The fifth step on the Eightfold Path is Right Livelihood. Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood go together as the ethical steps, focusing specifically on moral discipline.

Quite simply, Right Livelihood means we try to earn our living righteously. Buddha teaches that we want to work legally, peacefully, and honestly, in a way that does not bring suffering to others. Specifically, he mentions five ways of life to avoid.

Five Livelihoods to Avoid

1. Don’t deal in weapons. Weapons harm life most directly, and so there is no peace that can come from making your living this way.
2. Don’t engage in any kind of work that makes human beings into commodities- slave trade and sex trafficking being the most obvious examples. (I admit to wondering if professional sports, where humans are traded often very impersonally, should also be considered.)
3. Do not produce of animals for slaughter, or any form of meat production. (Remember, Buddhists are vegetarian because they see eating animals as a form of creating suffering for other living beings.)
4. Do not create or sell anything poisonous. This includes chemicals, of course, but also anything that can bring harm to the environment or to living beings.
5. And lastly, do not create or sell intoxicants. (Rough words for those breweries and distillers out there.) Because intoxication clouds the mind, it creates suffering and is therefore not seen as a worthy form of livelihood.

Above all, Right Livelihood advocates honest living. It prevents us from using deceit, treachery, trickery, usury, or other misleading things to earn a living. At its heart, this step on the path is like compassion, just like all the rest. Thich Nhat Hanh says it most clearly: “To practice Right Livelihood, you have to find a way to earn your living without transgressing your ideals of love and compassion.”

In our upcoming posts this month, we will talk more about how to apply Right Livelihood, how to discern what it means for us, and what kind of work environment it encourages us to create for ourselves and others. It feels like January is a good time to consider what it means to engage in good work. I hope you’ll join me as we think it through.

This post belongs to a series on practicing the Eightfold Path. You will be able to read all my posts this month on Right Livelihood at the link here.