Can Buddhists Engage in Stock Market Trading?

The Noble Eightfold Path includes Right Livelihood and Right Action. Right Livelihood entails sustaining oneself and one's family through reasonable, non-deceptive means that do not harm others' interests; otherwise, the path followed is not right but wrong. Similarly, Right Action requires that all undertakings must be righteous, avoiding deceitful, harmful, or unwholesome acts that exploit others through improper methods. Actions that harm others' interests do not constitute Bodhisattva conduct, nor should they be practiced by any spiritual cultivator, for they entail karmic consequences that must be settled in the future. Bodhisattvas should thoroughly understand causality and strictly adhere to the principles of karma, thereby avoiding transgressions. The mindset of a Bodhisattva should be self-sacrificing for the benefit of others. In worldly endeavors, the most fundamental practice must not harm the interests of sentient beings; at the very least, it should achieve mutual benefit rather than personal gain at others' expense. If mutual benefit cannot be achieved, one should prefer to incur loss oneself rather than cause loss to others. Is the mentality of stock trading truly one of preferring personal loss while others gain? Is it possible to achieve mutual benefit?