EFTA00286476

hidden treasure, it is always better and never 
worse, to cultivate such an association. 
E.2 Metaphor: Frog at the bottom of a well 
A stubborn person who doesn't open themselves to 
criticism is like a frog living at the bottom of a well 
who has never had the chance to see the world from 
any other perspective. No matter how many people 
might come along and point out how much better the 
world is outside the well, such words are lost on the 
frog who through his lack of experience always 
assumes he knows better. 
E.3 Metaphor: Paralyzed by Stubbornness 
The people of old compared a stubborn person to 
someone who has been paralyzed. Even though all 
round him there may be delicious food, beautiful 
clothes and many other useful things, they are all 
useless to that person because the paralyzed person is 
unable to pick them up. In the same way, if a person is 
stubborn, even though they might have an arahant for a 
teacher, are unable to absorb any of the goodness of 
that person. 
E.4 Er. 
JEvaka 
heals 
King 
Candappajjota 
(Vin.268-81) 
In the time of the Buddha King Candappajjota of Ujjeni 
could not be healed by anyone in his own kingdom, so 
he sent a letter to King BimbisAra asking him to send 
the court physician JEvaka KomArabhacca to take care 
of him. Normally in the treatment, the patient must 
swallow ghee to be cured. In this case, the patient 
stubbornly refused treatment because in his religion, 
they prohibited the eating of dairy products. JEvaka 
considered the condition of the king would be helpless 
if he didn't take ghee, so he make what may have been 
the world's first `capsule' by concealing the ghee inside 
a digestible husk. JEvaka knew that after halfan-hour, 
the medicine would give its effect and the king would 
regurgitate the ghee. Besides being cured, the king 
would know that he had been fooled by the doctor. 
JEvaka administered the ghee capsule to the king and 
immediately asked for the king's fastest elephant to go 
looking for additional herbs. The king granted his 
request and JEvaka made a quick get-away, without any 
intention to 
return. When the king regurgitated the ghee and knew 
he had been fooled, he ordered his soldiers to pursue 
and kill JEvaka, but JEvaka was long gone on a swift 
elephant and they could not catch him. The king was 
angry all day and all night, but within a few days he 
was cured of his illness, and changed his attitude to 
JEvaka , even sending him a reward of sEveyyaka cloth 
to thank him for his attention. The king made an effort 
to change his stubborn personality from that day 
onwards. 
E.5 Ex. RAdha Thera DhA.ii.104ff 
There was one day in the town of RAjagaha, the Lord 
Buddha was staying at VeOuvana Temple and 
SAriputta was there also. An aged Brahmin called 
RAdha who had been shunned by his wife, family and 
in-laws because he was not very wealthy. They 
abandoned RAdha instead of looking after him in his 
old age. He didn't want to bother anyone unduly so he 
thought of becoming a Buddhist monk for the final days 
of his life. None of the monks in the temple were 
interested to take responsibility for his ordination 
because they saw that he was already old and would 
only be a burden on the temple. No-one would give him 
ordination. The Buddha asked if there was not a single 
monk in the temple who had received benefit from this 
Brahmin in the past. SAriputta spoke up and said that 
once a long time ago RAdha had given him a ladleful of 
rice when he was on almsround. The Buddha therefore 
asked SAriputta to help out RAdha on this occasion. 
SAriputta ordained RAdha and allowed him to stay in 
the same hal teaching him meditation and the teachings 
of the Buddha. RAdha practised hard and possessed the 
quality of being sensitive to self-improvement. He 
never thought of looking down on the teachings of a 
much younger monk. He practised everything he was 
taught. There was no hesitation or doubt in his mind. If 
he was asked to use the mantra `SammA-ArahaO1 and 
think of a Buddha image that was exactly what he did. 
He was not like some people who sit and think, "How 
can it be possible that we can imagine something and 
see it?" or "How could there ever be brightness inside?' 
or "The mind has the nature to think, what's the use of 
trying not to think?" or "Surely the teach 
EFTA00286776

ing monk is making it up as he goes along?" like most 
people. RAdha did exactly what was asked of him. 
SAriputta was a young monk who could sit for 
meditation for five to ten hours at a time. Even though 
RAdha was seventy, he would still sit together with 
SAriputta without worrying about stiffness. RAdha 
thought, "After all, I have made the effort to become a 
monk, so what is there to be feared about meditation 
when I have left behind everything else?" and after 
three days was able to become an arahant. 
E.6 Ex BrahmadaAia punishment of Channa 
DhA.ii.110ff 
In the time of the Buddha, when he left the palace to ordain, 
he went together witha horseman called Channa. Channa also 
ordained at that time, but from that day to the time when the 
Buddha entered Parinirvana, he could make no progress in the 
teachings of Buddhism. The reason for this is that he would 
selfishly do whatever he felt like doing and would ignore the 
advice of all the other monks in the community. lie would be 
so proud of the fact that he had accompanied the Buddha 
when he renounced the palace that he thought that the whole 
of Buddhism should thank him for it. lie was not ready to 
listen to anyone's criticism because he saw them all as 
ungrateful. He would listen to no-one but the Buddha himself. 
However, the Buddha didn't have enough time to give 
Channa personal attention, so he ended up as a stubborn 
monk. 
/panda asked the Buddha "What can we do with this 
monk because if you should ever enter upon 
parinibbAna, there will be no-one left who can do 
anything to help this monk." 
The Buddha said, "You must perform the BrahmadaAla 
punishment." 
inancla asked, "How can we do that?" 
The Buddha explained, "From now on, whatever 
Channa wants to do let him do it. Whatever he wants to 
say let him say it. Shun him by treating him as if he 
wasn't there and don't speak to him or do anything to 
co-operate with him." 
When the Buddha passed away, all the monks did what 
the Buddha had instructed and within a very short period 
of time Channa became like an outcast in the community. 
Channa came grovelling to /panda saying, "Please be a 
refuge to me — I will stop being stubborn.-
All the monks had a meeting and decided to forgive 
him. As a result of everyone treating him in the same 
way, he could soon realize his mistake and change his 
ways. 
If you have a stubborn child in the family, the parents 
can use the same technique of punishment However, if 
your parents are stubborn, as children you should not 
try using this technique or maybe you will be punished 
yourself! Even in schools or places of work might adapt 
this for their own use. 
E.7 Er. Sariputta criticized for a squint under-robe 
(SA.H.29, MiL397) 
SAriputta's humility was as great as his patience. He 
was willing to receive correction from anyone, not only 
with submission, but with gratitude. It is told in the 
commentary to the SusEma Sutta that once through 
momentary negligence, a corner of the elder's 
under-robe was hanging down. A seven-year old 
novice, seeing this, pointed it out to him. SAriputta 
stepped aside a once and arranged the garment in the 
proper way and then stood before the novice with 
folded hands saying "Now it is correct, teacher!" and 
said the following verses: 
"If one who has gone forth this day, at the age of 
seven should teach me, I accept it with a lowered 
head. At the sight of him, I show my zeal and 
respect. May I always set him in the teacher's 
place." 
EFTA00286777

Blessing Twenty-Nine: 
The Sight of a True 
Monk 
A. INTRODUCTION 
A.1 The place of Blessing Twenty-nine in the order of 
things 
With this blessing we come to the twenty-ninth step of 
Buddhist practice — that of `the sight of a true monk'. 
We find that all that patience and openness to criticism 
developed in earlier blessings together with 'seeing a 
true monk' in this blessing will be a foundation to 
prepare us to discuss spiritual teachings with a monk 
(the topic of the next blessing). 
A.1 The Objectives of the Twenty-ninth blessing 
The objectives of this blessing are as follows: 
I. to make ourselves worthy of discussing the 
Dhamma with a monk: a monk is an ordained person 
who has no need of anything from anyone. He has no 
interest in fame or social standing. If anyone cannot be 
sufficiently patient to listen to what he has to say, then 
why should he bother to teach them? Even if you were 
to conduct yourself towards him in a pleasant way, his 
main priority is to attain liberation from the world, 
training himself in the forest. Thus, if you were to 
conduct yourself in an inappropriate way, it would be 
an unattractive prospect indeed for him to teach you; 
2. to understand by example the meaning of Dhamma 
we have not yet experienced for ourselves: with higher 
virtues, if you just say 'such and such a virtue' is good 
in 'such and such a way', it brings the listener no closer 
to under 
standing it. You always need to give an example. 
Supposing you tell someone, "Keeping the Five, 
Eight, Ten or 227 Precepts will make your mind 
cheerful." If someone had never heard of the 
Precepts, they would disagree immediately because 
227 Precepts looks like a way of removing all the 
cheerfulness from life. To the uninitiated, the more 
Precepts you have, the less life has to offer. To them, 
cheerfulness is equated with keeping no Precepts, 
because you can do exactly what you want — you 
can drink liquor and you don't need to be faithful to 
your wife any more. They would argue that keeping 
no Precepts would certainly be more cheerful. They 
have seen only cheerful drunks, night-club singers, 
dancers and boxing crowds. Thus if you say keeping 
the Precepts makes you cheerful, they might accuse 
you of lying. However, the day such a person meets 
a monk keeping 227 Precepts who is peaceful and 
has a radiant complexion and who speaks politely, 
they will realize, "Yes, the monk is cheerful too", 
but it may be a sort of cheerfulness they have never 
encountered before. However, if someone never met 
such a monk before, there is no way they would 
believe in the capacity of the Precepts to make 
people happy; 
3. to recognize a monk able to benefit us with his 
teaching: Part of the objective of this blessing is to 
allow us to recognize a good monk when we see one —
and at the same time to avoid being 
EFTA00286778

taken in by those masquerading as monks. We 
mustn't overlook qualities that make someone a 'true 
monk', otherwise, we run the risk of meeting a monk 
without recognizing him as did the main character 
tamanital of the novel of K.A. Gjellerup's 
(1906-Danish/1907-German) classic Der Pilger 
Kamanita, who searched high and low for the 
Buddha, hoping the Buddha would heal his broken 
heart. One night he met an old monk and sat talking 
to him all night because the monk seemed to be able 
to answer all of his questions. The next morning he 
bade farewell to the monk and continued in his 
search for the Buddha, without realizing that the 
monk he had been talking to all night was the 
Buddha himself. Even when at the end of his life he 
was gored to death by a bull, he still didn't realize 
who he had been speaking to! Thus, so you don't 
make the same mistake as Kamanita, we must 
instead study this twenty-ninth Blessing of the 
Malgala Sutta. 
B. SEEING A TRUE MONK 
B./ Definition: The True Monk 
The definition of the word a true monk means 'peaceful 
one.' However, because we tend to translate in a 
haphazard way, we had better compare the translations 
of a few similar words: 
ism, there are also ordinands with their own training 
regulations — and they would also be called 
'pabbajita'. 
By comparison, the word 'samana' should be reserved for 
bhikkhus who really practice the 'Dhammas of a Peaceful 
One' to the point that they are peaceful in body, speech 
and mind. A 'samana' is a monk whose body, speech and 
mind are already well-trained — and is hereafter referred 
to as a 'true monk'. 
Just because a person shaves their head and dons robes 
doesn't automatically make him a 'true monk' 
— because there are some monks, unfortunately to say, 
who have a daily regime which consists of no more than 
eating, sleeping and watching the television. Such 
monks are hardly worthy of being called a true monk —
they can be considered more like 'trainee monks'. They 
are no more than 'bhikkhus'. You have to be careful 
about your definition of a a true monk because if you 
pick the wrong sort of monk, (e.g. trainee monks who 
are still fighting over almsfood) you will find it hard 
ever to see why seeing such monks could ever be a 
blessing. In cases where you see monks doing un-
suitable things, you should remind yourself that they are 
just trainees, but not yet true monks. For the purposes of 
this Blessing, seeing a monk, is to see a monk of the 
type we can call a 'true monk' — because there is no 
• 
`Pabbajital: This word means 'an ordained perso g
n-uarantee that seeing monks of any other sort will really 
i.e. a person who has gone forth into the homeless life. The a blessing!
will not marry and have decided to remain single and to spend 
their time training themselves in discipline meditation instead. 
A `pabbajita' can belong to any religion, not necessarily B.2 General Guidelines 
Buddhist. 
As we shall see later, there are different levels at which 
• 
`Bhikkhti: This term means a certain sort of 
we can catch sight of a true monk. However, we can 
'pabbajita' in Buddhism who is an almsman and must practiart by making some generalizations which apply at all 
the `Dhammas of a Peaceful One' according to the regulatilmls of description of a monk's behaviour: 
laid down by the Lord Buddha. 
• 
`SAmaAera': This term means a novice — which is A true monk must be peaceful in action: He must be 
also a type of 'pabbajita', but they are usually of child's age completely free from actions of harm to others. He 
(9-20) or are still a postulant. 
cannot carry weapons, pick fights with others or even 
walk in a demonstration. He cannot beat the table with 
his fist as he gives his sermon. None of his physical 
actions must be provocative. Anyone who sees him 
must be left with nothing other than a positive 
impression. He will not be attractive in the same way as 
a handsome 
Even those who wear white to practice Eight Precepts 
in the temple are also a type of ordinand but of a 
precursory sort. Buddhist nuns are also a form of 
ordinand. In the Chinese religions such as Tao 
EFTA00286779

man or a beautiful woman, but he will be graceful 
and charismatic in his presence. If a Mikkhzt has no 
presence, then maybe he has no self confidence to be 
anything more than a beggar. The a true monk will 
have confidence in his own good deeds, so he will 
not feel inferior. 
Z A true monk must be peaceful in speech: He must 
be completely free from malicious gossip or harmful 
speech or boasting. How would you like to meet a 
monk who said, "My temple is the best. Any other 
temple is no competition. My way of meditation is the 
best. Don't bother paying attention to any other sort of 
meditation."? A monk must be well-spoken. What he 
says must be serious — not said just to make people 
laugh. It is not suitable for a monk to speak of matters 
such as politics. 
3. A true monk must be peaceful in mind: He must 
train himself to rid his mind of thoughts of greed. If a 
monk doesn't try to free his mind of greed by training 
in meditation, before long he will want to have 
supplementary activities like being a witch doctor, or a 
fortune teller, or a lottery tipster. In the same way, he 
should not allow his mind to come under the influence 
of hatred or ignorance. However, it is easier said than 
done. He must try to train his mind the whole of the 
time and maintain a good temper always. 
Thus don't go thinking that a monk can become a true 
monk simply through his achievements in temple 
construction. Only these four practices mentioned above 
can allow the body, speech and mind of a monk to become 
sufficiently pure for him to be termed a 'true monk'. He 
needs to practice all four in order to really be worthy of 
the name a true monk. 
A further set of generalizations about monks' behav-
iour which qualifies him as a true monk are as follows: 
I. Must be of no danger to anyone: Thus nothing 
about a true monk in body, speech or mind must be of 
any danger to anyone. 
2. Must not be biased by the temptations of wealth: 
If you find monks overtaking one another on 
almsround to compete for food, could you entrust 
them with anything more valuable? 
3. Must practise the 'Mammas of a Peaceful One': 
This means he must train himself to avoid the 
temptations of excessive eating and sleeping. He must 
have a steadfast daily routine, without exception: doing 
morning 
and 
evening 
chanting, 
studying 
the 
Dhammavinaya, Tipitaka and Buddhist ceremonies. 
His manners should be polite. 
4. Must practise austerities (to reduce the level of bad 
habits in the mind): These include the practice of 
meditation, dhutalga (see Blessing Thirty-One). They 
help one to overcome the habit of doing exactly as one 
pleases the whole of time. 
In conclusion to this general introduction to the features 
of the true monk — we can say that a monk is someone 
whose happiness comes entirely from spiritual sources. 
We have already seen (from contentment in Blessing 
Twenty-Four §C.) that happiness can come from either 
material or spiritual sources, and for a true monk, the 
connection with happiness from inner peace is so 
well-developed that it manifests in all that he does and 
in his appearance too! 
B.3 Ways of seeing a true monk 
Simply to see a monk pass by the door is not fully 'the 
sight of a true monk' — it is not much of a blessing. 
You have to be on closer terms with the monk until you 
can start to distinguish the virtues of the monk. Thus 
simply to 'see' a true monk is not so simple as it 
sounds. In fact the word 'to see' can have three 
different depths of meaning: 
1. Seeing with the eye: i.e a monk's outward ap-
pearances 
Z Seeing with the mind: i.e a monk's outward be-
haviour 
3. Seeing through meditation: i.e a monk's inner 
attainments Why do we have to look at three levels to 
see a true monk? This is because every person is 
complex and has an inner and outer self. In the 
following sections we consider each level of 
description in turn. 
RI I Seeing with the eyes 
According to the SAmaiifiaphala Sutta (D.2) the 
characteristics of a true monk which can be observed by 
the outward manner and behaviour of monks are as 
follows: 
EFTA00286780

L Ordination with an aim in mind: A monk should 
ordain with the aim to train himself to be a good person 
in every respect: restraint of senses, education of the 
mind in theory [pariyatti] and practice [paEipati] by 
study of the scriptures and following a correct method 
of meditation until being able to tame the mind —
bringing peace, radiance and eventually wisdom to 
understand life and the world in accordance with 
reality; 
2. Restrained in accordance with the monastic code of 
conduct ThAtimokkhasaovaraf: (see B1.9 §C3.21); 
3. Pure in livelihood fAjEvaparisuddhiJ: (see B19 
§C3.2.3); 
4. Possessed of self-discipline [sElaJ: (for details see 
Blessing Nine §C3.2) If monks are possessed of such 
characteristics they are worthy of the praise, faith, 
homage and support of householders. 
B.3.2 Seeing with the mind 
This means appreciating the good manner and conduct 
of the monk through the channel of our mind. We see 
that in the kuti of the monk, there are virtually no 
possessions — that he has hardly anything but humble 
bedclothes and a set of the Buddhist scriptures. Such a 
few possessions, would lead us to suppose that the 
monk studies the TipiEaka whenever he is free. We 
might observe a battered meditation mat in the corner 
and might suppose that he meditates as part of his daily 
routine. We reflect and surmise according to what we 
see. This is the virtue of the true monk. According to 
the SAmafifiaphala Sutta the five characteristics of a 
true monk which can be observed a the level of the 
mind are as follows: 
L Restraint of the senses [indriyasaOvara]: When in 
public it is especially important for monks to restrain 
the sense doors — to be worthy of the homage of 
laypeople or younger monks. Monks who are habitually 
restrained according to the pAEimokkha will find that it 
comes naturally to restrain the senses both in public and 
behind closed doors; 
2. Endowment with mindfulness [sati] and 
self-awareness [sampajafifia]: This means not allow 
ing the mind to wander or to drift in a way that 
undermines the faith of others. 
3. Endowed with contentment [santuEEhi]: This means 
contentment with what one has and what one receives 
— not going to great lengths to ask for special 
treatment and gifts from lay people in a way that 
undermines the faith of others 
4. Freedom from the Hindrances [nivaraAa]: Al-
though the hindrances are an internal affair of the mind, 
a monk must be careful not to let hindrances manifest 
themselves as e.g. losing one's temper, hatred of others, 
sleepiness, reluctance, boredom with life, doubt in the 
teaching — on the contrary, a monk should show 
enthusiasm for a life of training, restraint and give 
encouragement and guidance to laypeople. 
5. Attainment of the absorptions [jhAna]: This is not 
something that is obvious to the observer. Also a monk 
will not inform you — because to inform you would be 
in breach of the Vinaya. However for a monk who is 
able to overcome the hindrances and make further 
progress, attainment of the inner brightness of 
absorptions will be visible by improved conduct, ability 
to teach clearly and from a bright physical complexion. 
B.3.3 Seeing through meditation 
According to the SAmafifiaphala Sutta the charac-
teristics of a true monk which can be observed a the 
level of inner attainment which come as the result of 
self-training in meditation are eight in number and 
sometimes referred to as the Supra-normal Eightfold 
knowledge [vijjA] are as follows: 
I. insight-knowledge [vipassanAnAAa] 
2. mental powers [manomayiddhi] 
3. miraculous powers [iddhividdhi] 
4. supra-normal hearing [dibbasota] 
5. knowing the minds of others [cetopariyayafikka] 
6. recollection of previous lives [pubbenivAsA-
nussatilkkAa] 
7. seeing the arising and passing away of other 
beings according to their karma [dibbacakkhu or 
cutupapatafiAAa] 
8. knowledge of an end of defilements 
EFTA00286781

[asavakkhayaiiAAa] These supramundane forms of 
knowledge can only come about because the monk 
himself has attained the sight of the true monk inside 
himself i.e. has attained one of the levels of the body of 
enlightenment [dhammakAya] within himself. 
B.4 Characteristics of a monk not worthy of respect 
The SAmafulaphala Sutta teaches us not only the things 
which identify a good monk but also characteristic of 
monks to be avoided. 
work of earning a living. Some ordain to escape 
legal proceedings or as a tool in earning their 
living; 
Laxity in following the monastic code of conduceossible usefulness). 
This is obvious in the case of monks lying, taking drugs, 
taking an evening meal or listening to music; 
There may be more characteristics of unworthy monks 
2 
Going to places which are `out-of-bounds' 
than these thirteen — but any one of the thirteen 
[agocara] for a monk: This may include monks going to behaviours mentioned above is sufficient for supporters 
places of entertainment or commerce on personal business to suspect that a monk might not be a `true monk'. It is 
instead of by invitation; 
3 
Gambling or encouraging supporters to waste dal to say that numerous are those who profess piety — 
with gambling; 
but who in reality doesn't live up to all they profess. 
4 
Being interested to converse on worldly subjects:Thus don't go wasting time with monks who say they 
Such subjects include waging war or fashion — or other can turn silver into gold, or give you a fertility spell or 
subjects not directly concerned with monastic duties; 
guess the result of the lottery. If you do — it only goes 
5 
Volunteering to help with jobs that are the domaiR show that your misunderstanding of the purpose of a 
of a householder: These may include tasks such as 
monk. 
matchmaking, being a go-between or canvassing for votes; 
6 
Making a living out of black arts: Examples include 
fortune telling, initiations, charms, witch doctery, numeric-t. THE PRACTICALITY OF SEEING A MONK 
house charms and yantras, making predictions looking at [lel Receiving the full benefits of seeing a monk 
vital signs of adults, children or animals — predictions and. 
-in order to gain the full benefit of the sight of a monk, it 
lucky stars for marriage. 
is important, not only to see him, but to hear his 
7 
Playing games: Such games might include chess,teaching_, to memorize it, reflect on it and apply it for 
draughts, cards, computer games or even ball games; 
one's own and others' benefit in the same way (as 
9. 
Boasting: This may include boasting about 
one's personal ability or looking down on the abilities 
of other monks; 
10. Indulging the senses; 
11. Distorting the teachings: This may include ex-
plaining and teaching Buddhism in a way that deviates 
from the dhammavinaya or spreading or perpetuating 
false views such as that heaven and hell don't really 
exist, that death is the end of the story or that there is no 
afterlife. 
12. Deviousness: Monks may use means to mislead the 
J. 
Ordained in spite of lacking faith in the Vinaya: public e.g. into understanding that they have attained 
without any intention to train oneself or improve 
the stages of Sainthood. 
oneself as a monk. Some ordain simply to run away 
13. Displaying a lack of contentment: This may be 
from their worldly problems or to avoid the hard 
noticeable from the way a monk's accommodation is 
furnished (excessive luxury or with a television or radio 
— which are not for helping to practice Dhamma —
and accumulating lot of things in their kuti beyond any 
already outlined for academic teachings in Blessing 
Seven §E. [The Learning Process]). In addition it is also 
necessary to help and support the monk in order to 
learn from his example the virtues which may be hard 
to 
EFTA00286782

transmit in words. 
C2 Why people like to have a true monk visit their 
home 
In order to gain full benefit from seeing a true monk, if 
we should have the opportunity to invite one to our 
home, the Buddha gave us clear guidance on how to 
offer appropriate hospitality. Done properly, such 
hospitality can bring five distinct sorts of merit to the 
owner of the house, because: 
L Looking on him with respect: will bring steadfast 
faith in mind because seeing the conduct of a true 
monk will give that household the chance to practice 
the path to heaven; 
2. Preparing his seat: giving the a true monk a place to 
sit [Asana] will give that household the chance to 
practice the path to birth in an influentialfamily. 
3. Offering him refreshment: putting aside the mental 
impurities of stinginess (by giving something for the a 
true monk to drink for example) gives the household 
the chance to practice for the path to the attainment of 
honour. 
4. Offering him requisites: sharing their wealth with 
the a true monk (e.g. by offering a donation to a monk) 
gives that household the chance to practice the path for 
the attainment of wealth. 
5. Conversing on the Dhamma: conversing on the 
Dhamma and listening to teachings gives the household 
the chance to practice the path to the attainment of 
wisdom. 
In fact to treat a monk of attainment badly can be very 
damaging, as in the case of Koka the Hunter 
(DhA.iii.31) who set his dogs on a monk and whose 
dogs subsequently turned on him, or the case of Upaka 
(DhA.iv.71-2) whose lack of ability to recognize the 
qualities of a True Monk in the Buddha delayed his 
spiritual search for many years. 
C.3 Manners in meeting with a monk 
These days even Buddhists are often not so careful as 
they used to be about the way in which they treat monks 
whether it be passing them in the street of inviting them 
to their homes. Both the monks and the laypeople must 
shoulder some of the blame, because often monks 
ordain without any special 
preparation. They are not really very sure what being a 
monk entails. After ordination they don't study 
monastic conduct and so make mistakes. When they 
make mistakes, then no-one treats them with any 
respect. The other half of the blame falls on the 
laypeople who have never taken any interest to look for 
the good points in monks. They spend the whole of their 
lives going from one bar to another and never think to 
visit the temple. Thus it is sometimes hard for monks if 
they go into town.Young ladies think that the monks are 
just another sort of man and squeeze past them in the 
street. Some gentlemen even walk into monks knocking 
them over in the street. If people carry on treating 
monks like this, then in the end they will remove all 
possibility of ever learning anything useful from the 
monks. Their eyes still see but their minds will become 
blind to virtue. Even if they were to meet the Buddha 
they would be unable to get any benefit from him. Thus 
if you want to conduct yourself properly when 
interacting with monks you need to study the correct 
protocol. If you should have the opportunity to come 
into contact with a monk, try to practise the following as 
far as it is practical: 
I. Offer something: If you have any requisites suitable 
for monks to use, then you should offer an appropriate 
amount to monks. Even a glass of water counts as 
requisites. 
2. Bow: If there are no suitable requisites available then 
bow to the monk using the five-point bow to express 
your respect. It shows that you don't just look a monks 
indifferently and it will be a habit which you will build 
up for yourself to give its fruit for the course of many 
lifetimes to come. It will remove the habit of 
stubborness from your mind. 
3. Join your hands in a gesture of respect: If it is not 
convenient for you to bow (e.g. the floor is not clean, 
there are a lot of people or you risk being run over by a 
car) then join your hands in a gesture of prayer and it is 
better than nothing. 
4. Stand respectfully: If it is not convenient for you to 
join your hands in a gesture of respect (e.g. you are 
carrying something) at least stand re 
EFTA00286783

spectfully or bow your head or make way for him to 
pass or find some other way of expressing your 
respect. 
5. Look respectfully: Even if you cannot do any of the 
above, at least look at the monk with faith and respect 
— not to look daggers at the monk or survey the monk 
from head to foot as if with the question in your mind 
'Is that really a monk or not?'. 
D. ILLUSTRATIVE TALES 
D.1 Er. Vakkali Them (11.92, AA.L1410. 
Vakkali belonged to a brahmin family of SAvatthE and 
became proficient in the Vedas. Usually people are 
inspired to faith by one or more of four attributes of a 
monk (A.ii.71): 
I. the appearance [rupappamAAikA] 
2. the voice [ghosappamAAikA] 
3. the humble manner of dress [lElchappamAAikA] 
4. the teachings he gives [dhammappamAAikA] 
Vakkali was inspired to faith by the appearance alone of 
the Lord Buddha. After seeing the Buddha only once, he 
could never again tire of looking at him and followed 
him about everywhere. Any day he could not see the 
Buddha he felt low. In order to become closer to him he 
become a monk, and spent all his time apart from meals 
and bathing in contemplating the thirty-two signs of a 
Great Man [purisalakkhaAa] so well exemplified by the 
Buddha's person. He was satisfied simply to see the 
Buddha and had no further thought of listening to the 
Buddha's teaching or of striving for liberation. The 
Buddha waited for the right opportunity to teach him —
because what he had to say would surely upset Vakkali 
— but at the same time must be for his benefit. One day 
when the right time came, He banished Vakkali to a 
place where he could no longer see the Buddha. Vakkali 
was so upset by the Buddha's retort that he prepared to 
commit suicide by jumping over a cliff on GijjhalcuEa 
(the Vultures' Peak). Fully aware of Vakkali's 
intentions, before he was able to jump, 
the Buddha went to him and appeared to him teaching 
the words (S.iii.I20): 
Alat) Vakkali kiO to iminA pEtikAyena 
diEthena. Yo kho Vakkali dhammaO passati, 
so maO passati. Yo maO passati so dhammaO 
passati. 
The sight of my foul body is useless; 
He who sees the Dhamma, sees me 
He who sees me, sees the Dhamma. 
Filled with joy, Vakkali rose in the air pondering on the 
Buddha's words and realized arahantship in mid-air 
D.2 Et AigulimAk Them (DA.L240ff,liv.180) 
There was once a student at TakkasilA called AhiOsaka 
(the harmless one). He became a favourite with his 
teacher because of his devotion to the study of the 
philosophies and the virtues. His diligence, however, 
stirred up the envy of his fellow students who conspired 
against him, eventually poisoning his teacher's mind 
against him. Finally, looking for a way to rid himself of 
AhiOsaka the teacher gave this student a final task he 
must perform in order to earn his graduation — he must 
avail himself of a thousand human right-hand fingers —
hoping that AhiOsaka would be killed himself in the 
attempt. Thus, out of unerring obedience to his teacher, 
AhiOsaka was transformed from a diligent student of 
virtue to a highway murderer attacking travellers in the 
JAlinE forest. With his usual diligence, he killed each 
victim taking a finger from each. With the finger-bones 
thus obtained he made a garland to hang round his 
neck, hence the nickname 'AIgulimAla'. 
Asa result of his deeds whole villages were deserted 
and the king ordered a detachment of men to seize him. 
AigulimAla's mother guessing who the notorious 
murderer must be, started off to warn him of the king's 
plan of action. By now he lacked but one finger to 
complete his thousand and seeing his mother coming, 
determined to kill her. The Buddha seeing 
AigulimAla's latent potential for enlightenment, and 
realizing that if he should kill his mother it would be 
the end of his spiritual career, went himself to the wood 
himself, and intercepting him before he could harm his 
mother. The Buddha appeared to AlgulimAla with his 
back to him 
EFTA00286784

as if he was moving slowly away from him. 
AIgulimAla seeing his chance chased after the Buddha 
with his sword, but miraculously no matter how fast he 
ran, he could not succeed in catching up with the 
Buddha — until eventually he called out, "Stop monk! 
Stop!". 
"But, I have stopped," said the Buddha, "On the 
contrary it is you who have not stopped." 
It was at the sight of the Buddha's miraculous 
behaviour that AlgulimAla was eventually converted 
by the Buddha's power and received ordination as a 
monk, later to become fully-enlightened as an arahant. 
D.3 a MaEEhakuAlalE (DhA.L20ff) 
MaEEhakuAlalE was the only son of the brahmin 
Adinnapubbaka. His father loved him dearly but was a great 
miser and would make savings in every way he could instead 
of spending money on his son — even down to the burnished 
earrings from which MatthakuAtalt took his name. When he 
was sixteen years old MatthalcuAtalt had an attack of 
jaundice. Ills father refused to call the physician fearing 
medical costs and prescribed for MaEEhakuAiali himself until 
the boy was beyond all cure. Seeing he could do nothing more 
to help the boy, he carried him outside and laid him on the 
terrace — not in the hope of curing him, but to save himself 
embarrassment in the face of those who came to prepare for the 
funeral who might see his unspent wealth. 
The Buddha saw MaEEhakuAlalE as he lay dying and, 
out of compassion, came to the door of his father's 
home. Too weak to do anything else at the sight of the 
Buddha, the boy conjoured up devout faith in the 
Buddha. He died soon afterwards and was born 
amongst the gods in a golden mansion thirty leagues in 
extent. 
D.4 Ex. Asajji Thera (DhA.L78ff) 
SAriputta had originally been ascetic in the school of 
Safijaya VelaEEhaputta. Together with his best friend 
MoggallAna, he had achieved eighteen diplomas from 
university and did not know what further to study, so 
they became ascetics. They wanted to meet an arahant. 
Later, SAriputta did meet the arahant called Assajji. He 
recognized from the man 
ner of Assajji that he must have a special attainment. 
Thus, SAriputta approached Assajji and bowed in 
respect before saying, "Sir, you have a radiant com-
plexion, in whose school are you ordained?" 
"I am ordained in the school of Gotama Buddha who is 
the son of the SAkya kings," replied Assajji. 
"And what does he teach, Sir?" 
Even though he was an arahant, Assajji continued to treat 
SAriputta in a humble way saying, al am still newly 
ordained, and I am still new to the teaching of the Buddha, 
I am not able to elaborate much on the Dhamma teachings, 
but can tell you that 'Whatever thing arises because of a 
cause, the TathAgata will show the cause of that arising 
and the falling away of that thing." 
To the unpracticed listener, such a teaching might not 
sound very impressive (to those who have only 
captured sight of a true monk in the past without 
reflecting on their teachings.) However, SAriputta had 
over the course of many lifetimes been in the habit of 
'seeing' a true monk on all three levels, so even such a 
short sermon could become a streamenterer [sotApana] 
on the spot. 
D.5 Er. MahAnAga Thera (DAL 190, 191 etc.) 
There were once two brahmins who lived at the gate of 
the city of PAtalEputta (a trading city built by the 
Emperor Asoka which served the whole of the Indian 
subcontinent). They often overheard traders who 
praised the virtues of an arahant called MahAnAga 
Them who lived in the remote province of Rohana. The 
two brahmins were inspired to faith and had the wish to 
see the arahant for themselves. Even though the 
arahant lived far away, the two decided they would do 
whatever was necessary to meet with him. The two 
brahmins left Pataliputta and set off on the long 
journey. Before they had got far, one of the brahmins 
died on the way. The remaining brahmin continued 
undeterred to the coast where he made the necessary sea 
voyage to Rohana. He found accommodation at the 
village closeby MahAnAga's dwelling and prepared 
various delicacies to offer the next morning. Early next 
morning, the brahmin went to MahAnAga and stood 
respectfully behind all the other people who had also 
gone to visit. Later, when he had the op 
EFTA00286785

portunity, he came closer to the arahant and gleefully 
bowed at his feet, clutching the arahant at the ankles. 
Bowing one more time, the brahmin said, "You are so 
high." In fact the arahant was no taller or shorter than 
the next man. 
"What I meant to say is that you are of such high virtue 
that your reputation has even spread like the mist, across 
the sea to India, so that even sitting at the gates of 
PAEalEputta, I was able to hear others' praises of you. 
That is the reason I have gone to the trouble to come 
here." 
Having spoken thus, the brahmin offered requisites to 
the arahant and having sought out the necessary robes 
and bowl for himself requested ordination under the 
amhant. Striving hard in meditation and obedient to the 
teaching of the monk, within two or three days, through 
his understanding of the value of the 'sight of a true 
monk' the brahmin was able to attain arahantship like 
his master. 
D.6 Er. Godha JAtaka (1.325) 
There are certain sorts of monks who pretend they are 
genuine but who are actually hypocritical. There was 
once a hermit who would teach every quarter moon 
day. He taught both the humans and the animals. One 
day, a supporter offered him some curry and he found it 
delicious. He asked,"What meat is this? — it's so 
delicious!" The supporter replied that it was 
water-monitor meat. The hermit said, "Water-monitor 
meat! It's the greatest." There was a water-monitor that 
lived in a hole at the back of the temple and it used to 
come and listen every time Dhamma was being taught. 
Next time round, it would be easy for the hermit to get a 
delicious meal. He would just sit teaching the sermon 
with a machete at his side. Next time there was a 
sermon, the water-monitor stuck its head out of its hole 
and noticed the machete by the side of the hermit. It 
thought to itself, "I wonder what subject is being taught 
today, that the hermit has brought a machete with him?" 
The water monitor was extra careful, but as soon as it 
was not attentive, the hermit hit it over the head with 
the machete. The water-monitor ran back down its 
burrow and didn't come out again, but all the time, it 
thought to itself, "Who is 
the more advanced anyway, me or the hermit? If a 
hermit who professes the Precepts is going to behave 
like that even in front of the congregation, who knows 
what he does behind our backs?" 
D.7 Ex. How hot is chili? 
People may be as unaware of the qualifies of virtues as 
they are unaware of the spiciness of a chili pepper. If 
you go to a western country and a European asks what 
Thai chili is like, you might try making a comparison or 
showing him an example. They might ask, "Is it hot?" 
Of course you must agree that it is 'hot'. If they ask 
how hot it is, of course you could answer that it is "as 
hot as chili peppers" — however you run the risk of 
being accused of not trying very hard to explain — but 
it's hard to know what to use for a comparison, for 
someone of limited experience. He might ask, "Is it hot 
like ginger?" or "Is it hot like onions?" or "Is it hot like 
peppercorns?" or "Is it hot like mustard?" There is only 
one way of explaining — ask him to open his mouth 
and shut his eyes and put a little Thai chili in his mouth. 
Within five minutes he will have a swollen mouth and 
tongue and his cheeks look as if they are on fire. Now 
it's your turn to ask, "What is it hot like?" He will say 
for himself, "Hot like red hot charcoal!" 
D.8 Ex. The turtle and thefts!: 
People need to understand things based on their previous 
experience. If one tries to understand something new in 
terms of experience in which one is lacking, the results 
might be the same as a found in the following story: 
Once upon a time, there were a turtle and a fish who 
were good friends. The fish was confined to the water, 
but the turtle was amphibious and could travel in the 
water or on the land at will. When the turtle returned 
from its travels on the land it would tell the fish about 
all it had seen. At first the fish was not very interested, 
but after hearing the stories about the land, day in day 
out, it became more and more fascinated. 
The fish asked, "When you say that birds fly, do you 
mean like a frog?" Well, everybody knows the 
difference between a hopping frog 
EFTA00286786

and the flight of a bird — but the turtle was unable to 
make the fish understand the difference. 
"And when you say that elephants are large and have 
tusks, are the tusks the same as the whiskers of a 
prawn?" Again, the turtle was unable to make the fish 
understand the difference. 
"And when you say that trees have trunks, branches and 
twigs with leaves are they the same as seaweed?" The 
turtle was unable to 
make the fish understand the difference. However many 
questions the fish asked, the turtle was unable to 
explain. 
Finally the turtle realized that there is a condition for 
being able to explain things to another person — both 
people must share common experience to be able to 
communicate. Without such common experience, the 
speaker may as well be speaking to himself! 
EFTA00286787

Blessing Twenty-Seven: Patience: Those in a dis-
cussion need to be patient. The sort of patience you will need 
the most of is `patience in the face of conflict' when 
differences of opinion arise; 
• 
Blessing Twenty-Eight: Our 
to Criticism: 
r-r, 
essing thirty: 
Regular Discussion of 
the Dhamma 
A. INTRODUCTION 
A.I The place of Blessing Thirty in the order of things 
Many people can talk all day and all night about outings 
or holidays, but if they had to talk even for five minutes 
on a subject of the Dhamma, they would certainly die! 
Discussing the Dhamma is no easy skill — even the 
Buddha himself spent many lifetimes perfecting 
speaking and listening before he could move on to 
discussion of the Dhamma. Dhamma discussion is a 
challenge because it is the culmination of almost all of 
the Blessings already mentioned: 
I. It's hard to concentrate on something abstract 
• 
like the Dhamma: we are used to focussing on more 
Blessing Seven: Having heard much:. Dhamma 
discussion requires participants to be good listeners. We havematerial or sensually-stimulating subjects; 
to be able to build up the ability to listen to others first before 2. It's hard to open up one's mind to the Dhamma: 
Supposing the monk talks about Precepts, the 
listener knows that their Precepts are not very 
well kept, therefore to be reminded of their bad 
habits is always painful. It's hard to want to listen 
to someone talk about the faults about your 
personality. It is all very entertaining to listen to a 
sermon about 'fools' (as in the first Blessing) for 
as long as someone else is the subject of the 
sermon, but as soon as we realize that we also 
share some characteristics of a fool, the sermon 
becomes less pleasurable to listen to. It is like 
touching an open wound. This is why people like 
sitting right at the back of the lecture hall when 
listening to Dhamma teachings — to try to 
protect their 'comfort zone'. 
• 
Blessing Twenty-Three: Humility: Those in 
the discussion must be humble — not looking down on 
others or their opinions; 
• 
Blessing Twenty-Six: Having regularly 
listened to the Dhamma: They must have heard many 
Dhamma Talks — with an understanding built by 
reflecting on what they have learned, and by discussing 
and questioning the Dhamma. Of course, it is an 
acquired taste to want to listen to the Dhamma rather 
than listening to something else like music — which 
can be explained by two reasons: 
we can expect them to listen to us; 
• 
Blessing Ten: Artful Speech: Those in the discus-
sion must be artful speakers on the subject of Dhamma. They 
must not just say what others want to hear by complimenting 
and praising them. Although someone might speak seven lan-
guages, but they can hardly be considered an artful speaker if 
they are always causing fights by the things they say; 
• 
Blessing Twenty-Two: Respect: Those in the dis-
cussion must be respectful. Everything in the world has good 
and bad points. You should choose the constructive aspect of 
things to talk about. 
EFTA00286788

2. to discuss the Dhamma in a way that does not 
detract from the value of the Dhamma; This needs to 
be mentioned because discussing Dhamma in an 
inappropriate or distorted way may curtail the life of the 
Dhamma in living memory 
Those in the discussion must be open to criticism. 
You will know why you need to have patience when 
in the course of a discussion, you receive your first 
item of personal criticism. Sometimes during the 
course of a discussion, the others will test our 
patience first to see just how much criticism we are 
able to accept. If someone deserves some heavy 
criticism, they will start by receiving minor 
criticisms first, such as "When you are listening to 
sermons, you shouldn't sit and wriggle because it 
shows lack of respect towards the Dhamma," and 
gradually get heavier for example: "When you are 
listening to sermons, you shouldn't let your mind 
wander to think about other matters like your own 
home, because it shows lack of respect towards the 
Dhamma." 
Thus you can see that discussing the Dhamma is no 
easy matter. If it were easy, it would have been one of 
the first units of the Manual of Peace. However, we 
find that it has been placed at the thirtieth step of the 
path of Buddhist practice. Thus don't go organizing a 
discussion if you don't know what you are doing or else 
you might end up with a discussion of things that are 
not artful. Dhamma discussion is even more demanding 
than just listening to a Dhamma-talk — because 
discussion means we must learn to listen and respond at 
the same time. Similarly, it is easier just to talk and 
have people listen to you than to have the patience to 
listen to other people talk. 
A.2 The objectives of Blessing Thirty 
The objectives of this blessing are: 
L to discuss the Dhamma in a way that benefits 
oneself and others; for those who are capable of 
discussing and sharing their knowledge, a large merit 
awaits because in the words of the Buddha 
`sabbadAnat) dhammadAnaO jinAti' 
(the gift of Dhamma excels all gifts) Dh.354 
"0! Monks! Those monks who claim (various sorts 
of) monastic transgressions are not monastic 
transgressions, and those who claim as monastic 
transgressions those which are not monastic 
transgressions, are those who bring harm and 
unhappiness for the manyfolk — suffering to humans 
and angels alike — in so doing earning grave de-
merit, consuming much merit and causing an end to 
the Saddhamma." 
AnApati Sutta (A.i.20) 
and "Distortion of the Dhamma means claiming the 
Buddha said or didn't say (A.i.59) or that the Suttas 
contain or don't contain (A.i.61) what is in fact not 
the case." 
This is in addition to what has already been men-
tioned in Blessing Three (§D.2) about joking about 
the Dhamma; 
3. to acquire wisdom: Dhamma discussions are in-
tended as a way of cultivating wisdom. Above all other 
things the Buddha praised `wisdom'. Most people know 
that wisdom is beyond price. The Buddha even taught 
the proverb: 
PaitriA naranaO ratanaO 
wisdom is the (wish-fulfilling) 
gem of the people 
JarA Sutta (S.i.36) 
The Buddha's observation is in contrast to the 
opinion of many modern children who seem to think 
that a wish-fulfilling gem comes in the form of a 
television or a computer. Life is full of problems to 
solve. Whether it be trivial problems of physical 
hardship like drying washing when it is raining, or 
problems from the people around us. There are even 
problems inside our own body from illnesses and 
pain. We must rely on wis 
EFTA00286789

dom to solve all these problems — but wisdom is 
something we cannot buy — it can however be 
acquired from two main sources (as already 
discussed in the "Two Formative Influences on our 
discretion (§B.3) in the First Blessing): 
I. the advice and encouragement we get from good 
friends [kalyAAamitta] during discussion of the 
Dhamma with them; 
2. the insights we come to through ow ability to be a 
teacher to ourselves [yonisomanasikAra] 
— for which the regular practice of meditation is 
a prerequisite; 
4. to sharpen our wits: having to think and apply the 
Dhamma we know 'in real-time' as one does in a 
discussion is a 'performing art'. In order to do so well, 
we need to have sharp wits [paEibhAAa]. 
These are in addition to the five objectives of listening 
to the Dhamma already mentioned in Blessing 
Twenty-Six (§C.1). 
B. DISCUSSION OF THE DHAMMA 
B.1 Definitions: Dhamma & Discussion 
The word `dhamnuf is not easy to define and can have 
up to a hundred meanings depending on the context. In 
Blessing Sixteen we have already described Dhamma as 
being a description of the reality of things while at the 
same time referring to virtue. However, at this stage in 
the Manual of Peace it is perhaps also useful to reflect 
that the Dhamma in its context as the teaching of the 
Buddha and as the second component of the Triple Gem 
is recognizable by the following six characteristics 
(M.i.37, A.iii.285): 
I. properly expounded by the Exalted One 
[svAkIcAto bhagavatA Dhamma]; 
2. clearly 
perceived within ourselves 
[sandiEEhiko]; 
3. timeless [akAliko]; 
4. which inspires those who see it to call others to 
come and see it [ehipassiko]; 
5. which should be internalized [opanayiko]; 
6. which can be realized subjectively by the wise 
[paccataO veditabbo viiitiEhi]; The word `discussion' 
means that there must be at 
least two people dialoguing on a subject of the 
Dhamma (not on other matters). Such discussions 
should occur regularly and they should be aimed to 
increase the wisdom of the participants (not to show off 
who is the smartest like some sort of contest) arranged 
at an appropriate time and taking no more time than is 
appropriate. 
B.2 Varieties of Discussion 
Discussion of the Dhamma can be divided into two 
types: 
L Giving a Dhamma talk: which is more or less a 
one-way discussion of the Dhamma. This subject has 
already been touched upon in Blessing Twenty-Six, 
however, in this Blessing we are no longer simply on 
the receiving end of teachings, now we must start to 
take some of the responsibility for applying them to 
others for ow own and others' increasing wisdom, 
without devaluing the Dhamma by doing so; 
Z Dhamma debate: which is a two (or more)-way 
discussion on the subject of the Dhamma. 
B.2.I Giving a Dhamma Talk 
The Buddha enumerates the following five qualities of 
a good Dhamma preacher as already mentioned in the 
Twenty-Sixth Blessing §B3. The Buddha went further to 
say (Candupama Sutta S.ii.I95) that anyone who 
teaches simply to attract followers does not teach in a 
pure way. However anyone who thinks that the 
Dhamma with its six characteristics will bring benefit 
to those who know it and practice it and who teaches it 
on the basis of loving-kindness, compassion and the 
thought to help others, that sort of teaching is pure. In 
addition to these basic skills, according to the KesE 
Sutta (A.ii.I 12ff.) different approaches are required for 
training different types of people in the Dhamma 
— some disciples need to be taught gently by elabo-
rating the meaning of good behaviour and the 
wholesome fruits of such good behaviour — some need 
to be taught sternly by elaborating the meaning of evil 
and the unwholesome retribution of such evil behaviour 
— some need to be taught by a combination of these 
two means — and for those that cannot be helped in 
any of the previous three ways, 
EFTA00286790

one needs to accept that there is no use in giving them 
further teachings until such time as they can gain 
benefit therefrom. 
B.2.2 Dhamma Debate 
Preaching is challenging in that one needs to have a 
sensitivity to the disposition and needs of the listener 
without hearing anything from them. However, even 
though in debating others' position is more express, the 
debate is more challenging because one must have the 
ability to `think on one's feet'. It is not only a question 
of satifactorily answering questions, but also the ability 
to gauge the type of question and the real purpose 
behind the question too. The Buddha enumerates five 
sorts of questions (S.ii. I ): 
I. questions about things the person asking has not yet 
seen; 
2. questions comparing things to those the person 
asking has already seen; 
3. questions to overcome the person asking's doubts; 
4. questions to encouraging the listener to follow what 
the questioner has seen; 
5. rhetorical questions; Surprisingly, many questions do 
not require a straight answer and this becomes easier to 
compre 
hend if one looks at the five reasons the Buddha iden-
tified for why questions are asked (A.iii.19I): 
I. asking under the influence of ignorance or for-
getfulness 
2. asking under the influence of evil desires 
3. asking as a way to express looking down on others 
4. asking out of curiousity to know 
5. asking with the expectation that they will get a 
good answer Thus, one needs a multifaceted strategy in 
answering questions— and it turns out that even the 
Buddha himself had four different ways of answering a 
question (A.ii.46): 
L answering directly [ekaosabyAkaraika]; 
well-prepared questions deserve a direct answer 
2. answering by dividing one's response 
[paEipucchabyAkaraAa]; Answer which requires 
you to make a division clear. If someone is mixing 
up their practice because they are confusing steps 
which should be made separate or practising things 
in the wrong order, then your answer must start by 
making a clear division between the factors in an 
issue. Sometimes you need to limit the scope of what 
you are answering. Sometimes, you need to make 
sure that both you and the listener understand the 
same thing by the terms you are using in a dialogue 
(e.g. when they are talking about `evil' are they in 
fact meaning 'sin' defined in their own terms?) 
3. answering by a question in return [vibhajja-
byAkaraAa], Sometimes people ask questions not 
because they are interested in the answer but they are 
interested in whether you can answer. In such cases 
maybe you should ask such people why they ask such a 
question. In some cases you need to ask them whether 
they would like to know or whether they would like to 
experience it for themselves — without answering, and; 
4 keeping one's silence [thapantyapafiha]. This is 
othenvise known as 'Noble silence' — or in modem 
day parlance 'no comment'! It is applicable when 
giving any answer irrespective will only serve to 
reinforce the unwholesomeness of the questioner. An 
example of this is when people ask about the specific 
inner experiences gained as a result of meditation but 
they have never practiced for themselves, it is not much 
use to give an answer because: 
I. they may not believe you; 
2. they may use what they have remembered instead 
of striving to attain such experience for themselves. 
C. PRACTICALITIES OF ORGANIZING A 
DHAMMA DISCUSSION 
Cl Self-preparation for a Dhamma Debate 
It is hard to get a good Dhamma discussion going if you 
don't know the rules and regulations of the game. You 
need to be well-prepared when you enter a Dhamma 
Discussion. It is not just like having a chat. As for 
conducting the discussion of the Dhamma, the 
following guidelines are recom 
EFTA00286791

mended: 
Keep the Precepts in advance: If you arc a house-
holder, you should keep Five Precepts for at least seven days 
beforehand. (If possible, Eight Precepts is even better). It will 
make sure that we embody the Dhamma about which we want 
to talk. It is not the idea to discuss the Dhamma when you are 
drunk. In the old days Dhamma would never be discussed if 
alcohol was being drunk or if any of the participants had been 
drinking. If you want to know the reason, why not try it for 
yourself? If you try speaking on a sensible subject to someone 
under the influence of alcohol, you may start a fight. To 
discuss the Dhamma, your mind must first be true to its real 
nature. Alcohol interferes with this nature. Thus if you can't 
even manage to keep the Five Precepts, don't delude yourself 
into thinking you will be able to discuss the Dhamma. 
2 
Meditate in advance: You should prepare yourself 
for the Dhamma discussion by meditating regularly 
beforehand and meditating immediately before starting the 
discussion. In this way your mind will be sufficiently refined 
to understand the subtle nature of the subject under dis-
cussion. 
than of being wrong. 
3 
Dress politely and modestly to participate: you must 
dress in a way suitable for the nature of things under 
7. 
Avoid provocative words: Use only a manner 
discussion. Thus don't dress in clothes that are too brightlyand choice of words that facilitate harmony. 
coloured, provocative, tight-fitting, dirty, stained or torn. 8. 
Avoid expressing anger when confronted by 
4 
Maintain good manners: Nothing you do must bfdifferences of opinion: Sometimes there are even 
irritating to the others participating. 
classic proverbs can be contradictory (viz. "Make hay 
5 
Speak politely: You should speak calmly. For thosehile the sun shines" versus "More haste less speed") 
who speak loudly, it is obvious that the mind is already awiapth can be true in the appropriate context. If two 
from the centre of the body. One should not boast about onpeople have different situations in mind they will be 
own attainments or one's own school of meditation. One sure to have differences on even the same subject. 
should honestly admit the limits of what one knows and not 
pretend to be expert in everything. 
9. 
Avoid having fame or oneupmanship as the 
6 
Give unknown teachings the benefit of the doubtinottvatton for your discussion: If such unskilful 
Even if you don't understand some of the Buddha's teachilintives are the reason you want to have a discussion 
at first encounter, don't refuse them outright. Sometimes w for it would be better for you to stay at home! 
don't instantly understand the meaning of teachings we 
learn. Sometimes our experience or refinement of 
mind is not enough to be able to see the benefit of a 
teaching. Supposing we have the teaching, "forge 
your own destiny with diligence" 
— if we are heavily involved in social welfare work 
we might think that the teaching cannot be right —
how could it be better to help ourselves rather than 
to spend our time being altruistic to others? 
However reflecting more deeply we will find that it 
refers to the fact that the benefit of others will be of 
no use in the long term if we don't train ourselves 
too as our first priority. Thus, if you don't agree 
with a teaching, don't refuse it but express your 
doubt and what you think it might mean as an 
alternative instead. Supposing we have already 
categorically refused a teaching and later someone 
points out that it is right using appropriate reasons, 
it will be hard for us to reconsider our point of view 
— because we will be more afraid of losing face 
10. Don't forget that Dhamma discussions are de-
signed to bring forth wisdom: Dhamma conversations 
are always to further our knowledge and to use the 
strengths of others to fill in our own weaknesses. Such 
discussions are never to show off how much we know. 
11.Avoid letting the conversation drift 'off topic': If 
you you start by talking about generosity and later find 
yourself boasting about all the times you have been 
generous then you have gone 
EFTA00286792

beyond the limits of a Dhamma discussion. 
Similarly, if you find that you are gossiping about 
how stingy such-and-such another person is, then 
again it is no longer a Dhamma discussion. 
12. Avoid letting the discussion go on for too long: 
— otherwise everyone involved will be bored 
C.2 Selecting worthy participants 
Choosing the wrong people to engage in a Dhamma 
discussion can be disastrous and cause a quarrel. As 
mentioned above, it is only in conversation with the 
'Good Friend' that wisdom will arise, therefore, in 
choosing participants, you should invite 
those 
possessing the seven characteristics of a good friend 
[kalyAAamitta] (A.iv.32): 
1. endearing [piyo]: attractive and making others feel at 
ease, ready to ask questions and seek advice; 
2. respectable 
[gam]: one who makes others feel 
that they can take safe refuge in them; 
3. cultured and emulable [bhAvanEyo] others who see 
their educated qualifies and would like to be like that 
too; 
4. a counsellor [vatta] having the ability to give good 
counsel through knowing the way to speak to get 
results, through knowing how to explain Dhamma so 
that others understand, through knowing the appropriate 
time to give praise and mention criticisms ; 
S. being a patient listener [vacartakkhamo] always 
being open to advice, questions and criticism without 
being irritated ; 
6. the ability to treat profound matters [gambhirafica 
kathaO kattA] and able to difficult matters in a way 
which can be easily understood; 
7. never speaking of things without reason or leading 
conversations to a useless end [no caEEhAne niyojaye]. 
These criteria apply to conversation between unrelated 
people. It should be noted that if the conversation is 
within the family, then it is not necessary to worry 
about selecting the participants. 
C3 Selecting a worthy subject of debate 
According to the Buddha there are ten criteria 
[katthavatthu] for selecting subjects constructive for a 
Dhamma discussion (A.v.129, also at M.i.145 and 
M.iii.113), namely subjects that are conducive to: 
I. wanting little [appiccha]; 
2. contentment [santuEEhi]; 
3. seclusion [paviveka]; 
4. solitude [asaOsagga]; 
5. energetic striving [viriya]; 
6. self-discipline [sEla]; 
7. concentration [samAdhi]; 
8. wisdom [pannA]; 
9. liberation [vimutti], and; 
t0. seeing and knowing of liberation [vimutti-
nAAadassana]. 
One should talk on these sorts of subjects while avoiding 
unconducive talk of kings, robbers, ministers, armies, 
panic, battle, food, drink, clothes, beds, flowers, 
garlands, 
perfumes, 
relatives, 
vehicles, 
villages, 
townships, cities, districts, women, champions, streets, 
gossip, ghost-stories, desultatory talk, fables about land 
and sea, prosperity and decay. In addition, the subject of 
conversation must be suited to the participants — if you 
are going to discuss the Vinaya you must choose people 
who are expert in this subject. If you are going to discuss 
meditation then it should be a discussion between those 
who have really got down to practice for themselves. 
C4 Selecting an appropriate time for a debate 
For participants in a Dhamma Discussion who are 
unrelated, any mutually appropriate time is acceptable. 
For families, particular advice (given below see §D.4). 
Just like listening to Dhamma teachings, the practice of 
Dhamma discussions should be regular (weekly, 
monthly) or might be on the occasion of a particular 
calendar event with an appropriately related topic —
e.g. for New Year, it might be a discussion about one's 
good resolutions for the New Year. 
CS Conclusion: By Dhamma, for Dhamma 
In conclusion, there are three governing principles to 
discussing the Dhamma: 
EFTA00286793

I. Discuss within the scope of Dhamma: The subject 
of discussion must remain within the scope of the 
Dhamma. If you want to talk about virtues, don't let the 
discussion overlap into boasting about virtues. If you 
want to speak on protecting yourself from vices, don't 
let the discussion run over into gossipping about 
others' ills; 
2. Discuss by means of Dhamma: Those participating 
in the discussion must not behave out of keeping with 
the Dhamma. Respect should be given to others where 
it is due — rather than looking down on the other 
participants you assume know less than you. You 
should speak politely with artful speech. Praise those 
who speak correctly — and be polite if occasion arises 
to point out the faults in another's argument (rather than 
insulting them personally). If you make a mistake 
yourself, apologise rather than letting your defilements 
dominate the conversation; 
3. Discuss for Dhamma: Those who discuss must share 
the goal of furthering their knowledge of Dhamma 
through conversation — rather than showing off what 
they already know. In expressing your knowledge, it 
should be with the aim of facilitating others to share 
their knowledge with you! 
D. DHAMMA DISCUSSION IN EVERYDAY LIFE 
D.I Dhamma Discussion in the time of the Buddha: 
In the time of the Buddha, even though arahants had 
already freed themselves of all defilements, they would 
hold discussions of the Dhamma to sharpen their 
knowledge — not to speak of the less 'enlightened'. 
Discussion of the Dhamma was like the national 
pastime of that age with debate on spiritual and 
philosophical matters to be found in groups on every 
street corner. 
D.2 Old tradition in Buddhist society 
In the olden days, in the countries of Southeast Asia, 
any village where the mayor was interested in the 
Dhamma, would hold a public Dhamma discussion 
every full-moon night. The discussion would have 
very simple rules so that everybody could have the 
chance to join in — for example, each villager took it 
in turn to talk about the best good habit they had 
— something even the village thief could manage! 
D.3 Role of the Older Generation in Mamma 
Discussion 
In Asian Buddhist society of old, when all the family 
lived together, the young and middle-aged adults would 
all go to work the fields. The old folks and would stay 
at home with the children. Usually the old folks would 
make baskets or do other sedentary tasks, but often they 
would tell tales to the children playing nearby — often 
cautionary tales from the lAtakas (birth stories of the 
previous lifetimes of the Buddha). The young children 
would have a lot of questions for the old-folks and by 
questions and answers, before long there would be a 
conversation set up on the subject of the Dhamma. As 
the result of such conversations, the children would 
learn the foundations of moral behaviour from a very 
early age. 
D.4 Dhamma Discussion around the dining table 
(see also B1.12 §B3.1, heading 3.2) These days the op-
portunity to discuss Dhamma en jamille is becoming 
scarcer because the family tends to centre itself more on 
the TV than Dhamma wisdom. However anyone who 
values the future of their children should realize that the 
TV is robbing them of the opportunity to instil their 
children with virtue. It can be predicted that any family 
which cannot manage to come together for at least one 
communal meal per day will have a sorry future for its 
children.The extra money parents can earn for their 
children by working late (but missing the family 
mealtime) is no substitute for the time they will miss 
teaching virtue to their children — guidance without 
which the children can ruin their future. For Dhamma 
Discussions within the family, finding an appropriate 
time is more complex. Whether you are the leader of a 
family yet or not you need to consider being 
responsible for the real education of your child. 
Nowadays, we no longer have grandparents at home to 
look after the children's morality. The 
EFTA00286794

form of the discussion is usually a parent giving advice 
to his children and asking for their opinions on certain 
things concerning the childrens' own behaviour. The 
parent will speak for 80% of the time and the child 
speaks for 20% of the time — no more than that —
otherwise it will end up with the child teaching the 
parent instead! 
D.5 Twin pulpits & Tibetan debate 
Between monks in the present time in the TheravAda 
tradition, there is still the tradition of giving a sermon 
torn two pulpits' — that is two monks with expertise 
in a subject will discuss that subject in front of an 
audience — maybe the ancient equivalent of today's 
televised panel discussion? In the Tibetan tradition, 
there is alse the tradition of debating for students and 
teachers to hone their wits and mastery of scriptural 
material. 
D.6 More than just talking about it — practise! 
It should never be forgotten that whether knowledge 
gained comes from a sermon or a discussion, it can be 
of no use to anyone if we don't practice it for ourselves 
as the result — as the Buddha mentions in addition to 
the criteria for subject of discussion (see 5C.3 above) 
that the most praiseworthy topics of discussion are 
those where the debators not only talk about it, but also 
practice it too (A.v.I 29). 
E. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES 
E. I Metaphor: Conferences for academics 
Just as the sharing exchange of ideas at conferences 
helps to foster academic progress, regular discussion of 
the Dhamma will bring wisdom, the pathway to the 
liberation of suffering. 
E.2 Metaphor: Shadow-boxing 
The people of old compared talking to 'shadow 
boxing'. They compared listening to others like 
punching a sandbag. However, discussions with others 
are the hardest of all (like boxing in the ring). 
E.3 Ex. EkuddAna Thera (DhAiii.384ff) 
There was once the son of a wealthy brahmin of 
SAvatthi who entered the Buddhist order. He dwelled in 
the forest fulfilling his noviciate and 
came to the Buddha to receive a subject of meditation 
from him. Seeing that SAriputta was otherwise 
occupied, the Buddha gave the novice a short teaching 
himself to the effect: 
"There is no sorrow for the monk of transcen 
dental thoughts" The novice learned this verse by heart 
and returned to the forest to reflect on it. Although he 
didn't know any other verses of Dhamma, he 
understood this one thoroughly and eventually became 
an arahant by contemplation of it. Later he came to be 
known as "one exclamation" [ekuddAna] he would 
exhort others to listen to the Dhamma, and he would re-
cite this only verse he knew. Every time he had finished 
his recitation, the guardian spirits [dews] of the forest 
rejoiced in his merit resoundingly. On one occasion two 
learned monks who were well-versed in the Tipitaka, 
each accompanied by a group of 500 monks came to his 
dwelling place. EkuddAna invited the two monks to 
preach the Dhamma. They enquired if there were many 
who wished to listen to the Dhamma in such a remote 
area. EkuddAna told them that even the guardian spirits 
of the forests would rejoice at the end of each 
discourse. Thus reassured, the two learned monks took 
turns to preach the Dhamma, but when their discourses 
ended, there was no rejoicing from the guardian spirits 
of the forests. The learned monks were puzzled and 
they doubted the words of EkuddAna — but he insisted 
that the guardian spirits always rejoiced at the end of 
each discourse. The two learned monks then requested 
him to do the preaching. EkuddAna recited his usual 
verse. At the end of the recitation, the guardian spirits 
rejoiced as usual. Some monks in the retinue felt that 
the dews inhabiting the forests were showing 
favouritism to EkuddAna. They reported the matter to 
the Buddha on arrival at the Jetavana monastery. 
However, the Buddha admonished them: 
"O! Monks! I don't say that a bhikkhu who has 
learned much and talks much of the Dhamma 
is one who is versed in the Dhamma. One who 
has learned only little and knows only one 
verse of the Dhamma, but fully comprehends 
the Four Noble 
EFTA00286795