ht Livelihood deals with the five kinds of trades which should be avoided by a laydisciple. They are trade in deadly weapons, trade in animals for slaughter, trade in slavery,trade in intoxicants, and trade in poisons. Right Livelihood means earning one's living in away that is not harmful to others.6. Right Effort is fourfold. This means the endeavors to discard evil that has alreadyarisen, prevent the arising of unrisen evil, develop that good which has already arisen, andpromote that good which has not already arisen. Effort is needed to cultivate GoodConduct or develop one's mind, because one is often distracted or tempted to take theeasy way out of things. The Buddha teaches that attaining happiness and Enlightenmentdepends upon one's own efforts. Effort is the root of all achievement. If one wants to getto the top of a mountain, just sitting at the foot thinking about it will not bring one there. It is by making the effort of climbing up the mountain, step by step, that one eventuallyreaches the summit. Thus, no matter how great the Buddha's achievement may be, or howexcellent His Teaching is, one must put the Teaching into practice before one can expectto obtain the desired result.7. Right Mindfulness is also fourfold. It involves mindfulness with regard to body,feeling, mind, and mental objects. Right Mindfulness is the awareness of one's deeds,words, and thoughts.8. Right Meditation means the gradual process of training the mind to focus on a singleobject and remain fixed upon the object without wavering. The constant practice ofmeditation helps one to develop a calm and concentrated mind and help to prepare one forthe attainment of Wisdom and Enlightenment ultimately. Despite all using the NobleEightfold Path and the Four Noble Truths there is more than one form of Buddhism. Amidst the spread of Buddhism to places like Eastern Asia, Buddhism was varied andaltered to fit different cultures. These variations "can ...
