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Dhamma teachings they have 
already give to a 
particular group from the 
congregation, they 
should enlarge the subject in more 
detail than 
before, giving additional meaning 
to materials 
or explaining in further detail how 
the Dhamma 
can be applied for problem solving 
in everyday 
life; 
6. show them the way to heaven: 
this monastic duty 
is particularly special in the system 
of the `Six 
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Directions' because no-one in any 
of the other 
social groups can do it in the 
monks' place. Those 
who are able to enter heaven must 
be those who 
live their lives in accordance with 
the noble code 
of Self-Discipline. 
This group consists of all forms of 
clergy who have 
an exclusively spiritual (rather than 
material) aim 
in life — namely monks in 
Buddhism, or priests, 
pastors or ministers for other 
religions. We hold 
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them in respect, because they 
maintain their status 
through their high level of virtue. 
In conclusion, the 
responsibility of the clergy consists 
of training the 
56 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
lay congregation to become Wise 
Ones or virtuous 
people 
a noble duty indeed! 
Monks who are able 
to practice all six of these duties to 
their completion 
are of inestimable value to society 
and the 
world 
they are worthy of 
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respect both by men 
and angels alike. 
C.3 Virtuous monarchs 
Monarchs worthy of respect are 
those established 
in the Tenfold Virtues of a 
Monarch; 
C.4 Our Parents 
Our Parents and upstanding 
members of society. 
Our parents are wise ones. We 
should treat them 
with respect. Anything less would 
be inappropriate. 
C.5 Our Teachers 
Teachers and masters established 
in right view. In 
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this context we should mention the 
two identifying 
features of a teacher's duties, both 
of which he 
needs to fulfil in order to qualify 
for the respect of 
his students. These two duties are: 
1. The duty to explain (i.e. teach a 
subject in theory) 
2. The duty to exemplify 
(especially the moral usage 
of the subject he teaches) 
If he fails to perform either of 
these duties his teaching 
is no more than daylight robbery of 
his pupils. 
If he gives good explanations but 
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his personal behaviour 
is no example for his students to 
follow 
(for example he teaches `do as I 
say not what I do' 
and tells the class that liquor is evil 
while spending 
all his spare time inebriated at the 
bar, he is nothing 
more than a mercenery teacher. 
If he both explains the theory well 
and is a good 
example to his students, he is a 
person worthy of 
respect. 
C.6 Virtuous employer 
Virtuous employers are also 
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worthy of respect. It is 
hard to find bosses with virtue, so 
when we find 
one, we should not hesitate to pay 
them respect. 
We may still be unable to be as 
virtuous as them, so 
we ought to pay them respect, in 
order that their 
virtues might never be far from our 
minds — instead 
of being tempted to do something 
devious, 
we will be less tempted because 
we feel ashamed 
after the seeing the good example 
set by our boss. 
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Also we will be more ashamed that 
anything we 
do wrong might reflect badly on 
our boss's good 
reputation. This is the value of 
having a virtuous 
boss. It keeps us on the straight 
and narrow until 
such time that we have reliable 
discretion for ourselves. 
D. OBJECTS WORTHY OF 
RESPECT 
There are certain classes of objects 
identified by the 
Lord Buddha as worthy of respect, 
and these are 
objects associated with people 
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worthy of respect i.e. 
the Lord Buddha, the SaIgha, 
monarchs, parents, 
teachers and bosses. There are two 
categories of 
such objects, pagodas (and their 
contents) and 
teachings: 
D.1 Pagodas 
D.1.1 Four Types of Pagoda 
The Buddha enumerated four types 
of pagoda 
worthy of respect: 
I. A relic pagoda: this is a pagoda 
containing the 
relics of a Buddha, a 
paccekabuddha, an arahant 
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or a universal monarch. After the 
cremation of a 
truly virtuous person there are 
pearl-like relics 
left behind in the ashes. In keeping 
with the 
teaching of the Buddha, these are 
collected by 
the faithful and are paid homage 
to, by Buddhists, 
not only with candles and incense, 
but 
by enshrining them in small 
pagodas. 
2. Paribhoga Cetiya: These 
include the Four Holy 
Sites connected with the life of the 
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Lord Buddha: 
the place where He was born, 
enlightened, 
where He gave His first sermon 
and where He 
passed away into Parinirvana. The 
Lord Buddha 
called these four places His 
Paribhoga Cetiya and 
taught that all Buddhists of 
following generations 
should visit these holy sites if they 
had the 
chance because it would awaken 
them to the 
urgent need to get down to 
practice. Many people 
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who have been to visit the Holy 
Sites have 
discovered that their inspiration to 
practice has 
Blessing Three: Expressing 
Respect to Those Worthy of 
Respect 57 
is strengthened from the feeling of 
going back to 
a time when they were in the 
presence of the Lord 
Buddha himself. This is the reason 
why these 
four sites are worthy of worship. 
3. Dhamma Cetiya: This is a 
Cetiya that contains 
Dhamma teachings such as books 
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of the Tipitaka 
or other Scriptures. 
4. Uddesika Cetiya: This is a 
Cetiya that contains 
Buddha Images or images of His 
Noble Disciples. 
Objects worthy of respect in this 
category 
also include the requisites 
belonging to monks 
— whether it be robes or bowl, all 
of the monks' 
requisites are worthy of respect. 
D.2 Dhamma Teachings 
A fifth sort of object worthy of 
respect are spiritual 
teachings and their sources. These 
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may include the 
Teachings of the Lord Buddha, of 
members of the 
monastic community, of kings, of 
our parents and 
elders, of our teachers and masters, 
of our boss and 
the teachings of the wise with 
whom we associate. 
The teachings of all six categories 
of the wise mentioned 
above are the manifestation of the 
virtue of 
those people and should never be 
taken in vain. 
Making a mockery of such 
teachings will undermine 
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our earnestness in putting those 
teachings into 
practice. If we lack earnestness in 
putting the teachings 
into practice, we reduce our chance 
of ever understanding 
those teachings. In the absence of 
understanding, 
there remains only ignorance and 
false 
view. 
Thus any of the objects mentioned 
above should 
not be used for mockery or for fun. 
To treat these 
things without reverence robs them 
of their sanctity 
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and when we come to study them 
we will overlook 
their depth or subtlety. An example 
of this 
might be the man who goes to 
receive Five Precepts 
from the monk at the temple and 
keeps the Precepts 
so well for the first few days. Later 
he joins in 
with one of his friends makes fun 
of the Precepts 
and says,"Oh the Precepts? Aren't 
they for keeping 
one for each day of the week and 
weekends 
off?" Even if he still keeps his 
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Precepts, the effect of 
these words is to gradually 
undermine the man's 
inspiration to keep them. 
The same principle goes for 
photographs or pictures 
of the Buddha, of monks, of the 
king, of our parents 
or teachers. Such photographs 
should not be left lying 
about or used without reverence. 
Chanting books 
shouldn't be left lying about either 
or folded up and 
shoved in the back pocket of one's 
trousers. They 
shouldn't be put down on a dusty 
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surface and other 
things should not be placed on top 
of them. 
In conclusion, those worthy of 
respect are the wise 
who are established in virtue, or 
those who by their 
social standing are too high up for 
us to be able to 
associate with personally or as 
peers. Apart from 
these six categories of person, 
objects which should 
be treated with respect include the 
requisites they 
use as a way of recollecting the 
virtues of that person. 
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Even though that person may 
already have 
passed away, treating their 
belongings with respect 
will help us to maintain 
high-mindedness and Right 
View concerning that person. 
D.3 Educational Objects 
Also we shouldn't forget that all 
books which contain 
Dhamma should be treated with 
respect. The 
ancients would be very particular 
even about the 
notebooks in which we have taken 
note of Dhamma 
sermons. They forbade us from 
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throwing such notebooks, 
stepping over them, putting them 
in low 
down places or tearing out pages 
— because all of 
these things would constitute 
disrespect to the 
teachings themselves. If we were 
to lack respect 
towards the Dhamma, then when 
we come to consider 
Dhamma Teachings for which the 
meaning is 
very subtle, we will be unable to 
fathom the meaning 
and our understanding of the 
Dhamma will be 
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