[larentont]

For example, my job, i work onboard a train, every now and again I have to report someone for not having a ticket, causing them a day full of suffering perhaps longer, how can i get around this as not reporting this could loose me my job... am I full filling my vow as a budhist.

hi Justen

Buddhism recommends our first duty is to do our job well & maintain our livelihood. the Buddha taught:

The employees show their compassion to their employer in five ways:

(i) they rise before him,
(ii) they go to sleep after him,
(iii) they take only what is given,
(iv) they perform their duties well,
(v) they uphold his good name and fame.

The employees thus showing their compassion towards him in these five ways...is made safe and secure.

Sigalovada Sutta: The Layperson's Code of Discipline as a Buddhist, if we are practising the Four Divine Dwellings, of universal love, compassion, appreciation & equinimity, then the practise of equinimity is also included

equinimity means to think: "the person that does not have a ticket is suffering due to their own karma (actions). this is a lesson they can learn from"

if you let them have a free ride, then you are encouraging them to be dishonest, which is not good karma

if the person is very poor & cannot afford a ticket then the law will treat them lightly therefore you do not need to worry too much

it is certainly compassionate to not want to cause others suffering but we can also trust more in the Dhamma

as i said, if the person without a ticket is very poor then the Dhamma should look after them, after you report them

kind regards

Element