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will 
be an increased intention for you to 
threaten 
people with the same murderous 
intentions 
that belong inside the abattoir. 
4. Dealing in alcohol 
[majjavaAijjA]: This means 
selling alcohol (or any other sort of 
substance 
causing heedlessness) and 
supporting oneself 
from the profit made — it doesn't 
break the 
law or customs — but it does 
break with Right 
Livelihood. If you sell alcohol you 
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know that 
it will lead to the drunkenness of 
the customer 
— it will destroy their reputation, 
their wealth, 
their health etc. etc. 
however, 
you don't feel 
any compassion for such a person 
or responsibility 
for their human dignity. You know 
all 
the damaging consequences of 
buying our alcohol 
for the customer, but you look 
beyond 
these in your search for profit. 
Loving kindness 
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becomes a stranger to your heart. 
The 
more evil of this sort you collect 
for yourself, 
in this lifetime or in future 
lifetimes, if ever 
you find yourself in difficulties 
yourself, your 
evil will prevent others from 
having any compassion 
for you — even those you have 
helped 
before — even your own children. 
The karma 
will block out the reality and you 
won't be 
able to blame them. 
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5. Dealing in poisons 
[visavaAijjA]: This means 
selling poisons for killing animals 
(e.g. insecticide) 
and supporting oneself from the 
profit 
made. In many places where 
mosquitos are 
not even the vectors of malaria 
(like in Bangkok) 
people are dying not of malaria, 
but of 
self-poisoning from the DDT they 
spray on 
the mosquitoes. People think that 
insecticide 
will become benign again within a 
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few hours 
but actually it takes about fifteen to 
twenty 
years to break down. If a bottle of 
such poison 
smashes on the floor, even if you 
clean up 
thoroughly, the smell still remains 
for two or 
three weeks. If you work in the 
poison trade, 
there are broken bottles and 
spillages nearly 
every day. Even if you never use 
the poison, 
you are inhaling it every day. 
Those in the 
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trade die of respiratory disease and 
blood cancer 
almost without exception. 
Those who do any of these trades, 
will find themselves 
increasingly unable to cultivate an 
`Emotional 
Bank Account' [saIgahavatthu] 
with anyone 
else. 
Furthermore, those who work in 
commerce but 
who are dishonest (by for example 
fixing their 
weights and measures) also fall 
into the category 
of Wrong Livelihood. Another 
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variety of Wrong 
Livelihood are the forms of 
deception used by forgBlessing 
Eighteen: Blameless Work 217 
ers - for example, they provide 
the first batch of 
their work all in solid gold —
however, as soon as 
the order is placed, the remainder 
of their work will 
be in gold-plated brass. 
C.2 Public Sector 
It would be impossible for Wrong 
Livelihood enterprises 
to exist, whether on the large or 
small 
scale, without some form of 
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cooperation from a 
corrupt Public Sector — whether it 
be the "soft 
drug" industry, gun running, 
casinos, forgery, 
prostitution, or assassination. Any 
such involvement 
shows that those implicated are 
devoid of 
any sense of responsibility for 
human dignity in 
the fairness of the economy of 
their own country. 
Usually the enemy of Right 
Livelihood in the Public 
Sector is bribery or corruption —
for example 
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surveyors in 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 bribed to 
come to a verdict 
are no better. All come under the 
heading of Wrong 
Livelihood. 
C.3 Special Occupations 
C.3.1 Military 
In addition to the work categories 
already explained, 
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special mention should be given to 
the 
work of the professional soldier 
which comes into 
strong disagreement with any form 
of Buddhist 
practice. In the time of the Buddha 
there was a soldier 
who thought that soldiers who 
fought bravely 
for their king and country would 
have heaven as 
their afterlife destination. 
However, the Buddha explained 
that: 
`those who kill will be killed in 
return' 
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Dutiya KAmavatthu Sutta (S.i.83) 
And that there are only two 
possible afterlife destinations 
even for those who (only) consider 
killing 
others — and those are hell and the 
animal realms 
— whether they be soldiers, 
cavaliers or soldiers 
mounted on elephants. 
[YodhAjEva Sutta 
(S.iv.308), AssAroha Sutta 
(S.iv.3 10), HatthAroha 
Sutta (S.iv.310)] 
C.3.2 Doctors and Nurses 
On the contrary, to be a doctor or a 
nurse can be a 
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profession which can bring great 
merit if it is done 
well. If it is done badly, it can 
bring serious demerit. 
It was therefore for this reason that 
the Buddha gave 
guidelines on the abilities of those 
prerequisite for 
making a good doctor or nurse (in 
his particular 
context to look after sick monks): 
1. Must have the ability to 
prescribe the appropriate 
medicine; 
2. Must know the difference 
between what is for 
the comfort and discomfort of 
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patients, being 
able to increase the comfort and 
decrease the 
discomfort of the patient by his or 
her actions; 
3. Not just interested in the 
payment received 
from the treatment — healing 
should be done 
out of the prime motivation of 
compassion 
4. Does not object to the 
removal/excretion of 
the patient's excrement, urine, 
vomit and saliva; 
5. Able to cheer up the patient with 
timely 
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Dhamma teachings 
Dutiya UpaEEhAka Sutta 
(A.iii.144) 
C.3.3 Devious Customers 
Even customers can do it! 
Supposing a butcher has 
two deer for sale, a big one and a 
small one. He 
asks $20 for the big one and $10 
for the little one. A 
devious customer comes up and 
buys the little one 
for $10. Some time later he comes 
back and says he 
changed his mind and he wants the 
big one. The 
butcher asks $20 for the big deer, 
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but the customer 
says that he already gave the 
hunter $10 and that 
the small deer he is returning is 
also worth $10. Together 
they are worth $20, the price of the 
big deer. 
The customer therefore exchanges 
the big deer for 
the small one. Meanwhile the 
butcher is not smart 
enough to keep up with the 
customer's trick and is 
thereby cheated. On this occasion, 
the customer is 
guilty of Wrong Livelihood even 
though he might 
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say the butcher deserved it. 
Therefore, if you aim to be a pillar 
of society who 
is beyond criticism by any 
reasonable person in the 
world, measure your work 
carefully by the standard 
of Right Livelihood. Apart from 
avoiding criticism, 
all tasks which you do will be done 
to the 
218 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
best of your ability. Others will 
regard you as an 
elder in society not only because of 
your advancing 
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age, but also because of your 
wisdom and example 
to upcoming generations. 
D. RELATIONSHIPS IN THE 
WORKPLACE 
Apart from the ethicality of work, 
a second area of 
problems in the work we do may 
come from personal 
conflicts arising at work. 
Irrespective of the 
nature of the work, we need to 
cultivate good human 
relationships in the workplace 
otherwise we 
might risk blame and undermine 
our job satisfaction. 
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We have to be able to get along 
with our colleagues 
whether they are true friends or 
false. Our 
relationship with this group of 
co-workers (whether 
they be our boss, employees, 
servants, inferiors or 
slaves!) are covered in the fifth 
grouping of relationships 
mentioned in the SilgalovAda 
Sutta. 
From this teaching we find out 
about the reciprocal 
relationship between the boss and 
the employee. 
D.1 Duties of an employer 
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The Buddha laid down five 
responsibilities of a boss 
to his employees as follows: 
1. Delegating appropriate work: 
Work given to 
an employee should be chosen as 
appropriate 
to that person's age and gender and 
disposition 
and capability in order that they 
can 
work efficiently; 
2. Give food and remuneration: A 
decent wage 
should be given which is not less 
than the legal 
minimum. There should be wage 
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increase 
with time and bonuses. Employees 
who live 
"on site" should be provided with 
regard to 
appropriate food 
not left 
hungry! A boss 
with such caring behaviour will be 
able to 
relinquish the effects of both bias 
and defilements 
of action; 
3. Take care of employees in time 
of illness: 
Employees should be allowed to 
take leave if 
sick and enquiries should be made 
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