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and in the knowledge 
itself (rather than finding fault) and 
showing 
enthusiasm. In a nutshell, these 
sort of behaviours 
help to transform passive transfer 
of knowledge 
into an active and enthusiastic 
search for knowledge. 
Just as in the world of business and 
education, 
obstacles to the transfer of 
knowledge need to be 
overcome, it may come as no 
surprise that the same 
is all the more true in the world of 
spiritual teaching 
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and learning. Many of the 
behaviours just described 
which help a student to learn 
actively instead of 
passively, are just as essential to 
the spiritual learning 
process. However, far from being a 
new discovery, 
these behaviours are grouped 
together under 
an ancient virtue by the name of 
`respect'. Respect 
is vitally important to the spiritual 
learner. In 
its business context, the worst that 
can happen if 
respect is lost is the bankruptcy of 
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the company —
but in the spiritual world the stakes 
are much 
higher. All of us are familiar with 
the rise and fall 
of different Empires in the world, 
whether they may 
be the Roman Empire, the Ancient 
Egyptian civilization 
or the Aztec Empire to take a few 
examples. 
All of them are established upon a 
particular vision 
which unifies a sufficient number 
of people and is 
of benefit to satisfy the human 
need to reach out to 
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a cause that is larger or greater 
then their own self 
interest. Civilization can last for 
only as long as there 
is still a unifying vision to inspire 
people to share 
what they know with those of the 
next 
generation. The civilizations of the 
world prosper 
or founder depending on the 
vitality of visionary 
scholarship in their day and age. 
The Great Wall of 
China and the Pyramids which 
even today's modem 
technology cannot replicate are 
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concrete proof 
of the knowledge of the ancient 
ones 
but nowadays 
Egypt's empire is but desert, and 
ruins are all 
to tell us of civilizations past. 
Empires prosper as 
the arts and scholarship grow, 
bringing more and 
more comfort to peoples' lives. 
Peoples' appetites 
are never satiated though, and in 
the race to personal 
pleasure man becomes less 
considerate of his 
fellow man. At this point as the 
market grows for 
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those sort of pleasures that make 
men antisocial —
the vices of gambling, prostitution, 
alcoholism and 
drugs — pleasures of which 
no-one can ever get 
enough. However, neither vice nor 
materialism per 
se are reasons for the fall of 
civilizations. It is man's 
lack of respect for his fellow man 
and especially 
towards the knowledge he relies 
upon for his wellbeing, 
that is the critical factor in the 
downfall of 
bodies of knowledge and their 
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dependent civilizations. 
Without respect, whole bodies of 
knowledge 
quickly die because neither student 
nor teacher are 
willing to go out of their way to 
help each another. 
The death of knowledge is the 
death not just of altruism, 
but of civilization. Thus respect 
needs to be 
cherished by all who wish to see 
such a crucial body 
of knowledge such as the way to 
enlightenment, 
perpetuated throughout our 
generation and for 
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many generations to come.Thus 
we must ask ourselves 
how both on the level of the 
individual and 
the level of civilization how we 
can promote and 
preserve a learning environment 
which promotes 
spiritual maturity. 
A.2 Virtue that opens our eyes to 
the qualities of people 
The key value which we need to 
develop in order 
to activate our spiritual learning is 
the ability to look 
deep enough into the personality of 
others to identify 
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the good qualities from which we 
can learn. To 
know the uses of things, whether it 
be the healing 
properties of plants or the 
applications of minerals, 
is the characteristic of a wise man 
— contrary 
to those who think that nothing is a 
greater gift to 
the world than themselves. Anyone 
blind to the usefulness 
of the objects or people around 
them lose 
any opportunity to benefit from the 
things around 
them. Unfortunately, without 
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practice we tend not 
to see others as they really are. 
When we see someone, 
we tend to be caught up in 
appearances inBlessing 
Twenty-Two: Respect 255 
stead of being able to tell what 
virtues that person 
really has. The only way we have 
any chance of 
seeing through to the real value of 
people is if we 
make a specific effort to look for 
the good qualities 
in people. However, we have a 
tendency not to do 
this. Because we have a certain 
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arrogance, thinking 
that we will always be better than 
others, often we 
overlook the good in anyone else. 
If we are not even 
able to see the goodness in others, 
what chance do 
we have to emulate that goodness 
for ourselves? 
Some people are blind to the 
goodness in others 
because they do not look for it 
or they assume 
themselves to be superior — or the 
goodness in others 
is often not manifest — and even 
when their 
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virtues are manifest, they are 
veiled from our own 
perceptions by the impurities in 
our minds. In order 
to overcome possible blindness in 
the mind we 
therefore need to focus on respect 
and how to cultivate 
it. 
B. RESPECT 
B.1 Definitions 
Respect means to open up 
sincerely to the ways in 
which others are (in truth) more 
valuable or important 
than yourself and by expressing 
sincere and 
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humble praise deserved by others 
with body, 
speech and mind — whether you 
are in their presence 
or not — as a way of showing that 
the person 
expressing respect appreciates and 
is cognizant of 
the good deeds of another —
voluntarily without 
being forced to show such respect. 
Respect is easy 
to understand if we say that is is 
the opposite of 
finding fault with others. If you 
look at the epistemology 
of the word `respect' you will find 
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that it is 
made up of two parts "re" and 
"spect"."Spect" 
means `to look'. "Re" means `to 
do something 
again'.Thus the meaning of the 
word `respect' is `to 
look at something a second time' 
— but specifically 
to find the good qualities of 
something. 
Such a definition helps us not to 
confuse `respect' 
with its near neighbour `expressing 
respect'. Such 
behaviours as bowing may be 
sincere but often they 
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are not. A soldier's salute, for 
example, doesn't 
mean he has respect for the person 
he salutes —
the key factor which makes respect 
useful in the 
cultivation of virtue is the attitude 
behind the respectful 
behaviour. 
Having emphasised so much on 
the attitude of 
respect, the reader might be 
tempted to think it is 
superfluous to bow or express 
respect — in fact 
many think that having respectful 
thoughts is good 
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enough. However, expressing 
respect is also useful 
in itself (see objectives below for 
further details) — because 
it helps to reduce ones' selfish 
views, cultivates 
humility and lends value to the 
cultivation of 
virtue in any society. For a young 
child taught from 
an early age to bow in respect to 
monks, parents, 
elders and teachers 
in the 
beginning it might be 
an automatic response out of a 
child's blind faith 
or obedience. However, when 
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expressing such respect 
becomes habitual, later when the 
child is older 
and more reflective, it will start to 
ask itself the question, 
"what's so great about my parents 
or teachers 
or spiritual teachers that makes 
them worthy of 
such respect?" and at that time the 
child will start 
to look for the virtue in those 
people — which is 
the fully-fledged attitude of 
respect. 
B.2 Objectives of expressing 
respect 
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The reasons we show respect are in 
order to: 
1. To show that we have real 
respect for that person 
both in body and mind 
2. To reinforce the goodness of 
that person: When 
you pay respect to someone it 
forces the person 
on the receiving end of the respect 
to reflect 
whether they are worthy or not of 
such respect 
 
if they feel embarrassed by the 
respect because 
of their lack of virtue, before long 
they will feel 
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motivated to improve themselves. 
Teachers, for 
example often forget that their 
duty consists of 
both parts, both of which he need 
to be fulfilled 
in order to qualify for the respect 
of their students: 
1. The duty to explain (i.e. teach a 
subject in 
theory) 
2. The duty to exemplify 
(especially the moral 
useage of the subject he teaches) 
3. To perpetuate humane culture 
4. To reduce your own selfish 
views 
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5. To train yourself in human 
relations 
6. To publicize the goodness of 
yourself and the 
person who is object to your 
respect. 
256 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Those who express respect have 
the wisdom to seek 
for goodness in others. If someone 
shows you respect 
you will know that that person is 
someone of developed 
virtue — they have at least the 
makings of wisdom. 
If you too are smart, when 
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