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[Alexandr Korol]

Right Livelihood also includes the renunciation of excess, wealth, and luxury. Only under this condition can one free oneself from envy and other passions, along with the suffering they bring.”

Well, everything here is absolutely correct — this is the kind of teaching that every person needs today, like medicine for the sick. And it’s laid out so well, because I would say that all the harmful actions just listed — even if you personally don’t commit them — I would add something from myself, you know what? That you should also avoid such people and not let them into your environment if they engage in those kinds of actions. You might think, “I don’t sell weapons, I don’t deal drugs, so I’m fine.” But if you have a friend who does, then you’re already halfway involved, even if you don’t do it yourself. So if you really want to stay away from all of that, then first and foremost you need to avoid films, music, and people that reflect that world — that dark, harmful world. Surround yourself only with righteous people, watch only pure films, and listen only to pure music.

“Mental Discipline

The following three steps are typically practiced by monks on their path to spiritual perfection and realization.

Right Effort
Right Effort involves the commitment to focus one’s energy and cultivate the following states that contribute to awakening: self-awareness, exertion, concentration, discernment of dharmas, joy, tranquility, and serenity. In the Saccavibhaṅga and Vibhaṅga Suttas of the Buddhist Pali Canon, it is explained as follows:

And what, monks, is Right Effort? Here, monks,
A monk generates the desire for the non-arising of unarisen evil, unwholesome mental states. He applies effort, arouses energy, directs his mind toward it, and strives. He generates the desire for the abandonment of arisen evil, unwholesome mental states. He applies effort, arouses energy, directs his mind toward it,