FACTORS THAT DETERMINE YOUR CAREER CHOICES
Question: There are many different types of occupations in this world. Some of them are ethical, while others are not.
Other than the meritorious blessings we accrued in our past lives, are there any other factors that may affect our career choices in our current lifetime? Could Master please elaborate on this?
Answer: In fact, family is one of the factors that influence our career choices. You may notice that many children follow in their fathers’ footsteps. For a child to be born into a family where his father holds a respectable profession, the child must have been into spiritual cultivation in his past lives and accrued karmic rewards.
Conversely, if a child is born into a family where both his parents do not have good careers, it may suggest that the child’s spiritual cultivation in his past lives were lacking. This is the first reason. So, what’s the second?
When making choices, you need to understand that your environment has a bearing on your Buddhist practice; likewise, it influences the decisions you make in life. Hence, the people you surround yourself with will greatly influence your career choice.
For example, if you befriend someone working in an unethical industry, you will soon pick up many harmful habits.
However, if you befriend someone in a respected profession, even if you are not on par with them, they will encourage you to rise to their level. This is your blessing. Hence, you should treasure such wholesome connections and cut off unwholesome ones.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s World Buddhist Fellowship Meeting (Q&A Session), Hong Kong SAR, China, 2 July 2016 (Question 6)
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