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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 27

Constructing the new moon gate front entrance. Ajahn Sona giving a Dhamma talk in the courtyard

Eastern Horizon got in touch with Ajahn Sona and asked him This question specifically lists the types of wrong
several questions regarding what is Right Livelihood which livelihoods listed by the Buddha. One must be careful not
forms part of the Noble Eight-fold Path, and its implications to generalize too much. Let’s take, for example, dealing
for modern day living. The following is the response from in animals. We should not necessarily extrapolate wrong
Ajahn Sona to Benny Liow: livelihood to a person working in a butcher shop. The
modern butcher does not kill animals. They might dissect
Benny: The practice of Right Livelihood or Sammā- meat or something like this, but that is not what is meant
ājīva is one of the limbs of the Noble Eightfold Path. by wrong livelihood. The type of butcher that is meant
Can you tell us what is meant by this word “Sammā,” is one who kills animals for a livelihood. So, each of the
which is usually translated as “Right?” categories, with their nuances, need to be considered.
As to trading in weapons - yes, people who are in the
Ajahn Sona: The word Sammā is there because every arms industry, manufacturing, creating and inventing
factor of the Noble Eightfold Path has Sammā in front weapons for the purpose of killing people or animals,
of it. Its presence means that the topic should not be that is a wrong livelihood. Many people who have been
removed from the Eightfold Path and its intention, in that industry find their conscience suffers when their
which is to come to the end of suffering. The Four weapons are used and regret having contributed to it.
Noble Truths are Right View of the Eightfold Path. All The Nobel Prize, for instance, was established by Alfred
of the factors of the path cooperate with each other and Nobel who had made his fortune with the invention of
cannot be removed from that context. Right Livelihood dynamite, which killed countless people in wars. He
cannot be in contradiction to the aim of the eventual attempted to restore his reputation and cleanse his
reduction and elimination of suffering. To better conscience by creating a peace prize. One can make
understand what constitutes Right Livelihood - because machines which benefit humans, but do not kill them.
there is a very brief list of what is considered wrong Of course, trading in human beings, this is something
livelihood - one needs to refer to the rest of the path to that still goes on in the world. Slavery was a feature of
have a full understanding of the nuances of what might almost all human civilizations and very few great people
constitute a right job, a right type of livelihood. spoke out against it. However, the Buddha did, and he
disallowed the use of slaves. Certainly, the Saṅgha could
In the Vanijja Sutta, AN 5.177, the Buddha said one not accept a slave or anything similar. It is something
should avoid five types of occupations: trading in that one must remove oneself from unequivocally.
weapons, human beings, meat, intoxicants and
poison. This prohibition will affect the livelihood As far as trading in intoxicants and poison is concerned,
of many Buddhists working as soldiers, fishermen drugs and alcohol are something that one should avoid
and butchers, as well as agriculturalists or chemists as a livelihood. However, there are people working in
producing pesticides. How can Buddhists in such bars and restaurants where alcohol is served. Are they
occupations still practice the Dhamma? in wrong livelihood? No. They’re getting paid to work