How do you use the Precepts in your Job?

reb1220

Heres a question....

How do you utilize what you have learned in Buddhism on your job? I work corrections, and have to deal with myriad people, some good, some neutral, and a lot of nastiness every day. I try to remember that each person has the ability to become a Buddha in their own right, practice patience, but that definitely gets hard when a child predator is cussing you up and down and threatening you because he thinks he got less on his dinner tray than he should have. ( Not complaining, every day occurrence lol.) Me, I wear my mala as a necklace when I go in, and after a particularly hard moment, chant mentally for a while in some corner until the next problem arises.

So in your occupations, how does what you have gained benefit your profession? Just wondering.

Tejas

One should not mind the people behavior to them. Behave as if you are a spring taking tensions of people in harmless way from all sides. It will help to reduce negative energy in society. Basically one must become a sink for negative energy. This is a very divine job, if one can perform.

how

@reb1220

In a world where most of the human condition is marked by whether one feels recognized or not, the precepts represented by a Buddhist practice leads me to naturally recognize the intrinsic value in everything.

In my job, this is where a Buddhist practice can offer peace where an adversarial interaction might have been possible, offers the truth of everyone's value where only a personal sleight was being watched for, offers that bit of an oasis to all wanderers in the desert of sufferings causes and mostly allows all manner of beings who innately feel separated from existence.... to feel less so.

Here, any job is just the unfolding of one's practice.

Shoshin

"How do you use the Precepts in your Job?"

What precepts ?...do you mean we have to use them when at work ? I thought they were just part of cushion time's wishful thinking

As @how already mentioned, they are on call 24/7/365 ...

I guess it's all down to ones 'intentions' as circumstances present themselves and to do the lest possible harm ....

ajhayes

Depends on the day. Somedays it is effortless. Others I have to keep reminding myself.

For me, they are all applicable. Each one motivates me to be a better version of myself. They also remind me to be more mindful in areas that I may be slacking on.

Tosh

@reb1220 said:
So in your occupations, how does what you have gained benefit your profession? Just wondering.

I'm a window cleaner; we have a pretty dire reputation for being drug addicted alcoholics, which is partly true in my case.

So I apply the Buddha's teachings and I don't rob my customers! It's pretty simple really, just clean their windows, get paid, no robbing.

However, since I work with Mrs Tosh, one thing I've had to learn is patience and tolerance; I call her Atisha's Cook.

Here's a pic of Atisha's cook taken yesterday:

http://karunagroup.com/2013/11/atishas-cook/

I reckon I'm in-line to be enlightened very shortly.

seeker242

Customers really appreciate honesty. I find that if we screw something up, just own up to it and they respect that a great deal. They get more upset about being lied to than they do about somebody screwing something up!

Walker

I'd like to hear what Mrs. Tosh has learned from you.

Tosh

@Walker said:
I'd like to hear what Mrs. Tosh has learned from you.

All the important stuff; she's a dab hand with a squeegy.