ABSTRACT

The purposes of this thesis were 1) to study concepts of occupations in Theravāda Buddhism, 2) to study Enlightenment of people according to their occupations in Buddha's life period, and 3) to analyze the Enlightenment of people according to their occupationห in Theravāda Buddhism.

This research applied the qualitative research focusing on documents by studying the Tipitaka Commentary in the primary level and academic texts, documents and other related researches in the secondary level.

Results of the research

1)  The results of the analytical study revealed that the twenty-four occupations in Dhamma’s life period appeared in Tipitaka with identifying names such as mahouts, grooms, slaves, florists and accountants etc. Moreover, there were the other occupations without identifying names directly. They identify “the occupations depending on the other arts”. Identifying the names of the occupations was appeared in the commentaries more than in Tipitaka. The occupations were classified into seven groups: service, craftsman, profession, entertainment business, government service, commerce, and animal husbandry and agriculture. Theravada Buddhism focused on the honest occupations. The practitioners behave according to the principles of the honest occupations. They will have the relationship with the occupations in Ariyamagga such as Sammaajiva, one of components in the Enlightenment.

2)  The Enlightenment is attaining Magga in the various levels in Theravāda Buddhism on the primary level to the ultimate level such as Sotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami and Arahanta by performing according to Sikkhataya and Kamatthana. The eighty senior monks coming from the various occupations in the Buddha’s life period were Arahattaphala classified into seventeen groups of the occupations: ascetics, monks, kings, princes or princesses, priests, millionaires, children of the millionaires, magic teachers, children of general Brahman, children of rich Brahman, fortune tellers, barbers, fishermen, people living in the monasteries, robbers and con artists. Moreover, they can be classified by the characteristics of the Enlightenment into three kinds: the Enlightenment from listening to sermon, the Enlightenment from the practice and the Enlightenment from both listening to sermon and the practice.

3)  The occupations of the people affect the Enlightenment by Sammaajiva. For example, the eighty senior monks having the same occupation will have the similar characteristics of the Enlightenment. The occupation in the present has no enough in the Enlightenment of the individuals but has four factors effecting the occupations and the Enlightenment: collecting the merit in the past, behaving correctly, meeting the good friends, and living in the appropriate places. However, the occupations of the humans in the present society can affect the Enlightenment if the occupations are Sammaajiva and the people live in Ariyamagga.