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list for `respect'. Thus to avoid 
repetition, 
in this Blessing we cover the 
details only of the objects 
of gratitude not shared with the list 
of objects 
of respect — with the following 
list serving as a 
rough-and-ready comparison: 
Personages 
• Lord Buddha (see BL Three 
§CJ) 
• Community of Enlightened 
Monks (see Bl. Three §C2) 
Blessing Twenty-Five: Gratitude 
285 
• Our parents (see Bl. Three §C4) 
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• Our teachers (see Bl. Three §C5) 
• Virtuous Employers (see Bl. 
Three §C6) 
• Virtuous Monarchs (see Bl. 
Three §C3, i.e. those 
established in the Ten 
Rajadhammas, see BL Sixteen 
§C2) 
Animals - 
• Beasts of Burden 
Inanimate Objects 
• Educational Objects (see Bl. 
Three §D3) 
• Dhamma Scriptures (see Bl. 
Three §D2) 
• Pagodas (see Bl. Three §M) 
• Homeland 
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• Shade-giving Trees 
Goodness 
• Merit 
Yourself 
• Your own health 
C.2 Gratitude to Animals 
The people of old were grateful to 
their beasts of 
burden by which they earned their 
living. They 
would not use their water buffaloes 
to plough in 
the heat of the midday sun when it 
would be torture 
to the beasts. They would find only 
the best of 
soft grass and pastures for their 
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beasts to graze during 
their time of rest. They would 
never kill an old 
beast when it was beyond its 
working life — out of 
gratitude for all it had helped them 
with. They 
would maintain the buffalo to the 
end of its days. 
Some people loved their buffalos 
and felt their debt 
of gratitude so strongly that they 
would hardly ever 
beat them and some would even 
put up a mosquito 
net for the buffalos at night! When 
the buffalo 
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passed away of natural causes, the 
owner would 
divide up the meat with his 
neighbours. People in 
the old days would even choose 
new employees 
based on the level of gratitude they 
displayed towards 
their old buffalos. If anyone didn't 
keep buffalo 
beyond their working age, they 
would not be 
accepted into a company. 
C.3 Gratitude to Inanimate 
objects 
In the old days, those who took 
their rest under a 
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tree for many years, even though 
the tree is inanimate 
(it has no mind) people would still 
be grateful 
for the shade and shelter they had 
had from it. 
Maybe they will take care of the 
tree as a result so 
that others might get the same 
benefit. They might 
not make a mess under such a tree 
or cut it down. 
You will miss the forests and 
realize the forests 
when they're gone. If you have 
gotten benefit even 
from your meditation centre or 
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temple you ought 
to treat that place with respect. 
Some people might even go as far 
to reflect as to 
the value they have taken from 
their homeland, 
home country or even the territory 
fought for and 
won by one's ancestors, where one 
has grown up 
in peace. You would know the 
value of your own 
country ifyou were ever made a 
refugee and had to 
leave your own country. You will 
miss it when its 
gone. 
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C.4 Merit 
Just as electricity works invisibly 
to bring us many 
benefits and conveniences, the 
Lord Buddha discovered 
that there is another force which 
brings benefit 
to all of our lives, but about which 
(in general) 
we understand little of the 
workings — and that is 
merit — which had brought all 
forms of success 
and happiness into our lives. It 
gives us life and 
strength and protects us from 
handicap at birth. It 
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brings us material comfort and 
intelligence. Most 
of us are new to meditation so we 
are still not particularly 
versed in the real value of merit, 
but if you 
meditate further until you attain 
the DhammakAya, 
you will be able to start to 
understand the workings 
of merit in the same way that a 
scientist understands 
the workings of electricity. This is 
why 
merit deserves our gratitude 
C.5 Yourself 
None of the forgoing forms of 
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gratitude are of any 
great surprise to anyone — but 
something which is 
many times more miraculous is 
gratitude to yourself. 
Your physical body is a vital piece 
of equipment 
for you to use in the pursuit of 
goodness. You 
can't have anyone else do it for 
you. Those who 
use their body for doing evil things 
such as breaking 
the Precepts: killing, stealing, 
committing adultery, 
lying or taking intoxicating drugs 
and alcohol. 
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It is as good as destroying your 
own body. The 
286 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
demerit of all these activities will 
follow you like a 
shadow. However, if you use your 
body to perform 
generous actions, keep the 
Precepts and meditate 
— the merit which arises as the 
result will nourish 
the mind and when it comes to 
time to leave this 
world, our physical body will go to 
the graveyard 
but our merit will be collected by 
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our astral body 
and angelic body, leading us to 
take new life in 
heaven. When the power of that 
merit is exhausted 
then you return to be born as a 
human again. You 
will be the sort of person they 
invite to be born human 
— not the sort who has to compete 
to be born 
as a human. The proportions and 
characteristics of 
your body will be better than 
before — not excessively 
fat or thin, or white or black —
everything 
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will be in equilibrium. Eventually 
you will be able 
to advance you meditation until 
you are able to 
overcome all the defilements in the 
mind and you 
can enter upon Nirvana in the 
footsteps of the Buddha. 
You have to rely on your own 
body to do this. 
Thus everybody should be grateful 
to their own 
body which is their vehicle on the 
path to Nirvana. 
D. DEVELOPING 
GRATITUDE IN EVERYDAY 
LIFE 
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D.1 Repaying a Debt of Gratitude 
How large or small does a debt of 
gratitude have 
to be before it is worth 
recognizing? Sometimes it 
is impossible to put a price on a 
favour one has received. 
If you are dying and someone 
donates a 
bottle of blood to save your life, 
how can you put a 
price on that blood you have 
received? The blood 
is worth your life. You cannot put 
a price on the 
milk you have suckled at your 
mother's breast. If 
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your mother had refused to feed 
you since you were 
small, you would have died. That 
milk is worth as 
much as your life also. For some 
things it is likely 
that you will never be able fully to 
repay the debt 
of gratitude you owe. The best we 
can do is to do 
what we can to repay our debt of 
gratitude until 
our dying day. Thus if not entirely 
necessary, stand 
on your own feet rather than 
accepting the help of 
others — but in case you cannot do 
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without their 
help, then don't forget that debt of 
gratitude for the 
rest of your life. As a practical 
guideline, however 
for how a debt of gratitude can be 
repaid appropriately, 
bear in mind the definitions of 
conditional 
and unconditional love (described 
in Blessing Seventeen 
§A.2) which will allow you to size 
up your debts 
in a way that allows you to set 
your priorities without 
conflicting loyalties. 
If someone has done you a favour, 
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be quick to 
repay your own debt of gratitude 
(without them 
having to ask) — not just once but 
many times until 
your dying day. Don't go thinking 
like some children, 
"I lived in my parents' house for 
fifteen years 
— therefore I will look after may 
aging parents for 
only fifteen years, no more than 
that." If a person 
has done both good and bad things 
to you in the 
past, try to remember that person 
for the good 
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things they have done, and be 
grateful for those 
good things. If you are to 
remember the bad things 
they have done, don't remember 
thinking only of 
vengeance, but remember in order 
to protect yourself 
from further such situations. Don't 
allow a few 
faults on the part of another person 
to obscure the 
good favours you have received 
from them. If you 
can manage to do this the whole of 
the time, you 
will be able to maintain a joyous 
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heart and a happy 
face. You will not get old before 
your time with a 
frown established on your face. If 
all you can think 
of is the bad you have received at 
the hands of others, 
then this world will not appear a 
very pleasant 
place to live. You will fail to see 
any value in life. 
Some final hints for putting 
gratitude into practice 
in everyday life are as follows: 
I. Build up the roots of gratitude 
in the younger 
generation: The people of old 
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used to have a way 
of developing gratitude in the 
younger generation. 
Children would be trained to use 
only the 
very highest of words to greet and 
speak of their 
parents. They would bow to their 
parents every 
night before going to bed. When 
children get 
older, instead of just going through 
the motions 
of bowing they start to look for the 
virtues in 
their parents that make them 
worthy of respect. 
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