6. Right View as the Forerunner of Right Living (Sammā-Ājīva)
Tatra bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti. Kathañca bhikkhave, sammādiṭṭhi pubbaṅgamā hoti: micchā-ājīvaṃ micchā-ājīvoti pajānāti, sammā-ājīvaṃ sammā-ājīvoti pajānāti. Sā’ssa hoti sammādiṭṭhi.
There, monks, right view comes first. And how, monks, does right view come first? One understands wrong living as wrong living, and right living as right living. This, monks, is right view.
→ As with action, the Buddha places right view (sammā-diṭṭhi) at the forefront of living. Ethical living does not begin with external approval or social status, but with discernment—clearly seeing which ways of earning sustain suffering and which support wellbeing and clarity of mind.
6.1 Katamo ca bhikkhave, micchā-ājīvo: kuhanā lapanā nemittikatā nippesikatā lābhena lābhaṃ nijigiṃsanatā. Ayaṃ bhikkhave, micchā-ājīvo.
And what, monks, is wrong living? Deception, flattery, hinting, pressuring, and pursuing gain by means of gain—this, monks, is wrong living.
→ Micchā-ājīva refers not only to what one does to earn a living, but how one does it. These forms of living are rooted in manipulation and craving:
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kuhanā — hypocrisy or deceit
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lapanā — flattery for personal gain
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nemittikatā — hinting or suggestive behaviour
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nippesikatā — pressuring or coercion
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lābhena lābhaṃ nijigiṃsanatā — chasing profit through profit
Such living corrodes integrity and reinforces greed and delusion, even when it appears outwardly successful.
6.2 Katamo ca bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo: sammā-ājīvampahaṃ bhikkhave, dvayaṃ vadāmi. Atthi bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo sāsavo puññabhāgiyo upadhivepakko; atthi bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo ariyo anāsavo lokuttaro maggaṅgo.
And what, monks, is right living? Bhikkhus, I say that right living is twofold: there is right living that is accompanied by taints, productive of merit, and ripening in acquisitions; and there is right living that is noble, taintless, supramundane, and a factor of the Path.
→ As before, the Buddha distinguishes between worldly (lokia) and supramundane (lokuttara) dimensions. Right living first purifies one’s way of sustaining life within saṃsāra, and later becomes an integral expression of the Noble Eightfold Path itself.
6.3 Katamo ca bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo sāsavo puññabhāgiyo upadhivepakko: idha bhikkhave, ariyasāvako micchā-ājīvaṃ pahāya sammā-ājīvena jīvakaṃ kappeti. Ayaṃ bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo sāsavo puññabhāgiyo upadhivepakko.
And what, monks, is right living that is accompanied by taints, productive of merit, and ripening in acquisitions? Here, monks, a noble disciple abandons wrong living and earns a living by right living. This, monks, is right living that is accompanied by taints, productive of merit, and ripening in acquisitions.
→ At the practical level, right living means earning one’s living honestly and harmlessly, without deception or exploitation. Though still within the conditioned world, such a living generates merit, supports ethical stability, and lays the foundation for deeper mental purification.
6.4 Katamo ca bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo ariyo anāsavo lokuttaro maggaṅgo: yā kho bhikkhave, ariyacittassa anāsavacittassa ariyamaggasamaṅgino ariyamaggaṃ bhāvayato micchā-ājīvā ārati virati paṭivirati veramaṇī. Ayaṃ bhikkhave, sammā-ājīvo ariyo anāsavo lokuttaro maggaṅgo.
And what, monks, is noble, taintless, supramundane right living that is a factor of the Path? In one whose mind is noble and taintless, who is endowed with the Noble Path and cultivating it, there is disgust, abandonment, renunciation, and abstention regarding the five wrong livings. This, monks, is the noble, supramundane right action.
→ At the supramundane level, ethical living is no longer maintained by rules/precepts. A purified mind naturally recoils from dishonest or exploitative means of living. Renunciation here is effortless—an expression of wisdom rather than self-restraint.
6.5 So micchā-ājīvassa pahānāya vāyamati, sammā-ājīvassa upasampadāya. Svā’ssa hoti sammā-vāyāmo.
One strives to abandon wrong living and to enter upon right living. This, monks, is right effort.
→ Ethical transformation in living requires sustained energy. Right effort supports the gradual dismantling of ingrained habits of greed and the cultivation of integrity in how one sustains life.
6.6 So sato micchā-ājīvaṃ pajahati. Sato sammā-ājīvaṃ upasampajja viharati. Sā’ssa hoti sammā-sati.
Mindful, one abandons wrong living; mindful, one lives having entered upon right living. This, monks, is right mindfulness.
→ Right Mindfulness guards living at the level of intention. It ensures that earning a living does not become automatic, careless, or ethically blind, but remains aligned with awareness and conscience.
6.7 Tassime tayo dhammā sammā-ājīvaṃ anuparidhāvanti anuparivattanti. Seyyathīdaṃ: sammādiṭṭhi, sammā-vāyāmo, sammā-sati.
Thus, monks, these three states follow and revolve around right living—namely, right view, right effort, and right mindfulness.
→ Right living is sustained within a living triad:
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Right view (sammā-diṭṭhi) clarifies what constitutes harmful or wholesome living
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Right effort (sammā-vāyāma) energizes ethical change
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Right mindfulness (sammā-sati) safeguards conduct moment by moment
Together, they transform living from mere economic survival into a practice of wisdom that supports liberation.
Notes for the Right Living, Wrong Living and Their Dependent States (4)
1. Kuhanā — Hypocrisy or Deceit
(Pretending to possess virtue, skill, or authority one does not genuinely have)
Kuhanā refers to falsely presenting oneself—acting wise, ethical, spiritual, or competent to gain trust, respect, or material benefits. The problem is not imperfect virtue, but intentional misrepresentation.
In daily life
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Pretending to be morally superior to gain social approval.
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Acting humble or spiritual only when being watched.
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Displaying generosity publicly while being selfish privately.
In work life
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Claiming expertise, one does not have to secure a position or promotion.
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Using titles, credentials, or “ethical branding” to mask incompetence.
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Leaders projecting concern while secretly prioritizing self-interest.
Ethical danger: Trust is exploited; relationships become transactional rather than truthful.
2. Lapanā — Flattery for Personal Gain
(Sweet speech used as a tool, not as genuine kindness)
Lapanā is calculated praise—saying pleasing things not out of sincerity, but to extract favours, protection, or advantage.
In daily life
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Excessive compliments to gain acceptance or avoid responsibility.
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Praising someone only when something is needed from them.
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Speaking kindly in front of others but criticizing behind their back.
In work life
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Flattering supervisors to gain promotions.
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Overpraising clients or donors to secure funding.
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Creating a culture where honesty is replaced by performative positivity.
Ethical danger: Speech loses integrity; truth becomes secondary to gain.
3. Nemittikatā — Hinting or Suggestive Behaviour
(Indirect signals meant to provoke giving or advantage)
Nemittikatā involves not asking directly, but dropping hints so others feel obliged to offer money, favors, or opportunities.
In daily life
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Mentioning financial difficulty repeatedly so others will offer help.
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Displaying need or virtue subtly to invite praise or gifts.
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Using silence or implication instead of clear communication.
In work life
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Suggesting that “support” would improve cooperation.
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Implying that gifts or favours would smooth processes.
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Creating ambiguous expectations that pressure others to comply.
Ethical danger: Manipulation replaces clarity; generosity becomes coerced.
4. Nippesikatā — Pressuring or Coercion
(Making others feel trapped, indebted, or afraid to refuse)
Nippesikatā is direct or indirect pressure—using authority, guilt, fear, or dependency to extract compliance.
In daily life
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Emotional blackmail: “After all I’ve done for you…”
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Using social or family power to force agreement.
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Making refusal feel morally wrong.
In work life
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Managers pressuring employees to work unpaid hours.
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Threatening exclusion, poor evaluation, or stalled careers.
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Donors or institutions imposing conditions that violate ethics.
Ethical danger: Freedom is undermined; consent becomes meaningless.
5. Lābhena lābhaṃ nijigiṃsanatā — Chasing Profit Through Profit
(Using gain solely to generate more gain, without ethical restraint)
This refers to endless accumulation, where success is measured only by expansion, profit, or advantage—regardless of impact.
In daily life
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Turning every relationship into a networking opportunity.
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Measuring self-worth by income, status, or possessions.
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Never feeling “enough,” even when needs are met.
In work life
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Exploiting workers or environments to maximize returns.
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Sacrificing ethics for scalability or growth.
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Treating people as means rather than ends.
Ethical danger: Greed becomes self-perpetuating; contentment disappears.
6. Why Should an Unenlightened Person Always Examine Their Way of Making Money in Light of Right Living (sammā-ājīva)?
Because living actively conditions the mind
→ Without sammā-ājīva, meditation and insight are constantly undermined by how one survives.
Because Right View must be enacted, not merely understood
The Buddha states that right view begins with clearly knowing:
“This is wrong living; this is right living.”For the unenlightened practitioner, this discernment should be embodied through conduct; otherwise, right view remains conceptual. Living is one of the most frequent sites where craving disguises itself as necessity (I have no choice,” “this is how the world works).
→ Practicing sammā-ājīva trains discernment/wisdom (paññā) to function in real-life pressure, not only in reflection.
Because Right Living generates supportive conditions for the Path
Worldly right living (sammā-ājīvo sāsavo puññabhāgiyo) produces:
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moral confidence through moral shame and moral fear (hiri–ottappa),
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trust in oneself,
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social harmony,
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and fewer occasions for remorse.
These are not liberation itself, but they are indispensable conditions for sammā-sati and sammā-samādhi to mature.
→ For the unenlightened, right living is protective scaffolding for the entire Path.
7. Why Enlightened Individuals (arahants) Should Still Remain Free from Wrong Living (micchā-ājīva)
Because Right Living becomes a natural expression of wisdom
For an arahant, abstention from micchā-ājīva is no longer rule-based.
As the sutta states, there is:
This means the arahant cannot incline toward deceptive or exploitative means, not because they restrain themselves, but because there is no craving left to motivate such behaviour.
→ Wrong living would contradict the very structure of a taintless mind (anāsava-citta).
Because living is part of the Noble Eightfold Path itself
The Buddha explicitly calls supramundane right livelihood:
ariyo anāsavo lokuttaro maggaṅgoThis means that for one cultivating or embodying the Noble Path, right living is not optional or external. An arahant does not “step outside” the Path in daily functioning; living itself remains path-consistent until final Nibbāna.
→ Liberation does not suspend ethics; it perfects it.
Because enlightened conduct safeguards the Dhamma and others
Although arahants are personally free, their way of living functions as:
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a field of confidence (pasāda) for others,
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a living clarification of right view,
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and protection against confusion about what the Dhamma allows.
If an arahant were to engage in deceptive or coercive living, it would mislead others, not liberate them—even if no defilement arose internally.
→ Thus, purity of living in arahants is an expression of compassion and truth, not self-concern.
8. Why the Noble Eightfold Path cares not only what living we make, but how we make it.
The Buddha places strong emphasis on how one earns a living because living is the daily arena where the sense of “I,” “mine,” and “for me” most persistently reforms, even in refined practitioners.
Why this matters in the Noble Eightfold Path
Most unwholesome mental states (akusala dhamma) do not arise abstractly; they arise in situations of gain, loss, status, survival, and control—precisely the dynamics of living. The five forms of wrong living (kuhanā, lapanā, nemittikatā, nippesikatā, lābhena lābhaṃ nijigiṃsanatā) are all subtle strategies of self-preservation and self-enhancement.
They answer an unspoken question:
“How can I secure myself in this world?”The Noble Eightfold Path is concerned with undoing this strategy, not refining it.
Why does how we make a living matter more than what we earn
A living can appear socially acceptable, legal, or even religious—yet still rebuild self-view through:
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manipulation,
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entitlement,
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emotional leverage,
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or endless accumulation.
Thus, the Path does not ask merely:
“Is this job respectable?” but: “Does this way of sustaining life strengthen appropriation or weaken it?”When living depends on pressure, deceit, or self-display, identity is continually reinforced:
“I am the one who deserves, who controls, who must succeed.”
Right living, by contrast, loosens identification:
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one earns without manipulation,
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receives without entitlement,
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and let us go without anxiety.
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