The differences between lay and monastic followers within the Buddhist tradition are distinguished by the extent to which these two groups are willing to follow the middle path taught by Buddha. Generally, to have a functioning Buddhist society, there must be devotees and those who support them, providing aid in the form of food, money, shelter, transportation, etc. Devotees who sacrifice the purity of a true monastic. the way of life in order to support the community (who in turn are the recipients of merit or punya; a bank of "good" actions linked to "good" karma) (Gethin 101), among the monastic faithful, are called the lay people; upasakas (lay men) and upasikas (lay women). The monks, or Bhikkhus (monks) and Bhikkhunis (nuns) have the responsibility to accept the devotion manifested by the laity, reciprocally, the laity are required to maintain the devotion because “in order to be free from all guilt […] the foundations of a clear conscience [is] generosity and good conduct” (Ibid 83). Good conduct is the realization and active participation of the "eight significant dimensions [the Noble Eightfold Path] of one's behavior" (Ibid 82), which constitute the right (in all actions of) understanding, thought, speech, action, means sustenance, effort, mindfulness and concentration (although not limited to this, rather developed during achievement). The importance of the laity's duty within society is to support, through their means of subsistence, the only traditional Buddhist teaching available to them (Ibid 92). In order to accommodate a Buddhist ideology, certain conducts were excluded from secular worship to support a less strenuous spiritual life (with an emphasis on earned merit) in pursuit of maintaining a functional community. The aim, to establish the five secular perceptions...... middle of article...... Foundations of Buddhism » Oxford University Press, New York, 1998. Khoo, Alan. “Leading a Buddhist Life and the Five Precepts,” November 4, 2009. Loy, David R. “The Religion of the Market,” found in “Worldviews, Religion, and the Environment: A Global Anthology,” ed. Richard C. Foltz, Wadsworth, California, USA, 2003. Prasad, Chandra S. “Meat Eating and the Rule of Tikotiparisuddha,” found in “Studies in Pali and Buddhism,” ed. Dr AK Narain, BR Publishing Corporation, Delhi, 1979. Simmons, Keith. “EverQuest: Blurring the Lines Between Reality and Fantasy,” November 4, 2009. VSU, Virginia State University. “Legal Definition of Sexual Misconduct,” November 4 2009 .