38 Steps towards

a manual of peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129103 A Dhammakaya Foundation Paperback First Edition 2005 Published by the Dhammakaya Foundation Department of International Relations 23/2 Moo 7., Khlong Sam, Khlong Luang Patumthani 12120 Thailand Tel. (+66 02) 524 0257-63 Copyright © 2005 by the Dhammakaya Foundation All Rights Reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior and express written consent of the publisher National Library of Thailand Cataloging in Publication Data Dhammakaya Foundation A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living Bangkok: Dhammakaya Foundation, 2005 466p. 1. Buddhism I. Title 294.315 ISBN 974-93135-5-0 Printed in Thailand by : Craftsman Press Co.,Ltd 487/42 Soi Wattanasilp, Rajprarop Road, Makkasan, Rajthevee, Bangkok, Thailand Tel: +66-2-2533009, 2533298 EFTA01129104 May the meritorious fruits accruing from the study of this book be dedicated for the benefit of George, Annie, Alice, Lilian, Richard, Harry, Alfred George, Arthur, Norman, Ivan (née Lee) & Evelyn Ayre, Ellen Mary Stokell, Hannah Can; George & Charles F. Lee, Elizabeth, John & Margaret Curry, Anne Fenwick, Annie Jarman, Dennis George, Dennis Arthur & Malcolm Woods, Emily Mary Casbon, William Jabez & Ethel Dawes, Moses Edmund, Gladys, Hilda, Cecil, Reginald and Marie Heaton wherever they have been reborn. EFTA01129105 EFTA01129106 Contents Preface to the First Edition The Manual of Peace in Action Abbreviations Orientation BLESSING GROUP I.: TURNING YOUR BACK ON UNWHOLESOMENESS 7 10 18 19 25 1. Not Associating with Fools 27 2. Associating with the Wise 37 3. Expressing Respect to those worth of respect 51 BLESSING GROUP II.: TURNING TOWARDS WHOLESOMENESS 65 4. Living in an Amenable Location 67 5. Having done Good Deeds in one's past 77 6. Setting Oneself up properly in life 91 BLESSING GROUP III.: SETTING ONESELF UP IN LIFE 101 7. Artfulness in Knowledge 103 8. Artfulness in Application 113 9. Artfulness in Usage 119 10. Artfulness in Speech 131 BLESSING GROUP IV.: HARMONY IN THE FAMILY LIFE 139 11. Cherishing our parents 141 12. Raising our children 153 13. Cherishing our husband or wife 165 14. Not Leaving one's work undone 177 BLESSING GROUP V.: BECOMING A PILLAR OF SOCIETY 183 15. Generosity 185 16. Dhamma Practice 197 17. Looking after one's extended family 205 18. Blameless Work 213 Contents 5 EFTA01129107 BLESSING GROUP VI.: PREPARATION OF MIND 223 19. Abstaining from Unwholesomeness 225 20. Restraint from Drinking Intoxicants 233 21. Non-recklessness in the Dhamma 243 BLESSING GROUP VII.: INSTILLING ONESELF WITH BASIC VIRTUES 251 22. Respect 253 23. Humility 261 24. Contentment 269 25. Gratitude 281 26. Listening Regularly to Dhamma Teachings 291 BLESSING GROUP VIII.: INSTILLING ONESELF WITH HIGHER VIRTUES 301 27. Patience 303 28. Openness to Criticism 311 29. The Sight of a True Monk 321 30. Regular Discussion of the Dhamma 331 BLESSING GROUP IX.: PRACTICE FOR THE ERADICATION OF DEFILEMENTS 345 31. The Practice of Austerities 347 32. Practising the Brahma-Faring 357 33. Seeing the Four Noble Truths 371 34. The Attainment of Nirvana 385 BLESSING GROUP X.: THE FRUITS OF HAVING PRACTISED UNTIL REACHING AN END OF DEFILEMENTS 393 35. A Mind Invulnerable to Worldly Vicissitudes 395 36. Sorrowlessness 403 37. Freedom from Subtle Defilements 411 38. The Blissful Mind 421 INDICES I. General Index 425 II. Pali Index 449 III. Index of Similes 454 IV. Index of Illustrated Examples 456 6 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129108 Preface to the First Edition how this book should be used Most problems in the world can be traced back to the habits of the people inhabiting the world —the things we do, say and think until having become used to it. These habits can either be good or bad. Supposing you have good habits, the sort of things which you do, say and think again and again will be the things that bring you happiness in life—especially the habit of being responsible for human dignity on a personal level, human dignity of others in society and responsibility for fair economics. All the thirty-eight virtues discussed in this Manual of Peace need to become our habits if they are to be of any use to us — simply to know 'about' the virtues is of no use to us. The aim in studying this Manual for students of all levels should be to incorporate the virtues as their habits following the following four stage plan: 1. in the short term to learn rules and regulations that protect us from behaviours contrary to the virtues of the blessings; 2. in the medium term to educate ourselves according to the information on each blessing in the text to get answers to three questions about the virtue, namely: • 'what' they are (concept and definition); • 'why' the Buddha taught them (why a particular behaviour was either prohibited or advocated) and; • 'how' they can be put into practice in everyday life. 3. Doing that virtue so regularly that it becomes our habit 4. train up the people around you to practise the thirty-eight blessings as their habits. The important conclusion we get from this three- stage process of acquiring the thirty-eight blessings of life is that we need to look deeply at ourselves to see how many of the virtues we have accrued for ourselves first. We should regard ourselves as still in our infancy as far as the spiritual teachings go, and make the appropriate adjustments. Only when we've mastered ourselves can we have something to offer to the world, to reach out to others as a good friend to build up a network of virtue in society. Sources used for this book This book draws primarily on translated transcripts of eighty hours of lectures entitled Monkollivit given by the Most Ven. Phrabhavanaviriyakhun (Luang Phaw Dattajeevo), acting abbot of Dhammakaya Temple in Thailand in the mid-seventies to those of undergraduate age. The beauty of this lecture series was abundant use of examples from the Bud- dhist scriptures and also from his own life experi- ences. A second major source used for this book, which was supposed to summarize materials from the first source into a short book designated for schoolchildren to do revision for their Path of Progress Ethics Quiz Contest was Ven. Maha Dr. Somchai Thanavuddho's Monkol livit: Path of Progress edition (1982). This latter gives no exam- Preface 7 EFTA01129109 pies, but offers a more structured version of the Mangala Sutta materials, simplified in a way Asian people can understand. This text misses nothing of the core content of ei- ther these two sources. However after teaching these materials to a group of western Buddhist newcom- ers in Belgium, there were still many questions in the audience's minds left unresolved. Things like respect and gratitude don't come as second nature to westerners. Not drinking alcohol requires more than a fleeting explanation in a western culture. The long lists of meritorious fruits of various virtues had to be replaced as far as possible by 'why' rationale and where possible examples of the damage which can happen when certain virtues are neglected. The Most Ven. Phrabhavanaviriyakhun's Kamphi Gu Wikrit Chart (2000) helped to illustrate many social ills from the neglect of the Six Directions in this re- spect. Ven. Maha Dr. Somchai Thanavuddho's Nippan ben attn reu anatta (1999) almost completely replaces the explanation of Nirvana originally given in Blessing Thirty-four. Also some of the illustrative examples have been replaced if repeated. Some have been supplemented by western anecdotes. Where sets of Dhamma headings are repeated, they are usu ally described in full at the first appearance and cross- referenced in subsequent appearances. Finally, wher- ever possible, illustrative examples and Dhamma headings have been traced back to their scriptural reference in the PTS Pali Buddhist Scriptures to al- low students to cross-reference to other mainstream and academic Buddhist works. In finding the refer- ences and fuller illustrative examples, heavy use was made of Ven. Paiboon Dhammavipulo's Dachanee TIMM! Outbid; Monkola Soot (1997, 2000, 2002). The resulting version of the Manual of Peace, dubbed the 'Cheatsheet version' in its homepage form has been better received by western audiences, has had a good web readership and is currently being translated into other western languages Who should use this hook This book discusses key practical virtues in a se- quential path of Buddhist practice. As such it of- fers more than just a dry, theoretical approach to Buddhist study, but can actually form the basis of subjective practice by students. The level of diffi- culty of this book is designed for: • students of Buddhist studies in the upper sec- ondary. In the U.K. curriculum this book would be suitable for students studying at Key Stages 4 + 5. In Scotland, for Scottish Levels SG + HS. Al- though study of Buddhism at Key Stage 4 is time- limited, use of the index cart help students to look in depth on selected aspects of the agreed sylla- bus. At Key Stage 5, the text can be used for re- search on project work. • students of Buddhist Studies or Comparative Religion at Bachelors' or Masters' level of university. • This book is useful supplementary reading for the GB102 course of the Dhammakaya Open University. • overseas students of the Path of Progress Ethics Quiz Contest • Buddhists or those interested in Buddhism wishing to supplement or consolidate their knowledge of lifestyle -related Buddhist teachings What does it offer to lecturers teaching these courses? Lecturers will find this book has a good range of illustrative examples and metaphors to support their teachings or assemblies. Scriptural references are given for nearly every example. Student learning features In each chapter: • Definitions • Links to other chapters • References At the end of each chapter: • Metaphors • Illustrative Examples At the end of the book: • general index • Pali index • index of similes • index of illustrative examples 8 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129110 Aclmowledgements The publication of this book was made possible only by the special efforts of many staff and vol- unteers at the Dhammakaya Foundation in Thai- land. This includes most importantly the source works in the Thai language already mentioned by the Most Ven. Phrabhavanaviriyakhun, Phra Maha Dr. Somchai Thanavuddho and Phra Paiboon Dhammavipulo. Thanks also to Phra Nicholas Thanissaro who has translated, compiled and field tested this version of the text in English. Thanks to Phra Jessadah Kittithano for help in tracking down references, to Lalita Prasertnopakhun, Peungpit Poopornanake & Chalom Srijarus (ad- ministrative assistance), Anant Kittitawesin (cover design), the Dhammakaya Foundation's still pho- tography volunteers (colour photography), Tassin- Sipang-Pangbaramee-Pangboon Boontang, Manop-Vararat-Dhitinand Kawmark, Suwachara S.-Thanachaporn Nishiyama & Sukultra-Sabrina Carts (cover shoot). Preface 9 EFTA01129111 The Manual of Peace in Action Education on inner peace in the style laid before us in this Manual of Peace, is a must for humanity today. Modem day education has many shortcomings as illustrated ironically by the fact that the majority of today's disasters, come from supposedly the best educated being on this planet — namely the human being. The trouble with much of the curriculum materials taught in schools nowadays is that they ignore the concept of peace completely. The higher one goes in education, the narrower one's knowledge becomes and the further it becomes estranged from the concepts fundemental to peace. Many of the violent acts committed in the world are perpetrated by highly educated persons and often the victims are those who have received little education. Education for peace needs to start by imparting awareness of the consequences of one's own actions to young people — because every action, whether good or bad, has an effect on the doer's life and others' lives as well. One cannot afford to be complacent or irresponsible about one's actions. This is why any form of education which advocates certain actions by a student has to have considerations of the peacefulness of those actions built into it, in order to prevent the sort of misdeeds done intentionally or unintentionally that upset society. The sort of education that provides awareness of peace issues is known as 'Inner Peace Education' (WE). It is a form of education that helps us know ourselves better and know how to manage life properly. As a result, it is the key success factor behind the world peace that we are striving for. Provision of IPE is not as straightforward as conventional curriculum content. However, as compared with usual spiritual provisions in school, it has the advantage of not being based on belief or faith — but rather experience and evidence. It is based on practical knowledge. It's applied knowledge that offers each person an individual approach to true happiness regardless of race, nationality, religion, culture or occupation. It is knowledge that can form a firm foundation to any other form of academic knowledge to guarantee that the applications of that knowledge are for peace. It is self-education that you can start upon anytime, anywhere (for as long as you are still a human being!) — and can be practised throughout the day alongside our regular daily activities in order to increase our efficiency and effectiveness. It maximises the efficiency of our time management, rather than being a burden on our time — if a certain period of time each day is allocated to it. It needs no formal classroom, and demands no tuition fees either! However, more than conventional education, it demands time, concentration, perseverance, tolerance and goodwill. These are qualities which are too easily eroded away by materialism. It is only students who are determined and motivated who can succeed in their studies of IPE. IPE is not yet 10 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129112 widespread because the value and benefits of it are not yet widely known. Furthermore, because it is evaluated on the basis of inner experience, it is difficult to measure success in empirical terms. Nonetheless, great opportunities exist for pioneering work in IPE. There's already a great deal of expertise in this field, with an emerging group of people who realize their lack of knowledge concerning peace and who are willing to learn. If we can overcome the obstacles that prevent us from realizing the real nature of peace and avoid the influences of segregation and bias which are so easily instilled by race, nationality and religion — through interactive communication we can really start to understand peace from the inside out. Thus although IPE is derived from Buddhist values, it emphasizes key human qualities that transcend cultural differences. It is something that should be a part of every child's education from their earliest years.The idea of IPE is that the attitudes it instils, will not be erased by circumstances. It will remain in a child's character, shaping him to be reasonable rather than emotional when making decisions, instilling a sense of responsibility toward himself, his nearest and dearest, his economy, society and the environment. To be studied, IPE concepts need to be translated into learning activities by teachers or parents. By intensive study of advanced IPE, young people can understand themselves better and have a clearer sense of purpose in life. Youngsters, parents and teachers alike like to participate actively in peace education projects as participants and organizers and also form an active network of peace volunteers throughout Thailand down to the present day, generation by generation through word-of-mouth. It is important that before becoming organizers and teachers of such programs that they first understand peace and means of non- violent conflict resolution themselves —under this proviso, the organizers can even be older children organizing activities for their younger fellows. During the history of the 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest, the scale of participation has grown from one person to a small team then a larger and larger one. Over the last thirty years, the lives of total of over twenty million young people in Teachers' round of the 'Path of Progress'. Teachers must become familiar with IPE materials & issues before being able to communicate peace values before being able to communicate them effectively to their students. Thailand have been touched by the IPE curriculum — and this can have made no small contribution to peace in the world community — helping children to open up their hearts to listen to the teacher inside and understand the reality of life and the world — healing differences, celebrating similarities and promoting world peace through inner peace. PATH OF PROGRESS ETHICS QUIZ CONTEST The main learning activity for implementing 1PE amongst young people is the so-called 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest which has been held nationwide every year in Thailand since 1982. The aim of the project is to bring children's ethical development to higher levels resulting in positive behavioral changes in a way that is relevant to those The Manual of Peace in Action 11 EFTA01129113 Interreligious participation in the 'Path of Progress'. Christians, Buddhists & Moslems take the teachers' round of the 'Path of Progress' so that they can accurately pass on the IPE concepts to their schoolchildren. of all nationalities, races and religions. The 'Path of Progress' shares the same curriculum of the Thirty- Eight Blessings of Life described in this Manual of Peace. The number of participants started with 382 in 1982 and rose in 2002 to four million from 13,000 educational institutes — ranging from kindergartens, universities, police and military colleges—students and teachers alike from all over Thailand. The winners of the contest receive plaques of distinction from . the King of Thailand and representatives o many international organ- izations. Besides honorary plaques, winners are granted scholarships and certificates for their success in each category. Case Histories of Schools Participating in the Path of Progress IPE Scheme Suteetorn Kindergarten, Nakorn Prathom, Thailand. "We find that the teachings of the 'Path of Progress' programme eminently suitable to the curriculum at our school. The 'Path of Progress' program helps students realize the value of morality. Students can also adapt these morals to practice in their daily lives. The Home of Peace program (see p.16) focuses more on the practices of the learners, so students can really practice what they have learned. This is the reason why both programs are so beneficial for our school. At the beginning, we taught the Manual of Peace to small groups of students. As years went by, more students got interested, so we had to change the workshop format into assemblies. We had such an assembly each day for the students from first to sixth grade. Furthermore, our school has many activities that are involved with morals and ethics. For example, the school will let the students meditate along to an audio cassette of meditation instruction. The students usually attend Buddhist services and practise meditation afterwards. Later the students have their own group discussions to analyze and comment about how they can improve their virtues. Kindergarten infants, do not join the assembly, but they will have a homeroom teacher. Most of the time, the teacher focuses on meditation practice. The teaching for them makes heavier use of illustrations to overcome their reading difficulties. Also, they seem to enjoy looking at the pictures too. We once had a boy named Pruchya. He had received an 'Olympic' gold medal for winning a math contest. In all his interviews, Pruchya said that he always wishes to be a virtuous person rather than being merely a smart one. From listening to his interview, it made us really proud to see that he had lived up to our ideals of a good student In my opinion too, to be a virtuous child is more important than to be an intelligent one because at least virtuous people can co-exist peacefully in the world. If a person is endowed with self-discipline, they have the potential to develop intelligence and have a successful future. When the youth have morality in their hearts, they can differentiate what is right or wrong. They have awareness of the consequences of every action they do. Therefore they perform good deeds for the benefit of themselves, society and the world." Headmistress 12 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129114 School Track Record: • 2,600 students from kindergarten to Grade 6 have joined the 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest every year from 1990 to present; • first prize winner in the primary school category for 1998; • first prize in the primary school team category for 2000, 2001 and 2002; • recognized by the Thai Ministry of Education as 'best school for cultivation of virtue in students' Singha Samuita High School, Chonburi, Thailand "The intention of our school in joining the 'Path of Progress' scheme was originally only to evaluate the level of knowledge of our students concerning the Buddha's teachings and also to see where our students stood as compared to other schools. However, when I saw the students' enthusiasm in joining the competition, I too started to read the book, the Manual of Peace. I started to be involved gradually with tutoring the students for competitions. After teaching for a while, I became fascinated by the Buddha's teachings. I felt that I had become a better person morally as well as spiritually. ' I think one of the reasons has to do with the fact that I am teaching Manual of Peace to the students. I mean, can you imagine a person managing to teach Manual of Peace without understanding moral or ethics themselves? I couldn't be like that. So I felt like my attitude towards life has completely changed because of this book. The most rewarding thing I have witnessed is to be able to transfer my knowledge about how to conduct good deeds to my students. I try to put the basic teaching from Manual of Peace into all of my mainstream lessons." One single teacher's effort, inspired senior students to organize a tutorial activity of peace for their juniors. Finally it became the most popular club amongst our students." Sompong Hunsadee: Coordinating Teacher School Track Record: • 3,800 high school students from Grade 7-12 joining the 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest every year from 1983 to present; • first prize in the team category for seven years running from 1993-9; • first prize in the individual and team categories for the 19th contest • first prize in the secondary school team category in 2002. Recovery of a former drug-addict "Ever since I was born, the person I remembered seeing the most is my mother. She always taught me to be a good person and to do good things to others as well. Well, you may think I would probably turn out to be just like Qualified teachers instruct their students. Teachers need to be role models of IPE and knowledgable of its concepts to instil virtuous habits in their students. The Manual of Peace in Action 13 EFTA01129115 Student 'Path of Progress' Examinations take place throughout Thailand. Each year more than four million students throughout Thailand participate In the qualifying round of the 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest at countless provincial centres supervised by IBS volunteers. other kids but it's not so. It started when I was in high school. I had a big argument with my teacher and therefore, I decided to drop-out. I thought school was not necessary any more. Instead of helping my mothec. I started to go out every night with my friends. I knew my mother worried about me but I thought I could take care of myself. One night when I went to a friend 's house, one night, he showed me a small pill that looked like a painkiller. Curious and ignorant as I was, I decided to have my first contact with drugs. After that, I became addicted to drugs and had to steal money in order to buy them daily. At last, I became the drug dealer myself. At that time, I had no choice. However, I was caught by police and was sent to a juvenile court. My mother then bailed me out from the juvenile prison. The first thing I asked her was, "Why did you help me, Mom?" My mother did not say much. Just the sight of tears in her eyes had already killed me. All she said was, "I love you. I can forgive and will always do so, son." After that day, I decided to stop doing all the bad things and avoided getting back into the vicious circle again. I decided to go back to school in order to avoid probation. Though I knew that I didn't want to hurt my mother's feelings any more, my subconscious still tempted me to sell drugs to my classmates. There was a big fight in my mind between the good and bad sides. I did not know what to do. Fortunately, when I was at the point of relapse, my teacher persuaded me to join ethics quiz contest called 'The Path of Progress'. At first, I saw no point in participating in such a program. Then she gave me a reference book 14 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129116 called A Manual of Peace to prepare myself for a contest. I did not know why I went through it. Surprisingly, I was very touched by the content the book offered. This book was the turning point of my life. I learned to love myself, my parents, my teachers, my friends and others in a more productive way. I was taught to think wisely before acting, to choose eloquent and useful words to express myself in and to do good deeds towards myself and other people. From then on, I avoided people who attempted to poison me with drugs or any other bad things. I stopped coming home late. I tried to help my mother in every way I could. Right now, my mother and I understand each other more. I do well at school and my friends now welcome me to join class activities with them. All I would like to say is a big 'thank you' to the Path of Progress. They have changed my life. They helped me find the way out of the dark. I will try to help spread the project to more people in my community. There are many young people who are still stuck in vicious circles. They do not know how to go out of them. Please show them the light at the end of the tunnel. And please try to reach us before the mistakes we make in our lives are too grave. Mr. Visarut Komkaew Bang Luang Vithaya High School Nakorn Pathom, Thailand This is the true testimony written by one participant of the Path of Progress Ethics Quiz Contest. After receiving this letter in 2000, the IBS interviewed him when he was in Grade 12 and had been elected as president of the student committee. THE INTERNATIONAL BUDDHIST SOCIETY The main coordinator of IPE in Thailand is the International Buddhist Society (IBS). IBS was established by a 1960 Alumni of Kasetsart University, Bangkok. After graduation, he took ordination as a Buddhist monk. At present, he is the Most Venerable Phrarajabhavanavisudh (Chaiboon Dhammajayo), President of the Interreligious participation in the 'Path of Progress. Christians, Buddhists & Moslems take the teachers' round of the 'Path of Progress' so that they can accurately pass on the IPE concepts to their schoolchildren. Dhammakaya Foundation — a United Nations- accredited Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) associated with the Department of Public Information (DPI). The founder's compassionate mission in setting up the IBS was to further public awareness of ethical issues, particularly in the youth. In the present day, the IBS is an umbrella organization of university students all over Thailand who sacrifice their time to organize ethical activities primarily for youth. Their success is a result of the dedication, hard work and devotion of an all-volunteer staff, many of whom are former participants in IBS activities. This is a new wave of student activity boasting nearly 5,000 active members in 2003. Most IBS activities are based on the concept of promoting peace through education. The Manual of Peace in Action 15 EFTA01129117 Thai royalty & international organizations award plaques. Winners of 'Path of Progress' championships in the various categories receive plaques and scholarships from M. the King of Thailand and numerous international organizations. IBS has become a major player in Thai youth development an active role in promoting peace through a variety of peace education programs in Thai society. IBS ACTIVITIES IBS activities are divided into two major levels — the elementary and the advanced. On the elementary level, it aims to instill the normal inner peace core values in a child's mind. In order to prepare them for more advanced levels of study when they grow up. Such standards will translate into a child's behaviours and become his own second nature. It's a self- generated rather than an imposed discipline. That's why IPE has long term beneficial effects on its students. On the advanced level, meditation by students consolidates the process of IPE in the long run. Meditation is a good catalyst, because it helps youth see and understand themselves better, know their own needs and serve those needs in a more productive way. The IBS see IPE as lifelong education. The main learning activities at the elementary level, used by the IBS is the 'Path of Progress' Ethics Quiz Contest' and 'the Home of Peace' (HOP). These two projects have about 4 million students participating annually throughout Thailand and receive cooperation from 13,000 schools and educational institutions. The 'Path of Progress' provides students with a peace manual for students to study as an extra- curricular activity and an annual contest to compete in. Winners in each category receive honorific plaques, certificates and scholarships to motivate and stimulate their interest. By reading the Manual of Peace different topics will capture each student's imagination according to their disposition. It will guide them to see the good and bad sides of their own character and motivate them to want to improve themselves become more productive. They transform by means of internally derived discipline, rather than discipline needing to be imposed from outside. They change by their own willingness to become a more responsible person. The 'Path of Progress' is complemented by a second project called the 'Home of Peace' — especially to supplement younger childrens' understanding of peace — to see if they differentiate peace and non-peace in their daily lives. The project provides a 'diary of peace' for the children to write down their own good deeds and good deeds done toward their parents, teachers and extended family. Since any deeds done every day can become habits, the IBS seeks to value to overlook a child's seemingly insignificant good deeds because these might be the root cause of their success in the future. Every child tends to have his or her own hero. If their hero is a worthy role model, it will inspire them to become a virtuous global citizen. On the contrary, with a negative role model, they can become public enemy no.1. In this respect, adults play an important role in presenting a model of peace to the young people around them. By reading, writing and practising peace every day, with the co-operation of parents and school, IPE will eventually become a child's second nature allowing them to respond to every situation by peaceful means. For young people who show their readiness to 16 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129118 learn at the advanced level, there are a hither three projects: • Leadership Training Program: this scheme attracts young people by providing advanced IPE training in personality enhancement, public speaking, meditation and social affirmation — and it is these young people who go on to become 'supervisor' volunteers who organize the 'Path of Progress' throughout Thailand annually. • Dhammadayada Ordination Scheme: During the Ordination Scheme, the IPE used includes Buddhist teachings made relevant to the needs of young men in Thai society. This activity is rooted in the Thai tradition that when a man reaches the age of twenty he should take temporary ordination as a Buddhist monk for a period to learn spiritual values first hand. This course comprises two months of intense study of IPE. Participants study and practice spiritual values incorporated into their daily routine to make sure that improved habits are properly instilled and that those habits will survive the transfer back to daily life when they return to their everyday life. • Ladies' Dhammadayada Training Scheme: the Ladies version of the Dhammadayada training is as intensive in IPE concepts as that of the gentlement, but participants are not required to ordain as nuns. At the advanced level, IPE projects seek to train university students who can act as organizers of IPE project managers themselves. It is because of the trainees of these sort of courses that the IBS has managed to run activities such as the 'Path of Progress' continuously now for more than twenty years. The unifying feature of the advanced projects for IPE is an increased emphasis on meditation. The Manual of Peace in Action 17 EFTA01129119 Abbreviations A. Aliguttara Nilcitya (PTS Edition) AA. Manorathaparahi - Aiiguttara Nikaya Commentary (PTS Edition) Ap. Apadana (PTS Edition) D. Digha Nikaya (PTS Edition) DA. Sumahgala Vilasini - Digha Nikaya Commentary (PTS Edition) Dh. Dhammapada (PTS Edition) DhA. Dhammapada Commentary (PTS Edition) DhSA. Atthasalini - Dhammasarigahi Commentary (PTS Edition) It. Itivuttaka (PTS Edition) J. Jataka (PTS Edition) KhpA. Khuddakapitha Commentary (PTS Edition) M. Majjhima Nikaya (PTS Edition) MA. Papaftca Sfidani - Majjhima Nikaya Commentary (PTS Edition) MT. Mahavaipsaillka Mil. Milindapafiha (PTS Edition) MNidA. Maha Niddesa Commentary (PTS Edition) Maha Niddesa (PTS Edition) bld! Cula Niddesa (PTS Edition) NrPA. Cella Niddesa Commentary (PTS Edition) PsA. Patisambhidarnagga Commentary (PTS Edition) PTS Pali Text Society of London S. Saipyutta Nikiya (PTS Edition) SA. Saratthappakisini - Sazatta Nikaya Commentary (PTS Edition) SadS. Saddhammasarigaha (=. Journal 1890) SN. Sutta Nipata (PTS Edition) SNA. Sutta Nipita Commentary (PTS Edition) ThagA. Theragatha Commentary (PIS Edition) Ud. Udana (PTS Edition) Vbh. Vibhanga (PTS Edition) Vin. Vinaya (PTS Edition) Vism. Visuddhimagga (PTS Edition) Vv. Vimanavatthu (PTS Edition) VvA. Vimanavatthu Commentary (PTS Edition) 18 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129120 Orientation A. 1811 ROOM, 11ON Welcome to the Manual of Peace. This orientation deals with the principles of ethical study and the value of the Thirty-Eight Blessings contained in this manual. The Manual of Peace contains subject mat- ter which is not difficult — indeed it is very popu- lar in Thailand especially amongst school children where over 4,000,000 annually take examinations in it. In schools where vocational subjects rob the curriculum of more and more time previously dedi- cated for spiritual studies, the Thirty-Eight Bless- ings have been forming an extra-curricular recom- pense in spiritual studies for children in Thailand since 1982. A.1 Why study spiritual knowledge ? The first question that comes to mind for many peo- ple studying this book is to ask why academic or material knowledge is not sufficient to get by in the world. If a full stomach and a place to sleep were enough to keep the human happy then we wouldn't have to go to the trouble of studying about ethics or about spirituality. However, for every human being, there is something deeper inside us which is always searching for the answers to questions on a deeper level — something which seeks for purpose and meaning in the life we live and the world around us. If supporting yourself were all there was to life then certainly millionnaires would be the hap- piest people on earth. Unfortunately wealth can only buy physical comfort — money cannot buy the means to nurtur or nourish the mind. For all our qualifications and diplomas we might have, none of them can guarantee us against hunger of the mind. On the contrary, the irresponsible people may use their cunning to do more heinous crimes than they would do if they weren't educated. Thus worldly education cannot guarantee us a happy life or guarantee that we will not end up in jail. This is why we make the distinction between worldly and spiritual knowledge — because spiritual knowl- edge properly studied can guarantee that we will not be put in jail — it is not only something to fill up our brains — it has transformative power to upgrade the way we think, speak and act. In the ideal world, our system of education would give us the answers we need to the questions in- side ourselves, but in practice, the secular educa- tion doesn't manage to fill this gap — and maybe, even if it were to try, it could not — because in some way the personal quest is part of the process of ac- quiring knowledge.Thus we are forced to look for the answers from alternative sources. A.2 Fashion and Universal Values Many things can affect our spiritual progress. Some- times it can be people, objects, attitudes, situations or experiences we come across in the world. How- ever, for most things, the worth or uselessness of an experience is just a matter of opinion. Are there things then that have a universally uplifting effect on people's lives — that are more than just a mat- Orientation 19 EFTA01129121 ter of opinion? Take present day trademarks which are accepted as status symbols by everyone as an example — Mercedes, Adidas — really such companies should pay us to advertise their products, but on the con- trary we pay more for a T-shirt with the trademark for the privilege of associating ourselves with the trademark. Why should this be? We feel that asso- ciating ourselves with such a symbol somehow improves our own worth. Sometimes we feel that the worth of these things is unchanging, but in fact from age to age these values change according to fashion. In times gone by, people thought in the same way, but they didn't call these things 'brand marketing', ortrademarks', they called them 'lucky charms' — but again they liked to associate with them as a way of improving their worth or foster- ing progress in their lives. We still have lucky charms in the present day — things like lucky horse- shoes or four-leaf clovers, but their role is dimin- ished if compared to olden times. In olden times the role of charms was much more significant. Systems of spiritual knowledge are attempts by men to model the values of the world in a way ac- cording to unchanging universal values—ways to recognize the things that improve our worth in ways that are eternal and don't differ from person to person. Many bodies of knowledge exist in the world to help us in this respect. They differ in their degree of comprehensiveness. The ideal body of knowledge for us to learn from would perhaps be one with the following characteristics: • Progressive & Sequential something which leads you step by step from simple to more complex; • Self-Catalysing creating its own motivation and enthusiasm to pursue it as you go along; • Exhaustive being applicable to all aspects of life; • Holistic perhaps dealing with problems not just by symptoms but in their entirety; • Multi-level working on personal, interpersonal, family, social and global levels equally well; • Non-discriminatory being equally applicable to those of all cultures; • Multi-Factorial being able to deal not just with simple problems but with those with many con- tributing factors; • Facilitating Practical Outlook giving a clear place to start with problems —not just theory or philosophy; • Transcending Values allowing us to rise above mundane and petty values; • Highlighting Opposites giving us clear "curses" to avoid as well as positive things to aim for. There are many systems of spiritual values which fall short of these criteria. Some systems lead to spir- itual exclusivity and even wars against those of other beliefs which are values no longer suitable for an age of globalization and tolerance. Some sys- tems lead their practitioner to shut themselves away from the world and to ignore social problems. Some systems confine themselves to their own culture or language. 13. THE MANUAL OF 1 LAU; B.1 Historical Origins of the Manual of Peace The Blessings of Life which make up the Manual of Peace are interesting because they seem to answer to all the characteristics specified above. They grew up in response to just the same type of debate over universal values mentioned in the introduction. In fact, even from ancient times, men had values — but at a certain time in the past 2,500 years ago in India a group of people started to wonder whether there was anything deeper behind the fashions — were there symbols of worth that transcended fash- ion? What sort of charms could possibly allow one to live without obstacles'. Supposing one wanted wealth, honour, praise and happiness, how could one ensure that one received just that? There was such a debate ensuing from this question, over which everybody seemed to have a different point of view. To generalize the debators divided them- selves into three main camps: 1. The first group believed that the thing to make one's life a blessing was to see something that was 'pleasing'. 2. The second group believed that the thing to make one's life a blessing was to hear something that was 'pleasing'. 3. The third group believed that the thing to make one's life a blessing was the mood in the mind 20 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps towards Enlightened Living EFTA01129122 which arose whenever you saw or heard some- thing that was 'pleasing'. Each group disagreed with the others because it was obvious that an image pleasant to one person may not be pleasant to another. A sound pleasant to one person might not be pleasant to another. Something that creates a pleasant mood today might cause an unpleasant mood tomorrow. Thus there is nothing to make anything discussed a 'blessing' without doubt. The debate went on and on without any sign of coming to an end. It is just like people in the present day can still not agree as to what is truly a 'lucky charm'. Eventually the problem was only resolved by taking audience with the Buddha. A representa- tive asked the Buddha the nature of blessings and his reply is what is now know as the Mangala Sutta — thirty-eight blessings divided into ten group- ings. B.2 Definitions: The Word 'Blessings' Some may still wonder about the meaning of the word 'blessing' [mangala]. Some people think a blessing must be an object or an action — but by our technical understanding of the word, we trans- late it as 'a cause of prosperity, progress and happi- ness'. If you want to know the definition, you could say that the progress towards happiness that a 'mangala' will bring is four-fold: 1. progress through acquired wealth (worldly treas- ure, heavenly treasure and the treasure of Nir- vana). 2. progress through wisdom, which is the means by which obstacles in life and evil are abated. 3. progress through virtue through the channels of body, speech and mind, at the basic, intermedi- ate and advanced levels 4. progress through the three benefits: benefit in this lifetime, the next lifetime and in the hereafter. A blessing is a sign that positive development is about to take place (to a person, society or the world). Unlike such principles as that of deserved fate, the logic of blessings is forward looking, sig- nifying that something good is about to happen. B.3 Principles of Ethical Learning A working computer has two important parts: hard- ware and software. The hardware of the computer is the wiring and the circuitry. The software is the programming that we install on the computer. The hardware of a computer is neutral, but what makes the difference between a beneficial and a degrad- ing computer is the type of software installed. If you install working programs, the computer can be useful. However if you install violent games, vi- roses or pornography then the computer becomes a source of degradation. The worth of the compu- ter thus depends on the software. A drinking glass is also neutral. What makes the difference between a beneficial and a degrading glass is the sort of drink you put in it. If you put a nourishing drink in the glass such as milk then the glass will be an uplifting one welcomed by every- PRINEWLEBEHINOTHEMIRMBONT BLESSNGS OF UFE Kowa MKS eft barn luldnotres406:0 Gamow -Hansen • 3carsai• lame.. fleef • iinti Iniftleg Softies ins a: Tee Karp w.0000, m tit "td womb wow**, >,, waterer* pawn imampropane »> beeellei cOMpeler ranike >a> Dinell00 pas dirk OW:, 31111KM clarroCrr; pratran • • • IcgreInG °omits • • 113ta C. GacciLearring En. Unclosir Omponmakr. Fkri 8000411 AIM Amon one. However, if you put alcohol or poison in the glass, then the glass is immediately eyed with sus- picion. The worth of a drinking glass thus depends on its content. In the same way, a human being has two impor- tant parts: body and mind. By body we mean all Orientation 21 EFTA01129123 the blood, bones, muscles and organs associated with the physical body — even the brain, which is a physical organ. By mind, we mean the knowledge and attitudes that constitute our consciousness. The mind is like "the ghost in the machine". The physi- cal components of the human being are also neu- tral. The difference between a human who is up- lifting and one who is degrading depends not on the body, but on the mental component. Unfortu- nately, the software of the human mind is not pre- installed from the factory! When we are born we are born along with an ignorance about all aspects of life. From the time we are children, we spend our life learning in order to fill the gap in our knowl- edge — to provide ourselves with the knowledge we need for life. The path of our subsequent des- tiny depends on the sort of knowledge we fill our- selves with. We can fill ourselves with either: • accurate knowledge: positive knowledge which is creative and uplifting for ourselves and oth- ers, or; • inaccurate knowledge: negative knowledge (com- parable to lies to the soul) which is harmful to ourselves and others. Our knowledge increases as a result of influences in our surroundings. The first and most fundamental influence on our learning is the sort of people that make up our environment. The second most impor- tant influence is the environment in general. Together, these two influences have the potential to instil us with Right View about the world (effectively our core val- ues and assumptions about the world and our atti- tude to it). The first group (see p.25) which concerns the acqui- sition of discretion concerns our understanding of what is wrong and what is right. Even if someone is knowledgable,if their discretion is faulty, their future is unlikely to be bright. On the contrary those with good discretion but who lack education, at least they will not become a burden on society. It is the basis of Right View [samma dipthi]. Simply avoiding associ- ating with fools will bring us wealth, because we have no risk of spoiling our reputation, our wisdom is also not at risk and may be improved — virtue of all sorts will start to flow in our direction. This is the result even of following thefts! blessing — what more will be the benefit of practising all of the blessings in their entirety. The benefits will be not only to ourself, but to society and to the world as well. The second group (see p.65) concerns consolidating upon the goodness of the discretion you already have through the environment which we inhabit, from the habits we have built up for ourselves in the past and by setting a proper aim in life. This style of teaching is characteristic of the Buddha who taught virtue in a way that becomes successively more complex. The third group (p.139) concerns how we can make a contribution to society by our skilfulness, so that we ourself do not become a burden on society and can at the same time be a refuge to ourself in terms of earning our living. The fourth group (p.139) progresses from being able to help ourselves to being able to help other people as well. The first people who we must help are those to whom we are indebted: our parents. If we have new people to whom we owe our efforts towards virtue, such as our children and our spouse. Furthermore, we have to be able to divide our