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day parlance `no comment'! It is 
applicable 
when giving any answer 
irrespective will only 
serve to reinforce the 
unwholesomeness of the 
questioner. An example of this is 
when people 
ask about the specific inner 
experiences gained 
as a result of meditation but they 
have never 
practiced for themselves, it is not 
much use to 
give an answer because: 
1. they may not believe you; 
2. they may use what they have 
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remembered instead 
of striving to attain such 
experience for 
themselves. 
C. PRACTICALITIES OF 
ORGANIZING A 
DHAMMA DISCUSSION 
C.1 Self-preparation for a 
Dhamma Debate 
It is hard to get a good Dhamma 
discussion going 
if you don't know the rules and 
regulations of the 
game. You need to be 
well-prepared when you enter 
a Dhamma Discussion. It is not 
just like having 
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a chat. As for conducting the 
discussion of the 
Dhamma, the following guidelines 
are recomBlessing 
Thirty: Regular Discussion of the 
Dhamma 335 
mended: 
I. Keep the Precepts in advance: 
If you are a householder, 
you should keep Five Precepts for 
at 
least seven days beforehand. (If 
possible, Eight 
Precepts is even better). It will 
make sure that 
we embody the Dhamma about 
which we want 
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to talk. It is not the idea to discuss 
the Dhamma 
when you are drunk. In the old 
days Dhamma 
would never be discussed if 
alcohol was being 
drunk or if any of the participants 
had been 
drinking. If you want to know the 
reason, why 
not try it for yourself? If you try 
speaking on a 
sensible subject to someone under 
the influence 
of alcohol, you may start a fight. 
To discuss the 
Dhamma, your mind must first be 
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true to its 
real nature. Alcohol interferes with 
this nature. 
Thus if you can't even manage to 
keep the Five 
Precepts, don't delude yourself 
into thinking 
you will be able to discuss the 
Dhamma. 
2. Meditate in advance: You 
should prepare yourself 
for the Dhamma discussion by 
meditating 
regularly beforehand and 
meditating immediately 
before starting the discussion. In 
this way 
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your mind will be sufficiently 
refined to understand 
the subtle nature of the subject 
under discussion. 
3. Dress politely and modestly to 
participate: you 
must dress in a way suitable for the 
nature of 
things under discussion. Thus 
don't dress in 
clothes that are too brightly 
coloured, provocative, 
tight-fitting, dirty, stained or torn. 
4. Maintain good manners: 
Nothing you do must 
be irritating to the others 
participating. 
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5. Speak politely: You should 
speak calmly. For 
those who speak loudly, it is 
obvious that the 
mind is already away from the 
centre of the 
body. One should not boast about 
one's own attainments 
or one's own school of meditation. 
One should honestly admit the 
limits of what 
one knows and not pretend to be 
expert in everything. 
6. Give unknown teachings the 
benefit of the 
doubt: Even if you don't 
understand some of 
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the Buddha's teachings at first 
encounter, don't 
refuse them outright. Sometimes 
we don't instantly 
understand the meaning of 
teachings we 
learn. Sometimes our experience 
or refinement 
of mind is not enough to be able to 
see the benefit 
of a teaching. Supposing we have 
the teaching, 
"forge your own destiny with 
diligence" 
— if we are heavily involved in 
social welfare 
work we might think that the 
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teaching cannot 
be right — how could it be better 
to help ourselves 
rather than to spend our time being 
altruistic 
to others? However reflecting 
more 
deeply we will find that it refers to 
the fact that 
the benefit of others will be of no 
use in the long 
term if we don't train ourselves too 
as our first 
priority. Thus, if you don't agree 
with a teaching, 
don't refuse it but express your 
doubt and 
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what you think it might mean as an 
alternative 
instead. Supposing we have 
already categorically 
refused a teaching and later 
someone 
points out that it is right using 
appropriate reasons, 
it will be hard for us to reconsider 
our 
point of view — because we will 
be more afraid 
of losing face than of being wrong. 
7. Avoid provocative words: Use 
only a manner 
and choice of words that facilitate 
harmony. 
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8. Avoid expressing anger when 
confronted by differences 
of opinion: Sometimes there are 
even 
classic proverbs can be 
contradictory (viz. 
"Make hay while the sun shines" 
versus "More 
haste less speed") Both can be true 
in the appropriate 
context. If two people have 
different 
situations in mind they will be sure 
to have differences 
on even the same subject. 
9. Avoid having fame or 
oneupmanship as the motivation 
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for your discussion: If such 
unskilful 
motives are the reason you want to 
have a discussion 
for it would be better for you to 
stay at 
home! 
10. Don't forget that Dhamma 
discussions are designed 
to bring forth wisdom: Dhamma 
conversations 
are always to further our 
knowledge and 
to use the strengths of others to fill 
in our own 
weaknesses. Such discussions are 
never to show 
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off how much we know. 
11. Avoid letting the conversation 
drift `off topic': 
If you you start by talking about 
generosity and 
later find yourself boasting about 
all the times 
you have been generous then you 
have gone 
336 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
beyond the limits of a Dhamma 
discussion. 
Similarly, if you find that you are 
gossiping 
about how stingy such-and-such 
another person 
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is, then again it is no longer a 
Dhamma discussion. 
12. Avoid letting the discussion go 
on for too long: 
— otherwise everyone involved 
will be bored 
C.2 Selecting worthy participants 
Choosing the wrong people to 
engage in a 
Dhamma discussion can be 
disastrous and 
cause a quarrel. As mentioned 
above, it is only 
in conversation with the `Good 
Friend' that 
wisdom will arise, therefore, in 
choosing participants, 
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you should invite those possessing 
the seven characteristics of a good 
friend [kalyAAamitta] 
(A.iv.32): 
I. endearing [piyo]: attractive and 
making others 
feel at ease, ready to ask questions 
and 
seek advice; 
2. respectable [garu]: one who 
makes others 
feel that they can take safe refuge 
in them; 
3. cultured and emulable 
[bhAvanEyo] others 
who see their educated qualities 
and would 
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like to be like that too; 
4. a counsellor [vatta] having the 
ability to give 
good counsel through knowing the 
way to 
speak to get results, through 
knowing how 
to explain Dhamma so that others 
understand, 
through knowing the appropriate 
time 
to give praise and mention 
criticisms ; 
5. being a patient listener 
[vacanakkhamo] always 
being open to advice, questions 
and 
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criticism without being irritated ; 
6. the ability to treat profound 
matters [gambhirafica 
kathaO kattA] and able to difficult 
matters in a way which can be 
easily understood; 
7. never speaking of things 
without reason or 
leading conversations to a useless 
end [no 
caEEhAne niyoj aye]. 
These criteria apply to 
conversation between 
unrelated people. It should be 
noted that if the 
conversation is within the family, 
then it is not 
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6. self-discipline [sEla]; 
7. concentration [samAdhi]; 
8. wisdom [paririA]; 
9. liberation [vimutti], and; 
10. seeing and knowing of 
liberation [vimuttifiAAadassana]. 
One should talk on these sorts of 
subjects while 
avoiding unconducive talk of 
kings, robbers, ministers, 
armies, panic, battle, food, drink, 
clothes, 
beds, flowers, garlands, perfumes, 
relatives, vehicles, 
villages, townships, cities, 
districts, women, 
champions, streets, gossip, 
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ghost-stories, 
desultatory talk, fables about land 
and sea, prosperity 
and decay. In addition, the subject 
of conversation 
must be suited to the participants 
— if 
you are going to discuss the 
Vinaya you must 
choose people who are expert in 
this subject. If you 
are going to discuss meditation 
then it should be a 
discussion between those who 
have really got down 
to practice for themselves. 
C.4 Selecting an appropriate time 
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