Wrong Livelihood?

Buddhist ethical conduct including the Five Precepts (Pañcasikkhāpada), and Eightfold Ethical Conduct (Aṭṭhasīla).
MJS
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by MJS »

"All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs of their deeds- their deeds are the womb from the womb from which they sprang, with their deeds they are bound up, their deeds are their refuge, Whatever deeds the do - good or evil - of such they will be the heirs"

In a couple of days I start a Meat Cutting course so that I can get in to a Culinary Arts course right after (My math mark sucked and I was offered this or nothing so I took it), so I will technically be a Butcher.
This is most likely bad Kamma. HOWEVER I'm totally fine with that, because, as a LAY practitioner that has no interest in going any further than that, I try not to bind my self to concern about my Kamma effects other than the immediate (this life). This does not interfere with me trying with the upmost effort to be a good and compassionate human being. I realize that my career choice may be poor but I am willing to own up to my Kammic obligations and rise above the obsession with it and actually BE a good person in practice. I will not kill another human and will try with my best effort not to cause harm to anyone or anything, but I am also not naive enough to expect to excel in this field without causing harm to animals/fish.

Also i feel supporting sustainabilty and responsible consumption is an obligation of mine as I progress in my career (As is i have little to no say). Many chefs and people in the biz have made terrific strides in promoting humane treatment of farmed animals, other than the actual killing part, as well as in the promotion of healthy food to the public.
I also feel that it is extremely selfish to pas of Kammic responsibilty to another (As i said own up to your actions)

And I drink booze on occasion (Responsibly). Life is not Black and White, but it is pretty damn grey.

Sorry if the post isnt great but it is my first, Happy to be here!
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BlackBird
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by BlackBird »

MJS wrote: Sorry if the post isnt great but it is my first, Happy to be here!
It was pretty good. Hope you stick around MJS.
"For a disciple who has conviction in the Teacher's message & lives to penetrate it, what accords with the Dhamma is this:
'The Blessed One is the Teacher, I am a disciple. He is the one who knows, not I." - MN. 70 Kitagiri Sutta

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PeterB
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by PeterB »

MJS wrote:"All beings are the owners of their deeds, the heirs of their deeds- their deeds are the womb from the womb from which they sprang, with their deeds they are bound up, their deeds are their refuge, Whatever deeds the do - good or evil - of such they will be the heirs"

In a couple of days I start a Meat Cutting course so that I can get in to a Culinary Arts course right after (My math mark sucked and I was offered this or nothing so I took it), so I will technically be a Butcher.
This is most likely bad Kamma. HOWEVER I'm totally fine with that, because, as a LAY practitioner that has no interest in going any further than that, I try not to bind my self to concern about my Kamma effects other than the immediate (this life). This does not interfere with me trying with the upmost effort to be a good and compassionate human being. I realize that my career choice may be poor but I am willing to own up to my Kammic obligations and rise above the obsession with it and actually BE a good person in practice. I will not kill another human and will try with my best effort not to cause harm to anyone or anything, but I am also not naive enough to expect to excel in this field without causing harm to animals/fish.

Also i feel supporting sustainabilty and responsible consumption is an obligation of mine as I progress in my career (As is i have little to no say). Many chefs and people in the biz have made terrific strides in promoting humane treatment of farmed animals, other than the actual killing part, as well as in the promotion of healthy food to the public.
I also feel that it is extremely selfish to pas of Kammic responsibilty to another (As i said own up to your actions)

And I drink booze on occasion (Responsibly). Life is not Black and White, but it is pretty damn grey.

Sorry if the post isnt great but it is my first, Happy to be here!
I dont think your career choice is poor at all MJS. I think you should strive to be the best and most mindful butcher you can be. I think your post shows a refreshing honesty and maturity.
Buddhism is not about being disembodied and " pure". Its about about being completely down to earth and aware.
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Sherab
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by Sherab »

theravada_guy wrote:Greetings all,

I was wondering, does working in a restaurant count as wrong livelihood? I used to work at Wendy's. I put condiments on sandwiches, got fries, chicken nuggets and other related things. I definitely don't want to go back to a restaurant, especially a fast food one, but if I did end up back there, is this considered wrong livelihood, since I'm not actually doing the butchering? I've been meaning to ask this for awhile now, and another post prompted me to post it now.
The very act of maintaining one's existence involves the death of many. The best that we can do is to minimize the number of deaths, live the Dharma the best we can and dedicate merits to those whose lives were given up so that we could live.
MJS
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by MJS »

To me the best part of Buddhism is the basis on basic truths and an approach of understanding, compassion and tolerance to others as opposed to rigid laws keeping people from being themselves.. Confining laws, especially in religion, can cause a lot of grief (such as Abrahamic religions and their beleif in a single absolute... makes me ne nervous at times). Fluidity and adaptibility to allow growth (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana are all growths from the single original Sangha, and yet cohesive as a whole while maintaining distinctions) greatly appeals to me.

At first i was nervous posting the above because of the many vehement supporters of Vegetarianism and Ahimsa to everything.
lojong1
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by lojong1 »

MJS wrote:At first i was nervous posting the above because of the many vehement supporters of Vegetarianism and Ahimsa to everything.
I don't buy meat, but if it makes your posting easier, I am a violent meat-eater.
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JeffR
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by JeffR »

There was a time I questioned my livelihood. I work in water treatment and kill bacteria.
Therein what are 'six (types of) disrespect'? One dwells without respect, without deference for the Teacher; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Teaching; one dwells without respect, without deference for the Order; one dwells without respect, without deference for the precepts; one dwells without respect, without deference for heedfulness; one dwells without respect, without deference for hospitality. These are six (types of) disrespect.
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Kim OHara
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Re: Wrong Livelihood?

Post by Kim OHara »

JeffR wrote:There was a time I questioned my livelihood. I work in water treatment and kill bacteria.
... and save humans from disease and death.
:thumbsup:
As I have said before, very little in this world is purely black or white, and aiming for the lightest shade of grey makes a lot of sense.
If there's a conflict between saving people and saving other animals, save the people.
If there's a choice between saving animals and saving plants, save the animals.
And so on.
Everyone can work it out for themselves and should accept responsibility for their own actions.
:meditate:
Kim
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