Hi can i ask what exactly is right livelihood ?
I heard doctor, nurses, teachers, social workers are examples of good livelihood?
How about people who work in enterainment field ( example and celebrities )?
How about entrepenurs ( for example. Mark Zuckberg in tech start-up)?
I am considering doing a tech start-up but i am wondering is this right livelihood?
Why isn't a tech start-up a right livelihood? Unless it somehow harms others for some reason.
My spiritual mentor/teacher Thusness owned an IT company for many years until recently.
Entertainment: I think it depends, take for example Buddha's warning on Talaputa Sutta -- karmic dangers of inciting afflictions in others (craving, anger, delusion).
Doctor, nurses, teachers, social workers -- definitely sounds like right livelihood
The Buddha defines right livehood as such:
"And what, monks, is right livelihood? There is the case where a
disciple of the noble ones, having abandoned dishonest livelihood, keeps
his life going with right livelihood: This, monks, is called right
livelihood.
The Buddha defines wrong livelihood as such:
"Monks, a lay follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, business in meat, business in intoxicants, and business in poison.
"These are the five types of business that a lay follower should not engage in."
In summary: we should ponder, is my livelihood causing harm or benefit to others? Harm in the sense of physical harm, pain, suffering, as well as mental harm, pain, suffering, or inciting craving, aggression, and delusion in others. Also, is the livelihood an honest or dishonest means of livelihood?
Dear Friends,
Just to add to what Friend An Eternal Now mentioned, when the Lord Buddha mentioned about right livelihood (Samma Ajiva), there is two espects to look at:
1. Morality of the work/livelihood we engage in.
2. Balanced spending (Economics) of the wealth gained.
(ref. http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/37.8-Right-livelihood.-piya.pdf )
Also I would like to introduce to you, Vyagghapajja Sutta (AN8.54)
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.054.nara.html
In Vyagghapajja Sutta, the Lord Buddha advised Vyagghapajja a house holder, to spend neither extravagant nor miserly. After which the Lord Buddha further explained to Vyagghapajja, the 4 conditions that will lead to spritual gain, happiness for future lives.
_/|\_
Try to let go everything,
The thing about salesmen in general is that many of them resort to lying and dishonesty. If that is the case, then it would be breaking a precept, and creating bad karma. But not everyone needs to be dishonest, you can be an honest sales person and thereby gain trust from others.
Otherwise the job is fine.