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Precursors to Buddha's Right Livelihood and Effort
Right Livelihood
"One should earn one's living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs."1
These points are discussed below in the order in which they appear in the box.
Earning a Living Righteously
Solomon emphasized the nobility of performing a job with excellence, claiming that those who did so would earn solid recognition from rulers and other famous people:
Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.2
Gaining Wealth Legally and Peacefully
In the next two proverbs, Solomon spoke against "ill-gotten gains" but did not provide specifics about what kinds of gains would be so regarded:
Such is the end of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the lives of those who get it.3
Ill-gotten gains do not profit, but righteousness delivers from death.4
He surely would have thought ill-gotten gains would include those received by means of deceitful trade practices, such as the use of false balances:
A false balance is an abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.5
Not Engaging in Activities That Harm Other Beings
In an agrarian society, animal husbandry and care is a leading occupation. Solomon highlighted the importance of considerate diligence in this activity:
Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and attend to your herds; for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to all generations. When the hay is removed, and the tender grass shows itself, and the herbs of the mountains are gathered in, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field; you shall have enough goats' milk for your food, for the food of your household, and the nourishment of your maidservants.6
Another proverb of Solomon paints a picture of the keeper of livestock taking care of his flock:
A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.7
A different translation adds another twist to the same proverb:
A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.8
Intoxicants
While the Dhammapada is silent about the perils of excess drinking, Solomon devoted some proverbs to the subject:
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaints? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine.9
Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise.10
Hear, my son, and be wise; And guide your heart in the way. Do not mix with winebibbers, or with gluttonous eaters of meat.11
Right Effort
"The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavors that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen."12
Buddhism emphasizes four aspects of Right Effort, as mentioned in the definition above. One of the clearest examples of each of these four types appears in five consecutive verses in Solomon's Proverbs, as detailed in the following table:
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Words of Solomon
Proverbs 4:23-27, NKJV |
Types of Buddhist Moral Endeavor |
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| 23. Above all else, keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. |
Prevent & Maintain |
| 24. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. |
Abandon |
| 25. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. |
Prevent, Arouse & Maintain |
| 26a. Ponder the path of your feet, |
Mindfulness |
| 26b. And let all your ways be established. |
Arouse & Maintain |
| 27a. Do not turn to the right or the left; |
Prevent |
| 27b. Remove your foot from evil. |
Abandon |
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If Buddha had sought to rewrite the above verses in his own words, the result could well have been the following proverb:
He who controls his hand, he who controls his feet, he who controls his speech, he who is well controlled, he who delights inwardly, who is collected, who is solitary and content, him they call Bhikshu.13
There are clear parallels between all parts of these two sets of proverbs, as is evident in the following chart. Imagery involving feet and speech are common to both as well.
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Words of Solomon
Proverbs 4:23-27, NKJV |
Words of Buddha
Dhammapada 362 |
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| 23. Above all else, keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. |
He . . . who is well controlled, he who delights inwardly, who is collected, who is . . . content . . . |
| 24. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. |
. . . he who controls his speech . . . |
| 25. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. |
He . . . who is well controlled, . . . who is collected . . . |
| 26a. Ponder the path of your feet, |
He . . . who controls his feet . . . |
| 26b. And let all your ways be established. |
. . . him they call Bhikshu. |
| 27a. Do not turn to the right or the left; |
He who controls his hand, he who controls his feet . . . |
| 27b. Remove your foot from evil. |
He . . . who controls his feet . . . |
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The following excerpt from Solomon's writings seems to presume the simultaneous application of all four types of moral effort:
I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. . . . I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind. . . . I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind. For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.14
How would it be possible for any person to pursue wisdom and knowledge while reviewing "all the things that are done under the sun"? Surely many of these "things" would involve moral temptations to the investigator. So there would be a great need, before beginning such a sweeping review, to abandon any moral weaknesses one had, being objective and ruthless about it. As the investigator encountered various temptations, there would be an ongoing need to prevent the arousal of unwholesome feelings and activities. To be able to do that, one would need to deliberately attempt to arouse wholesome states of mind and heart to fortify oneself against being drawn into morally hazardous activities. And one would need to maintain such wholesome states throughout the whole process.
Solomon called such speculation "vanity," which he says causes much sorrow and grief. Solomon's conclusion, in Ecclesiastes, was that one should just live in the moment, enjoying the simple pleasures of life. The conclusions of his far-reaching investigations are notable:
Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.15
Solomon warned his followers to guard their hearts from anything that would weaken their devotion to following the path of pursuing righteousness that he had espoused:
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life [all].16
Solomon underscored the great benefits of going hard after right living and caring deeply about others. These benefits included a fulfilling, satisfying life that others would admire:
He who pursues righteousness and love [arouse, maintain] finds life, prosperity and honor.17
The importance of intensely seeking wisdom and understanding is emphasized in the following words of Solomon:
My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.18
Return to Interrelationships.
Continue to Precursors to Buddha's Right Mindfulness.
Footnotes
1Thomas Knierim, editor and webmaster, "The Noble Eightfold Path," Raison d'Etre, TheBigView.com, retrieved May 12, 2010 (emphasis added).
2Proverbs 22:29 (NKJV).
3Proverbs 1:19 (NIV).
4Proverbs 10:2 (NASB).
5Proverbs 11:1 (KJV).
6Proverbs 27:23-27 (NKJV).
7Proverbs 12:10 (NIV).
8Proverbs 12:10 (NKJV).
9Proverbs 23:29-30 (NKJV).
10Proverbs 20:1 (NASB).
11Proverbs 23:19-20 (NKJV).
12Knierim, "The Noble Eightfold Path" (emphasis added).
13Dhammapada 362.
14Ecclesiastes 1:12-13a, 14, 16-18 (NIV) (emphasis added).
15Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NIV) (emphasis added).
16Proverbs 4:23 (NIV).
17Proverbs 21:21 (NIV).
18Proverbs 2:1-6 (NKJV).
Dhammapada Reference
Friedrich Max Muller, trans., The Dhammapada: A Collection of Verses, Being One of the Canonical Works of the Buddhists, in vol. 10, Part 1, The Sacred Books of the East, translated by Various Oriental Scholars, edited by F. Max Muller, available at Dhammapada (Muller), Wikisource. This work is cited as "Dhammapada" hereafter. To save space, line breaks in quotations from the Dhammapada have not been retained.
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org).
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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