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Non-violence
Right livelihood requires selecting a vocation that does no harm to humans or nature, intertwining with the first training on protecting life. Seeking more comfort through wealth fuels overproduction, environmental destruction, and makes consumers complicit in fabricating harmful goods. Three poisons dwell in us:
- craving
- anger
- ignorance
These poisons manifest in entertainment full of violence, the gun industry exporting deadly weapons to starving children, police brutality (Rodney King), and school shootings (Columbine). We are responsible as producers, consumers, citizens, and governments—action by Congress alone is not enough if we do not curb violence within ourselves. Mindfulness can transform suffering: inviting an atomic bomb designer to practice in his firm, activists like Daniel Berrigan pouring red paint on weapons as a bell of mindfulness, and choosing professions that help others generate compassion and understanding.
Khai thị—to open and show reality—calls us to reveal both the face of suffering and the roots of happiness. By teaching children at home and at school about the plight of those who lack food, shelter, or family and inviting them to concrete acts of solidarity, we cultivate tiny bodhisattvas who resist anger, hatred, and discrimination. Right livelihood thus becomes a great happiness when it helps us and others to generate compassion and insight.