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Right Livelihood: Protecting Ourselves for the Environment
Right Livelihood requires that our occupation nourishes the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, not just provides an income. A true livelihood must:
- cultivate mindfulness, concentration, right thinking, and right view
- ensure right speech—truthful words, not deceiving customers or causing harm to body, mind, or the environment
- support right action and right diligence by choosing materials that are non-toxic, not exploiting labor, and not destroying the biosphere
Consumers and society play a crucial role in maintaining Right Livelihood. We need:
- transparent national and international supervisory bodies, freedom of speech to warn about harmful products, labor exploitation, and environmental destruction
- communities practicing mindfulness, refraining from reckless consumption, establishing sanghas to research and boycott harmful products
- the awakened power of consumers, strong enough to compel businesses to change their production behavior
Collective awakening is the root of true liberation and happiness. Combining Right Livelihood with knowing what is enough—contentment—helps us and future generations live simply and peacefully:
- avoiding raw meat, alcohol, and tobacco, which are “illnesses entering through the mouth”
- choosing wholesome food, entertainment that does not sow craving or violence
- practicing “contentment in poverty, keeping to the Way”—a simple life, yet full of mindfulness and compassion