9 (Day) Notes | Sutta Study @ Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields | Bhante Dr. G. Chandima Skip to main content

9 (Day) Notes | Sutta Study @ Buddhist Maha Vihara, Brickfields | Bhante Dr. G. Chandima


ā+jīva

- Five types of business
 in which a layperson should not engage. (AN 5.177)

Pañcimā bhikkhave, vaṇijjā upāsakena akaraṇīyā. Katamā pañca: Satthavaṇijjā, sattavaṇijjā, maṃsavaṇijjā, majjavaṇijjā, visavaṇijjā. Imā kho bhikkhave, pañca vaṇijjā upāsakena akaraṇīyāti.

"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."

- What are the most significant lessons the Buddha taught about money?
* six channels for dissipating wealth

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, micchāājīvo? Kuhanā, lapanā, nemittikatā, nippesikatā, lābhena lābhaṁ nijigīsanatā
—. (MN 117)

“And what, bhikkhus, is wrong living? “And what, bhikkhus, is wrong living? Scheming, talking, hinting, belittling, pursuing gain with gain (motivated by covetousness): This is wrong living.

Scheming (kuhanā)

Cheating people for a living by scheming.

(i) Hypocrisy in use of requisites (paccaya patisevana).

(ii) Hypocrisy in talk on subjects close to attainments of the Path and the Fruition States (sāmanta jappana).

(iii) Hypocrisy in change of postures to deceive lay devotees (iriyāpatha saṇṭhapana).

Talking (
lapanā)

Conversational deception as a means of supporting oneself.

Hinting (
nemittikatā)

Making a living by deceiving people by hinting.

Belittling (
nippesikatā)

Making a living by insulting/belittling people.

Pursuing gain with gain  
(motivated by covetousness) (lābhena lābhaṁ nijigīsanatā)

Making a life by applying the "pursuing gain with gain" thought.

Follow-up questions

1. Why is the type of living related to the Noble Eightfold Path? 

2. Why an ethical job is necessary for you? Does this mean we have to avoid certain jobs?

3. Are the jobs of the Buddha’s time simpler than what people have to do in today’s world?

4. Is sammā ājīva only for working people? (househusband/housewife)?

5. How different is the secular and non-secular right living?

6. How do the commercial advertisements that we can see on social media, or TV relate to sammā ājīva? What if they publicize wrong information and ask people to buy?

7. Is there a role we can play when it comes to our own vulnerabilities to bad things like addiction due to commercial advertisements?

8. What do you think about marketing and sammā ājīva?

9. Don’t earn money in a profession that brings harm to others. “What do you think about this?

10. What do you think about professions we choose that are a messy mixture of good and bad consequences?

11. Is an effort to understand the antecedents and consequences of our work mindfulness?

12. Does the right livelihood connect to ecological responsibility? 

13. Can we narrow down to limit livelihood to our job?

14. What can we learn from Dīgha jāṇu Sutta about running an individual household (livelihood)? (seems this was given to the rich)

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