Right Livelihood: A Path, Not a Job Title

Written by Noel Coakley
We spend an enormous amount of our lives working. It’s often how we define ourselves, how we spend our time, and how we feed our families. For many of us, it’s also the source of much stress. So it’s worth asking: What are we actually doing with our lives when we work? And is it aligned with our deeper values?
In the Eightfold Path of Buddhist practice, Right Livelihood asks us to consider whether our work causes harm or reduces it. Does it rely on deception, exploitation, or destruction? Does it involve causing suffering to others, to animals, or to the environment? More subtly, does it pull us further into craving and aversion, or does it allow us to live with more integrity?
It’s worth noting that “right,” in this context, doesn’t mean “correct” in a moralistic or rigid way. A better translation might be “integrated.” As in: Is this integrated with the other parts of my practice? Is it in harmony with my intention, my values, my sense of the world I want to help create?
Sometimes the job we have isn’t perfectly aligned, but it’s what we need to survive or what we need to get to what is in alignment. Sometimes we stay in a job while slowly planting seeds for a shift. Sometimes the shift isn’t in the work itself, but in how we relate to it.
Right Intention is about why we do what we do. If it’s driven by greed, hatred, or delusion, we could be in the “right” job on paper and still be off track. But if our work is rooted in kindness, generosity, and clarity — even in imperfect circumstances — we’re walking the path.
Motivation is subtle. One person might teach meditation for prestige. Another might clean hotel rooms with quiet dignity and compassion. The work matters — but so does the heart behind it.
If we begin to orient toward livelihood and motivation as parts of the path, then our work life becomes part of the practice, not separate from it. Even mundane tasks become opportunities for mindfulness, compassion, and discernment.
It’s not about perfection; it’s about choosing, again and again, to live in a way that doesn’t make us feel gross inside. That’s Right Livelihood.