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SaIkappo]. 
This line of bricks all on the same 
level as the Noble 
Eightfold Path. Beneath the 
Eightfold Path there 
is a further expansion of detail in 
each of the three 
original categories, rather like a 
base to the whole 
structure. On the side of `Precepts' 
there is a gradual 
expansion to `Five Precepts', 
`Eight Precepts', `Ten 
Precepts' and `227 Precepts'. 
Finally it expands to 21,000 items 
that are the content 
of the Vinaya.The bricks Right 
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Effort, Right 
Mindfulness and Right Meditation 
are further expanded 
to a base of 42,000 items which are 
called 
the Suttanta. The bricks Right 
View and Right Intention 
are further expanded into 21,000 
items 
known as the Abhidhamma. 
Thus when you see the structure of 
all the teachings, 
you can see that the Teachings of 
the Buddha 
originate from `non-recklessness' 
and anyone who 
does not want to be reckless needs 
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to train themselves 
in Precepts, meditation and 
wisdom. 
TABLE 21.1 
246 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
We might easily overlook the 
importance of `nonrecklessness' 
at this particular point in the 
thirtyeight 
blessings because it seems like 
nothing 
more than a vague instruction to 
`be careful'. 
`Being careful' — we might 
think— means nothing 
more than taking a torch with us 
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when we 
go outside in the dark or not going 
out of the 
house during a storm — or if you 
are a drunkard, 
it might mean making sure that 
there is always 
enough stock of whisky in the 
house! However, 
when we come to study what 
`being careful' 
means according to the Buddhist 
meaning, 
we have to make a study that has 
its own individual 
identity. It is a teaching that is 
particularly 
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deep, not just a teaching that is 
`vaguely 
useful'. It is a teaching that is at 
the heart of Buddhism 
and even Buddhists, even if they 
have 
`known Buddhism' all their lives, 
might not understand 
`non-recklessness' if they have 
never 
given it due consideration. If it was 
an easy 
blessing to apprehend, it would 
surely not have 
been put as number twenty-one in 
the sequence 
of thirty eight. 
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Another point which reminds us of 
the importance 
of this teaching is that it is 
contained in 
the ParinibbAna Sutta which is the 
last teaching 
of the Lord Buddha to his 
disciples. In His 
last days, instead of going back 
and revising any 
particular teaching from the 
forty-five years of 
his dispensation, the Buddha 
talked of non-recklessness. 
He said: 
"0! Monks! Our aggregates have 
the nature of 
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impermanence 
therefore all of 
you must 
arouse `non-recklessness'." 
These were His last words before 
passing away. 
`Non-recklessness' is therefore 
sure to be a major 
issue. You cannot afford to 
overlook it. 
B.3 Definition of 
non-recklessness in the 
Dhamma 
Non-recklessness in the Dhamma, 
refers particularly 
to "being careful" concerning the 
performance 
of particular "causes" that will lead 
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to the "effects" 
— rather than superstitiously 
believing that `everything 
will turn out fine' even if we are 
too lazy to 
make things better. 
B.4 Components of 
non-recklessness in the 
Dhamma 
When we apply the cause and 
effect of non-recklessness 
to the spiritual path, it points to a 
total of 
five things we should be 
particularly 'careful' 
about: 
I. Being careful to remind 
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ourselves to abstain from 
the three modes of evil action (evil 
of body, 
speech and mind) the whole of the 
time. It is like 
a conscience which reminds you 
not to kill or 
steal or speak in an aggressive way 
or think about 
things that are going to upset your 
mind without 
due cause. 
2. Being careful to remind 
ourselves to do the three 
modes of good actions (goodness 
of body, speech 
and mind) the whole of the time. It 
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is like a conscience 
which reminds you to do good 
deeds at 
every opportunity 
3. Being careful to remind 
ourselves of the suffering 
of the hell realms that awaits us 
in the case 
we do evil. We cannot be reckless, 
because even 
though we may be a good person 
these days, in 
our childhood, when we didn't 
know the difference 
between wholesome and 
unwholesome behaviours, 
we surely have amassed a not 
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insignificant 
toll of bad karma for ourselves... 
4. Being careful to remind 
ourselves of the suffering 
that arises from birth, sickness, 
old age and 
death. Mindfulness reminds us `at 
our age' we 
can no longer afford to be reckless 
any more. If 
we are a child of ten, we cannot 
afford to be reckless 
because we must study. If we are 
teenagers 
we cannot afford to be reckless 
because we need 
to get the skills we need to help 
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our parents run 
their business. If you are thirty and 
you are still 
unable to set yourself up in life 
you cannot afford 
to be reckless. If you are thirty-five 
or forty, 
even though you have already set 
yourself up in 
life, you cannot be reckless 
because you have still 
not done many good deeds in life 
— the same 
principle of non-recklessness 
applies throughout 
our lives. 
5. Being careful to recall our 
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object of meditation 
the whole of the time. Apart from 
keeping your 
mind focussed on your chosen 
object of meditation 
throughout your waking hours, this 
means 
Blessing Twenty-One: 
Non-Recklessness in the Dhamma 
247 
the mindfulness to keep your mind 
free from the 
bias of greed, hatred, delusion and 
fear the whole 
of the time. 
These are the virtues maintained 
continuously in 
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the mind by those who are 
cultivating `non-recklessness'. 
If you regard yourself as someone 
in the 
face of impending death the whole 
of the time, it 
will inspire you not to neglect 
these tasks of nonrecklessness. 
Treat each day as if it were your 
last 
and by this recollection of death, 
your mind remain 
focussed on the task of 
self-cultivation. Such an ability 
to focus comes from a mental 
attribute we call 
`mindfulness' — a virtue discussed 
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in more detail in 
the following section. 
C. MINDFULNESS 
C.1 Definition of mindfulness 
Mindfulness is recollection and 
discernment of 
good or bad, right and wrong, 
together with the 
motivation to think, speak and act 
in the proper way 
without forgetting oneself, without 
distraction and 
with wise reflection 
not letting 
our mind become 
caught up in sensory stimuli than 
come into contact 
with us. 
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C.2 Properties of mindfulness 
The properties of mindfulness can 
be analyzed as 
follows: 
I. Not allowing the mind to 
wander: They are 
at work here but their mind is 
thinking about 
things on the other side of the 
world. 
2. Not allowing moods and 
feelings to take over 
the mind: Not like those who 
smoke opium 
or maruana or even actors who 
make no effort 
to control their feelings. 
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3. Not allowing the mind to 
elaborate one 
thought after another without 
end. 
4. Constantly reminding yourself 
not to forget 
yourself 
C.3 Benefits of mindfulness 
The benefits of mindfulness can be 
analyzed as follows: 
1. Mindfulness controls the state 
of mind to 
make sure our mind remains in 
the state we 
require 
keeping only the sorts 
of things we 
want to think and cutting out the 
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things we 
don't want to think. 
2. Allows the body and mind to be 
independent. 
Sometimes when we feel ill or in 
bad shape, 
our body feels heavy and sluggish. 
This also 
happens when our business is not 
going so 
well, or there are problems in the 
family. It is 
as if the world is weighing heavy 
on our 
shoulders. However, if we have 
good 
mindfulness, even though the 
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things around 
us may be challenging they are 
unable to 
weigh us down it will not `get 
through' to your 
state of mind. 
3. Mindfulness will allow our 
thoughts to enlarge 
outwards without limits. You will 
see 
things as they really are. You will 
be able to 
spread loving kindness without 
limits because 
you have no limiting anxieties. 
4. Mindfulness will allow us to 
consider things 
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