Master of Buddhism Lesson Two

Master of Buddhism Lesson Two

1. Which of these guidelines do you think is the most important? Why?
It is difficult to isolate one guideline from the others. they are all so
interconnected. But to me, the most important
guideline is Right Action. It seems to me that actions that are not thought out
completely have the probability of
hurting other people. Lying, stealing, sexual misconduct and becoming intoxicated
seem to cause more problems in society
than some of the other guidelines such as misdirected speech. Intoxication especially
leads to much trouble and has
destroyed many homes and families. The results of an addiction in the family leaves
lifelong scars for all involved.


2. What is the unifying concept of these guidelines?
Relief from suffering is what brings all of these together. Each one of these has
at its core the intention of alieving
pain.


3. What do you think the Buddha would have to say today about "Right
Livelihood?" Can you think of any
positions in today's workforce that he might use as an activity one should avoid?
This is a very difficult question to answer. There are obvious lines of work that
are harmful - such as those dealing
with criminal behaviour. But many other jobs may also lead to the suffering of
others. A person would have to carefully
consider the full spectrum of actions that result in the particular job that they are
engaged in. The manufacture of
arms is one that comes to mind as we can see tragic results from the use of firearms.
Yet others might argue that if
used responsibly there would be no problems. Still, if there were no guns available,
irresponsible use would be
impossible.
Another example might be the manufacture of pharmaceutical drugs. Although a
great stride forward to the relief of
chronic pain sufferers, irresponsible use causes difficulty. Even the fact that some
pharmaceutical drugs cause
dependency is a problem itself.
Each individual must decide for them self if they are involved in Right
Livelihood. One must think deeply on the
possible aspects and weigh the pros and cons of each.