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50 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

experience those fleeting pleasures, he escaped by not explicitly state that it was wrong livelihood, but
disciplining his desires. Only then was he able to achieve simply proclaimed its kammic result. I would think that
supreme awakening. the actual kammic result would depend on the context
of the drama and intentions of the actor.
Of course, I don’t expect lay followers to exactly emulate
the bodhisatta, but you can try to cut down on as Min Wei: Art or movies are very subjective. It depends
many unnecessary desires as possible by the practice on the motivation and consequences of it. I don’t
of introspective mindfulness and clear awareness really see any issue in being actors or being involved
(satisampajañña). By desire, I don’t just mean desire in art performances. The Buddha mentioned that
for material possessions and social status, but also trading in human beings, meat, weapons, poisons and
attachment and clinging to beliefs, views, opinions intoxicants are unwholesome and should be avoided. In
and expectations (especially of people’s behaviour). fact, an actor today could be working on a non-fiction
Since desire is the cause of suffering, less desires will documentary which provides productive information
definitely cause less suffering within yourself as well as and education to people. An actor promoting sports or
at home and in the workplace. nutrition can be seen as encouraging physical fitness so
that we have healthy bodies, and this in turn allows us
Min Wei: In order to practice Right Livelihood, we have to practice Buddhadharma without being always sick.
to find a way to earn our living without violating the
basic Buddhist ideals of kindness and compassion. In However, if the acting or art stimulates negative desires,
this sense, practicing awareness and mindfulness while hatred, and delusion among the audience, then it is
at work are essentially important in our everyday lives. unwholesome. On the contrary, if it demonstrates right
view, compassion and insight among the audience, it is
Dadul: Commit to perform one’s tasks well and sincerely. wholesome and should be encouraged.
Let the necessity of teamwork mirror the inescapable
interdependent nature of life and learn to appreciate the Dadul: Going through the above Sutta myself, I came
participation of others. Without others, “we are zero.” away with the impression that the sutta does not
Remember these together with our shared humanity on denounce the acting profession per se. It is rather the
a regular basis and thereby let them sink deep into one’s deliberateness or heedlessness and negligence with
psyche. Through that, they can gradually become the which the actors stimulate the root afflictions-- greed,
breeding ground for empathy, compassion, and kindness hate, and delusion-- and, by association, other secondary
grounded in lived experiences. afflictions, in the mind stream of the audience and
encourage them to be as heedless and negligent that
In the Talaputa Sutta (SN 42.2) even becoming makes the profession unethical. It is the exploitation of
an actor is not considered right livelihood. But if the afflictions in the mind stream of the audience that is
movies have the potential to bring an audience specifically picked at and decried in the sutta.
closer to the truth about the human condition and
to awaken compassion, then would becoming actors If the intention of making movies is to bring an
still be considered as wrong livelihood? audience closer to the truth about the human
condition, to awaken compassion, or for other related
Aggacitta: Perhaps the play in which Talaputa was socially constructive causes, then I don’t think the
acting elicited such a negative response from the project or the actors participating in them, thus
Buddha. But remember that drama performances sharing in the value, would incur any wrongdoing.
th
based on the inspiring stories about the Buddha-to-be Tibet’s 14 century spiritual adept, Drubthob
in his quest for supreme enlightenment in his previous Thangtong Gyalpo’s founding and staging of Tibetan
lifetimes are an intrinsic and popular element of opera for raising funds to build iron bridges, which he
traditional Buddhist cultures. Actually, the Buddha did also pioneered, is a case in example.