64. Business practices & Dhamma practice

A group of merchants said, “We have our duties as merchants, which means that sometimes we have to exaggerate things or take excessive profits, but we’re extremely interested in practicing concentration and have already started practicing. Some people have told us, though, that, with our livelihood, we can’t practice meditation. What do you say about this, Luang Pu? For they say that selling for a profit is a sin.”

Luang Pu said,

“In order to survive, every person needs an occupation, and every occupation has its own norms of what’s right and appropriate. When you follow those norms in a proper way, that counts as neutral—not meritorious, not sinful. As for practicing the Dhamma, that’s something you should do, for only those who practice the Dhamma are fit to work in all circumstances.”