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simply to know `about' the virtues 
is of no use to us. 
The aim in studying this Manual 
for students of all 
levels should be to incorporate the 
virtues as their 
habits following the following four 
stage plan: 
1. in the short term to learn rules 
and regulations that 
protect us from behaviours 
contrary to the virtues 
of the blessings; 
2. in the medium term to educate 
ourselves 
according to the information on 
each blessing in 
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the text to get answers to three 
questions about 
the virtue, namely: 
• `what' they are (concept and 
definition); 
• `why' the Buddha taught them 
(why a 
particular behaviour was either 
prohibited or 
advocated) and; 
• `how' they can be put into 
practice in everyday 
life. 
3. Doing that virtue so regularly 
that it becomes 
our habit 
4. train up the people around you 
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to practise the 
thirty-eight blessings as their 
habits. 
The important conclusion we get 
from this threestage 
process of acquiring the 
thirty-eight blessings 
of life is that we need to look 
deeply at ourselves to 
see how many of the virtues we 
have accrued for 
ourselves first. We should regard 
ourselves as still 
in our infancy as far as the spiritual 
teachings go, 
and make the appropriate 
adjustments. Only when 
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we've mastered ourselves can we 
have something 
to offer to the world, to reach out 
to others as a good 
friend to build up a network of 
virtue in society. 
Sources used for this book 
This book draws primarily on 
translated transcripts 
of eighty hours of lectures entitled 
Monkol Jivit given 
by the Most Ven. 
Phrabhavanaviriyakhun (Luang 
Phaw Dattajeevo), acting abbot of 
Dhammakaya 
Temple in Thailand in the 
mid-seventies to those 
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of undergraduate age. The beauty 
of this lecture 
series was abundant use of 
examples from the Buddhist 
scriptures and also from his own 
life experiences. 
A second major source used for 
this book, 
which was supposed to summarize 
materials from 
the first source into a short book 
designated for 
schoolchildren to do revision for 
their Path of 
Progress Ethics Quiz Contest was 
Ven. Maha Dr. 
Somchai Thanavuddho's Monkol 
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Jivit: Path of 
Progress edition (1982). This latter 
gives no exam8 
A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
pies, but offers a more structured 
version of the 
Mangala Sutta materials, 
simplified in a way Asian 
people can understand. 
This text misses nothing of the 
core content of either 
these two sources. However, after 
teaching these 
materials to a group of western 
Buddhist newcomers 
in Belgium, there were still many 
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questions in 
the audience's minds left 
unresolved. Things like 
respect and gratitude don't come 
as second nature 
to westerners. Not drinking alcohol 
requires more 
than a fleeting explanation in a 
western culture. The 
long lists of meritorious fruits of 
various virtues had 
to be replaced as far as possible by 
`why' rationale 
and where possible examples of 
the damage which 
can happen when certain virtues 
are neglected. The 
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Most Ven. 
Phrabhavanaviriyakhun's Kainphi 
Gu 
Wikrit Chart (2000) helped to 
illustrate many social 
ills from the neglect of the Six 
Directions in this respect. 
Ven. Maha Dr. Somchai 
Thanavuddho's 
Nippan ben atta reu anatta (1999) 
almost completely 
replaces the explanation of 
Nirvana originally given 
in Blessing Thirty-four. Also some 
of the illustrative 
examples have been replaced if 
repeated. Some have 
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been supplemented by western 
anecdotes. Where 
sets of Dhamma headings are 
repeated, they are usually 
described in full at the first 
appearance and crossreferenced 
in subsequent appearances. 
Finally, wherever 
possible, illustrative examples and 
Dhamma 
headings have been traced back to 
their scriptural 
reference in the PTS Pali Buddhist 
Scriptures to allow 
students to cross-reference to other 
mainstream 
and academic Buddhist works. In 
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finding the references 
and fuller illustrative examples, 
heavy use was 
made of Ven. Paiboon 
Dhammavipulo's Dachanee 
Thamm Chabab Monkola Soot 
(1997, 2000, 2002). The 
resulting version of the Manual of 
Peace, dubbed the 
Theatsheet version' in its 
homepage form has been 
better received by western 
audiences, has had a good 
web readership and is currently 
being translated into 
other western languages 
Who should use this book 
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This book discusses key practical 
virtues in a sequential 
path of Buddhist practice. As such 
it offers 
more than just a dry, theoretical 
approach to 
Buddhist study, but can actually 
form the basis of 
subjective practice by students. 
The level of difficulty 
of this book is designed for: 
• students of Buddhist studies in 
the upper secondary. 
In the U.K. curriculum this book 
would 
be suitable for students studying at 
Key Stages 4 
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+ 5. In Scotland, for Scottish 
Levels SG + HS. Although 
study of Buddhism at Key Stage 4 
is timelimited, 
use of the index can help students 
to look 
in depth on selected aspects of the 
agreed syllabus. 
At Key Stage 5, the text can be 
used for research 
on project work. 
• students of Buddhist Studies or 
Comparative 
Religion at Bachelors' or Masters' 
level of 
university. 
• This book is useful 
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supplementary reading for 
the GB102 course of the 
Dhammakaya Open 
University. 
• overseas students of the Path of 
Progress Ethics 
Quiz Contest 
• Buddhists or those interested in 
Buddhism 
wishing to supplement or 
consolidate their 
knowledge of lifestyle-related 
Buddhist 
teachings 
What does it offer to lecturers 
teaching these courses? 
Lecturers will find this book has a 
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good range of 
illustrative examples and 
metaphors to support 
their teachings or assemblies. 
Scriptural references 
are given for nearly every 
example. 
Student learning features 
In each chapter: 
• Definitions 
• Links to other chapters 
• References 
At the end of each chapter: 
• Metaphors 
• Illustrative Examples 
At the end of the book: 
• general index 
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• Pali index 
• index of similes 
• index of illustrative examples 
Preface 9 
Acknowledgements 
The publication of this book was 
made possible 
only by the special efforts of many 
staff and volunteers 
at the Dhammakaya Foundation in 
Thailand. 
This includes most importantly the 
source 
works in the Thai language already 
mentioned by 
the Most Ven. 
Phrabhavanaviriyakhun, Phra 
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Maha 
Dr. Somchai Thanavuddho and 
Phra Paiboon 
Dhammavipulo. Thanks also to 
Phra Nicholas 
Thanissaro who has translated, 
compiled and field 
tested this version of the text in 
English. Thanks 
to Phra Jessadah Kittithano for 
help in tracking 
down references, to Lalita 
Prasertnopakhun, 
Peungpit Poopornanake & Chalom 
Srij arus (administrative 
assistance), Anant Kittitawesin 
(cover 
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design), the Dhammakaya 
Foundation's still photography 
volunteers (colour photography), 
Tassin-
Sipang-Pangbaramee-Pangboon 
Boontang, 
Manop-Vararat-Dhitinand 
Kawmark, Suwachara 
S.-Thanachaporn Nishiyama & 
Sukultra-Sabrina 
Catts (cover shoot). 
10 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Education on inner peace in the 
style laid before us 
in this Manual of Peace, is a must 
for humanity today. 
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Modern day education has many 
shortcomings as 
illustrated ironically by the fact 
that the majority 
of today's disasters, come from 
supposedly the best 
educated being on this planet —
namely the human 
being. The trouble with much of 
the curriculum 
materials taught in schools 
nowadays is that they 
ignore the concept of peace 
completely. The higher 
one goes in education, the 
narrower one's 
knowledge becomes and the 
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further it becomes 
estranged from the concepts 
fundemental to peace. 
Many of the violent acts 
committed in the world 
are perpetrated by highly educated 
persons and 
often the victims are those who 
have received little 
education. 
Education for peace needs to start 
by imparting 
awareness of the consequences of 
one's own actions 
to young people — because every 
action, whether 
good or bad, has an effect on the 
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doer's life and 
others' lives as well. One cannot 
afford to be 
complacent or irresponsible about 
one's actions. 
This is why any form of education 
which advocates 
certain actions by a student has to 
have 
considerations of the peacefulness 
of those actions 
built into it, in order to prevent the 
sort of misdeeds 
done intentionally or 
unintentionally that upset 
society. 
The sort of education that provides 
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