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more important 
to us than our virtues 
and so 
that we 
don't become a puppet to the 
accumulation 
of more and more possessions 
without end 
— if something is over or beneath 
one's social 
status, it is inappropriate to accept 
it or 
own it. 
C. HAPPINESS & POVERTY 
C.1 The Two sorts of happiness 
The key issue which will become 
obvious to us if 
we are endowed with contentment 
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is that happiness 
exists in (at least) two different 
forms (A.i.80): 
I. Happiness dependent on 
external stimuli 
[sAmisa sukha]: Such happiness is 
dependent 
on sense-pleasure coming to us via 
our eyes, ears, 
274 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
nose, mouth or by our sense of 
touch. It also includes 
thoughts of desire from which 
superficial 
pleasure can also be derived. This 
sort of 
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happiness tends to be gross 
because it is mixed 
up with suffering and has the 
following characteristics: 
1. the objects of happiness can be 
obtained only 
as the result of considerable effort 
and difficulty 
because they are rare and limited 
in 
quantity; 
2. the objects of happiness, once 
obtained have 
to be closely guarded for fear of 
being parted 
from them; 
3. being hindered in one's access 
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to such objects 
of happiness, can cause aggression 
and acts 
of vengeance; 
2. Inner happiness [nirAmisa 
sukha]: Such happiness 
is independent of external stimuli 
and arises 
directly from inside whenever the 
mind has the 
characteristics of being: 
• pure: occurs when the mind is 
free of defilements; 
• peaceful: occurs when the mind 
is free from 
movement and grasping; 
• free: occurs when the mind 
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breaks free of various 
encroachments, becoming light 
and limitless; 
• radiant: occurs when the mind is 
suffused by 
wisdom [pafifiA] — seeing things 
according 
to reality; 
• fulfilled: occurs when the mind 
has no further 
feeling of lacking or missing 
anything, and 
with no residual feeling of even the 
slightest 
loneliness — because the 
happiness of the 
mind is self-sufficient in itself 
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Inner happiness is true happiness 
— it is happiness 
that creates no conflicts of interest. 
It is a happiness 
that helps to diminish other 
problems. However, 
those who are to find inner 
happiness must first 
cultivate a state of mind that is 
peaceful and free 
from discontent. The more one can 
cultivate contentment 
with relation to the happiness 
dependent 
on external stimuli, the easier it 
will become to touch 
instead upon inner happiness — as 
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with the Buddhist 
proverb (Dh.93): 
TuEEhE sukhA yA itarEtarena 
"contentment with the requisites 
you have and 
those you receive will bring you 
happiness" 
C.2 Two sorts of poverty 
Those who lack happiness 
succumb to poverty —
and just as there are two sorts of 
happiness, there 
are two corresponding sorts of 
pauper: 
I. Material paupers: Such people 
suffer from lack 
of resources because they really 
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lack the 
wherewithall to earn enough to 
keep themselves 
from the poverty line. Such people 
are temporarily 
poor because if they find an 
appropriate 
way to earn their living, before 
long they will be 
able to help themselves out of 
poverty. 
2. Spiritual paupers: Such people 
suffer from lack 
of resources because they spend 
more than they 
earn. Their problem is not one of 
resources but 
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one of attitude because they know 
no moderation 
in their spending. Such people can 
be 
counted amongst the `permanent 
poor' because 
even if they inherit a fortune, they 
will not be 
able to stay out of debt until the 
day they die 
(unless they learn contentment in 
the meantime). 
Thus `contentment' means 
`knowing moderation' 
—it is a miraculous virtue which 
can stop people 
from competing mercilessly with 
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one another, stop 
extravagence, stop 
pretenciousness, stop wars, 
making people self-sufficient in 
happiness irrespective 
of their position in society and it 
can allow the 
rich to be real millionnaires, 
because in the words 
of the Buddha (Dh.57): 
SantuEEhE paramaO dhanaO 
"Contentment is the ultimate 
wealth" 
D.SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES 
OF CONTENTMENT 
When contentment is lacking: 
• competition tends to grow up 
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between those who 
are influential in society to the 
degree that one 
tries to discredit another or cut 
corners in amassing 
wealth instead of applying their 
skills and 
influence for the public benefit. 
Unfortunately 
such behaviour is becoming more 
and more 
prevalent in our society. 
• there is no respect for ethics in 
the business world 
— nothing is left but flagrant 
profiteering withBlessing 
Twenty-Four: Contentment 275 
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out any thought of the negative 
repurcussions for 
others in society or the harm 
brought by fanning 
the flames of greed. No matter 
how much is 
earned, even in unscrupulous 
ways, it is never 
enough to satisfy the appetites of 
those addicted 
to materialism. Expenditures 
exceed spending 
power and when the businessmen 
concerned cannot 
earn money fast enough by 
scrupulous methods 
then they will soon resort to 
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dishonest ones 
— like puppets dancing on the 
strings of the defilements 
of greed in the mind. As such one 
goes 
through life distancing oneself 
further and further 
from all reasonableness and 
moderation —
for one key reason — the lack of 
contentment. 
Social progress requires both 
contentment and the 
investment of effort. Effort needs 
to be regulated by 
contentment just as a powerful car 
needs to have a 
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good set of brakes. Without 
contentment, efforts 
made will tend to be excessive, 
misplaced and vulnerable 
to risk-taking. Thus contentment is 
one of 
the most vital virtues contained in 
the Blessings. It is 
for progress at individual, family 
and even national 
levels. The mind of someone 
versed in contentment 
will always be ripe for the fruition 
of other higher 
virtues instilled there. Those who 
know contentment 
will be able to cultivate all manner 
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of virtues without 
risking `burnout'. Virtue will 
always be cultivated 
with the most honest of intentions. 
When society 
fails to make progress or 
progresses slowly, it 
is not because people are content, 
but on the contrary 
because of those lacking in 
contentment who 
constantly undermine the fair 
economic system. 
D.1 Danger of discontentment 
The trouble with discontent is that 
it develops from 
an insignificant emotions in the 
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mind into more and 
more serious attachments — until 
it becomes wanting 
without end. The point of studying 
about the 
symptomology of greed is that you 
can more easily 
learn to catch yourself before the 
symptoms become 
too serious. You can observe your 
own tendencies 
by examining the symptoms of 
greed as they develop 
in your own mind. This is the 
nature of the 
escalation of greed in the mind. In 
what follows we 
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will examine the way in which 
greed progresses 
from subtle emotions to powerful 
and damaging 
temptation. In essence greed has 
many components 
and as it gets worse, more and 
more components 
become involved: 
• attraction (or preference) [rati]; 
• attachment (wanting it for 
ourselves) [icchA]; 
• losing our consideration for 
others [mahicchA]; 
• losing our scruples about how to 
earn the money 
to pay for what we want 
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[pApicchA]; 
• losing our scruples about 
exploiting others [lobha]; 
• getting down to out and out 
stealing 
[adinnadAna]. 
The last involves a total loss of 
conscience in this 
matters again undermining our 
discretion in the 
manner of the recklessness we 
studied in the most 
recent lecture. 
In conclusion, from someone who 
likes something, 
we become someone who is 
attracted to it — from 
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being attracted to it, we want to 
own it — from wanting 
to own it, we want own it so 
strongly that we are 
not interested in anyone else's 
feelings concerning it 
— from being interested in nothing 
else but owning 
it, we would even do evil to own it 
— making people 
suffer throughoutthe 
neighbourhood. This is how 
something seemingly benign like 
discontent deteriorates 
into a serious social evil. 
D.2 Objects of Discontent 
In general there are four types of 
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things that are the 
objects of peoples discontent: 
I. greed for power: those who get 
elected as a member 
of parliament and they are not 
content, wanting 
to be prime minister. 
2. greed for possessions: those 
who have pearls and 
want diamonds, they get diamonds 
and want 
rubies etc. etc.. Someone who used 
to live in a 
hovel and wants to get a house. 
When they get a 
house they want to get a mansion. 
When they get 
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