Professions (livelihood and work)

The next group of occupation is described as professions. This group includes the occupations of the doctor of medicine (vejja bhissaka) and surgery (sallakata), and the professions involving writing (lekha), accounting (ganana) and money changing (mudda or rupam).

The doctor’s profession is the most socially valued occupation. The frequent appreciative mention of activities of the doctor Jivaka makes it very clear. He is the son of the courtesan silavati and his paternity is obcure.^[1] The monk upali, formerly a barber, who later became an expert in Vinaya, and the physician Jivaka are two important persons in the Buddhist society whose status ascribed to them through low birth is not compatible with that achieved by them through their actions.

Money changing and counting, accounting in general, and writing are identified positively as the only high sippas in the text.^[2] It is for this reason that young upali’s parents when planning their son’s career think of writing (lekha), accounting (ganana) and money-changing (rupam). But ultimately, they choose monkhood for him only because they think it does not involve any mental hardships for him and provides all the essential physical comforts, or at least a guaranteed livelihood without manual work.^[3] After monkhood (though it is hardly a profession), they considered writing, accounting and dealing in money to be the best of professions.