisons for killing animals, supporting oneself from the profit made;5. Dealing in poisorting [visavanijja]: Selling poisons for killing animals, supporting oneself from the profit made;Dealing in weapons : Selling weapons destined for killingEarning one’s living in any single one of these five ways is Wrong Livelihood.Furthermore, those who work in commerce but who are dishonest (by for example fixing scales) are also included in Wrong Livelihood. Fixing scales is enumerated in four ways:1. Double scales: having one set of scales which underweighs and another which overweighs. The retailer uses the underweighing scales when buying stock and the overweighing scales when selling stock;2.Pushing the scales: Using the old-fashioned hand – held scoles with two suspended trays, the dishonest retailer uses their little finger to tilt the scales to their advantage;3. Holding the scales: Using the old-fashioned hand-held scales with two suspended trays, the dishonest retailer holds the scales in a way that so that it does not tilt when buying or tilts further than it should when selling;4. Fixing the weights: Hollowing out one set of metal weights and filling it with powder (for selling) and an other set of hollowed weights filled with mercury (for buying).Dealing in poisorting : Selling poisons for killing animalsAnyone who uses such deception and uses the profits to support themselves is guilty of Wrong Livelihood.Apart from cheating with weights, cheating with measures is also rife. A large coconut shell, one litre in capacity would be used for measuring out rice. Holes in the coconut shell would mark the capacity. The dealer would use their finger to stop the holes when measuring out liquids. Anyone buying oil, ghee, sugar-cane juice or syrup measures out the commodity and then lets releases their finger to let the liquid flow out into the buyer’s container. However, if they cheat by keeping their finger over the hole instead of allowing allowing all the liquid out, it is dishonest.When measuring out beans or rice in a measuring scuttle or basket, when buying they carefully fill the measure making sure all the contents settle with no air pockets. However, when selling, they fill the measure quickly and roughly to take advantage of the measure not being completely filled, Again such behaviour is dishonest.Moreover, surveyors is charge of measuring land for a buyer, if they are dishonest or corrupt and don’t get paid protection money, will over-measure the land. However, if they are bribed, will undermeasure it. Judges who can be brilbed to come to a biased verdict are no better. All come under the heading of Wrong Livelihood.Dealing in alcohol : selling poisons for killing animalsThere are many more varieties of Wrong Livelihood. Some are forgers. They provide the first batch of their work in solid gold. The remainder of their work is in gold-plated brass passed off as solid gold. Whenever a new customer comes, they show them the solid gold and allow them to scratch the surfacr but when they decide to buy, they substitute the gold-plated one.Even coustomers can do it! Supponse a hunter has caught two deer, a bug one and a little one. At the market he asks two kahapakas for the big one and one kahapana for the little one. A gangster comes up and buys the kittle one for one kahapana. A while later he comes back and says he changed his mind and he wants the big one. The hunter asks two kahapanas for the big deer. The gangster said the small deer he is returning is also worth one kahapana. Together they are worth two kahapanas, the price of the big deer. The gangster therefore exchanges the big deer for the small one. Meanwhile the hunter is not smart enough to keep up with the gangster’s trick and is therey cheated by his customer. On this occasion, the customer is guilty of Wrong Livelihood even though he might say the hunter deserved it.Thieving, pick-pocketing and other forms of stealing for a living of course are also Wrong Livelihood.The Buddha said that a person who earns their living by Wrong Livelihood is like someone who intentionally advises a traveler to take a dangerous road, sayig that it is safe, but when travelling themselves, will always take another (safer) route.Furthermore, those who work in commerce but who are dishonest(by for example fixing scales) are also included in Wrong Livelihood.As for Right Livelihood, there is a good example illustrated in the Seriva Jataka (J.3),During that lifetime, the bodhisattva was born as a merchant called Seriva from the town of Seriva. Once, in the company of a greedy merchant of the same name, he crossed the Nilapaha River and entered Andhapura. In that city was a family who had fallen on hard times, the sole survivors being a girl and her grandmother. The greedy merchant went to their house with his wares. The girl begged her grandmother to buy a trinket, and suggested that they should give the hawker the golden bowl from which they ate. The bowl was a valuable heirloom, but it had lost its luster and the woman didn’t know its value. The hawker was called in and shown the bowl. He scratched it with a needle and knew it was gold and worth about $1,000,but wishing to have it for nothing, said it was not worth half a farthing – so he threw it away and left. Later, the bodhisattva came to the same street and was offered the same bowl. He told them the truth, gave them all the money he had and his stock, leaving only eight pieces of money for himself. These he gave to the boatman and boarded the boat to cross the river. Meanwhile, the greedy merchant went again to the old woman’s house. Hoping to get the nbowl in exchange for a few trinkets. When he heard what had happened, he lost control of himself, and throwing down everything on his youke, he took the bar of the yoke as a weapon and ran down to the river to find the bodhisatva’s boat in mid-stream. He shouted to the boatman to return but the bodhisattva urged him on. The merchant, realizing what he had lost through his greed choked up blood. It was at this time that he vowed to get his revenge on the bodhisattva in every future lifetime. He was so upset that his heart burst and he fell down dead.Merchants who are honest, according to the example shown by the bodhisattva and who avoid taking shortcuts can be said to be of Right Livelihood. To but wares cheaply in a country where they are cheap and resell them expensively in a country where they are expensive, if it is not outside the law, can still by considered as Right Livelihood. In general, everything excepted by Wrong Livelihood as explained above, com be considered Right Livelihood.
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