THE RIGHT LIVELIHOOD By Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi

THE RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
By Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi

“Therein, bhikkhus, right view comes first. And how does right view come first? 

One understands wrong livelihood as wrong livelihood and right livelihood as right livelihood: this is one’s right view.

“And what, bhikkhus, is wrong livelihood? 

Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain: this is wrong livelihood.

“And what, bhikkhus, is right livelihood? 

Right livelihood, I say, is twofold: 

1. there is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions;

2.  and there is right livelihood that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path.

“And what, bhikkhus, is right livelihood that is affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening in the acquisitions? 

Here, bhikkhus, a noble disciple abandons wrong livelihood and gains his living by right livelihood: this is right livelihood that is affected by taints…ripening in the acquisitions.

“And what, bhikkhus, is right livelihood that is noble, taintless, supramundane, a factor of the path? 

The desisting from wrong livelihood, the abstaining, refraining, abstinence from it in one whose mind is noble, whose mind is taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path: this is right livelihood that is noble…a factor of the path.

“One makes an effort to abandon wrong livelihood and to enter upon right livelihood: this is one’s right effort. 

Mindfully one abandons wrong livelihood, mindfully one enters upon and dwells in right livelihood: this is one’s right mindfulness. 

Thus these three states run and circle around right livelihood, that is, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness