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Asoka. Thus even 
listening to the Dhamma without 
understanding 
the meaning can have implications 
to the extent of 
enlightenment in the future. 
D.4 Ex. Saccaka Nigantha 
M.L234ff, MA.L469ff 
In the JAyamaIgalagAthA 
chanting which recollects 
the victories of the Buddha 
achieved without 
aggression — there was one 
example in that chanting 
of a dialogue with a leading 
philosopher in contemporary 
India. Both his parents were also 
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philosophers. 
In his own right, he was renowned 
for 
his skill in dialogue. He was not 
contented when 
many of his supporters became 
followers of the 
Buddha so he planned to defeat the 
Buddha in debate 
to descredit Him. He went to see 
the Buddha 
with a huge congregation of 
supporters (who loved 
debates). 
That morning the Buddha had seen 
in his meditation 
that Saccaka Nigantha was ripe for 
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progress 
in Dhamma that day, but not to the 
extent of attaining 
the Path and Fruit of Nirvana (the 
reason for 
this was because he lacked 
sufficient engrained familiarity 
with the Dhamma). However, as a 
result 
of their debate, Saccaka Nigantha 
would absorb the 
Dhamma he had learned as an 
engrained familiarity 
that would help him towards 
enlightenment in 
a future lifetime. The philosopher 
was defeated in 
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the discussion and listened to the 
teaching of the 
Buddha. He invited the Buddha to 
take a meal in 
his own house and again heard a 
repetition of the 
same sermon, but still was unable 
to understand it. 
He could manage no more than 
faith. 
In the next lifetime he was born in 
Sri Lanka and 
became a monk known as 
KAOa-Buddharakkhita 
at an early age. He knew all the 
Teachings by heart, 
but the engrained habits of a 
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philosopher rendered 
him unable to practice any of 
them. He knew only 
the theory. One day his teacher 
warned him to practice 
himself or else all his students 
would be 
arahants before him. The monk 
realized his mistake, 
practised for himself and was soon 
able to become 
an arahant himself. At that time, 
with his old 
ability in dialogue together with 
the sermon in his 
mind, received from the Buddha in 
a previous life-
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1. The Vedas are Hindu scriptures in 
which some of the prophetic 
materials share elements of the 
Buddhist scriptures from 
a time when Buddhism has almost 
disappeared from the world 
and which is passed down to the next 
era. 
Blessing Twenty-Six: Listening 
Regularly to Dhamma Teachings 
299 
time, he was soon able to become a 
valuable Buddhist 
missionary. 
D.5 Ex. KAOE KuraragharikA 
(DhA.iv.103ff.) 
KAOE KuraragharikA was the 
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mother of SoAa-
KuEikaAAA Thera. On one 
occasion, SoAa passed 
through his home town. On his 
return from the 
Jetavana monastery, his mother 
met him and 
organised a grand charity in his 
honour. Having 
heard that her son could expound 
the Dhamma very 
well, she requested him to give a 
discourse. SoAa 
complied with her request and so 
she built a pavilion 
for the purpose. A large crowd, 
including his 
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mother, turned up to listen to the 
Dhamma 
expounded by SoAa. 
While she was at the pavilion, 
some thieves broke 
into her house. However the leader 
of the thieves went 
to the pavilion to keep an eye on 
her. His intention 
was to kill her should she return 
home early on learning 
about the theft at her house. Her 
maid, left behind 
to guard the house, went to the 
pavilion to inform 
her about the theft, but the lady 
only said, let 
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the thieves take all my money, I 
don't care. But don't 
come and disturb me while I am 
listening to the 
Dhamma!' Having reprimanded 
her, she sent the 
maid home. 
The leader of the thieves, who was 
sitting closeby, 
overheard everything. Her words 
also made him 
think, `If we take away the 
property of this wise and 
noble lady, we will surely be 
punished. We might even 
be struck by lightning.' The leader 
got alarmed, hurried 
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back to her house and ordered his 
thieves to return 
all the things they had taken. The 
gang of thieves 
then went to the pavilion to listen 
to the Dhamma. 
SoAa finished his exposition of the 
Dhamma at the 
crack of dawn. Then, the leader 
and all the thieves 
admitted their mistakes and 
requested for her forgiveness. 
Being a kind and devout lady she 
pardoned them 
all. Realising the evil of their 
ways, all the thieves 
joined the Holy Order. After 
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receiving instructions 
from SoAa, the new bhikkhus went 
into the forest to 
practise meditation. The Buddha 
knowing their mental 
attitudes sent forth his radiance 
and exhorted them 
on the way to gain Purity 
300 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Blessing One: Not Associating 
with Fools 301 
The Eighth 
Group of Blessings 
"Instilling Oneself 
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with Higher Virtues" 
Having acquired the basic 
virtues in Group VII 
culminating in regular 
listening to the Dhamma 
(Blessing Twenty-Six) 
to 
cultivate 
oneself further on the Buddhist 
path of progress, it is necessary 
to 
instill ourselves with higher 
virtues such as patience, 
openness to 
criticism, the sight of a true 
monk and regular dicussion of 
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the 
Dhamma. There is a major 
distinction between the basic 
virtues 
described in Group VII and the 
higher virtues described in 
Group 
VIII. The basic virtues of Group 
VII are concerned with making 
ourselves receptive to what we 
hear during a Dhamma talk —
and 
this is the major purpose of the 
virtues of respect, humility and 
gratitude. However the 
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culmination of Group VIII is 
more demanding. 
Even after the explanation of 
various items of Dhamma in 
Group VII we may not 
understand them until we see 
them exemplified. 
We might be able to understand 
the Precepts [sEla] from a 
Dhamma sermon, but we might 
not be able to comprehend how 
they can bring happiness until 
we see the happiness of a monk 
who 
keeps the Precepts well in 
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Group VIII. Thus the `higher' 
virtues of 
Group VIII are more demanding 
because they are `interactive' 
virtues 
— namely patience and 
openness to criticism — which 
make 
us ready before we see a monk 
and discuss the Dhamma with 
him. 
Without these two major 
`interactive' virtues, if the monk 
should 
attempt to point out a profound 
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truth to us which conflicts with 
the 
defilements still lurking in our 
mind, if too much is demanded 
of 
us, instead of improving 
ourselves, we might flounce 
away in a 
huff— the `fool' re-appearing 
in us because our patience and 
openness 
to criticism is insufficient. 
302 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Blessing Twenty-Seven: Patience 
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303 
A. INTRODUCTION 
A.1 The Place of Blessing 
Twenty-seven in the 
order of things 
Patience is necessary as an 
interactive virtue because 
we need to be prepared to 
overcome many 
possible obstacles, especially 
conflicts and temptations, 
in order to acquire the higher 
virtues. 
Patience is one of the most 
important qualities 
of mind we can possess. We do 
meditation the 
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whole of our lives to give rise to 
the wisdom that 
will allow us to identify and 
overcome the defilements 
in the mind — but you could never 
attain wisdom without a 
foundation of patience. 
In fact patience is not only the 
foundation of wisdom 
— it is the foundation of every sort 
of virtue 
in the world. Thus if we already 
have a mirror 
with which we can examine the 
quality of 
the mind, the first thing we should 
be looking 
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for is `patience' in the mind. No 
matter what task 
we undertake, our success relies 
not only upon 
our level of wisdom, but also our 
patience to 
apply our wisdom to its intended 
conclusion. 
Patience is the virtue allowing us 
to overcome 
the temptation to backslide or 
become dejected 
instead of being diligent. Instead of 
seeing obstacles 
with trepidation, with patience we 
welcome 
them as challenges 
thus every 
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success 
both in spiritual and worldly ways 
is a monument 
to the virtue of patience. The 
Buddha 
praised patience as one of the 
greatest virtues, 
second only to wisdom. 
B. PATIENCE 
B.1 Definition: Patience 
The root meaning of the Pali word 
for patience, 
"khanti" literally means 
maintaining one's normal 
state — and this would be true no 
matter whether 
shaken by tempting or unpleasant 
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