EFTA01160176

activity as it can to the macrocosm. 
Even if 
you are sitting at a dining table, 
sitting at one side 
of the table might be more or less 
amenable than 
sitting at the other. The location 
that most concerns 
a person or his activities is his 
immediate environment 
or neighbourhood- but the more 
distant environments 
of his locality or country also have 
a 
part to play. 
A.2 Amenability in Dhamma 
practice 
EFTA01160676

The sort of location to be 
examined in this Blessing 
is the location amenable to refining 
the mind or put 
another way, the location that 
facilitates the depth 
by which we can understand the 
Teachings of the 
Lord Buddha. In such an amenable 
location, even 
though a person may initially lack 
wisdom, he can 
make a success of his life. On the 
contrary, in an 
unamenable location, even though 
he may have a 
high IQ and be capable, given no 
EFTA01160677

support, there is 
no way for him to achieve his full 
potential. Even 
though someone might get a Ph.D., 
if he is marooned 
on a desert island, all his 
knowledge goes 
to waste. You might be the world's 
greatest tactician, 
but if you are forced to live in the 
forest with 
primitive tribal people, all you 
knowledge will go 
to waste. 
The factors that mark an amenable 
location also 
apply to appropriate areas to live. 
EFTA01160678

The Lord Buddha 
highlighted four factors which 
make a location 
amenable — these are: 
1. Amenable location 
2. Amenable food 
3. Amenable neighbours 
4. Amenable Dhamma teachings 
A.3 Amenable is not the same as 
materially 
prosperous 
In many materially prosperous 
countries, life can 
be physically convenient. Often 
the infrastructure 
is well developed. Employment is 
easy to find and 
EFTA01160679

it is easy for residents to save up 
their wealth. On 
the surface, such a country might 
look attractive to 
live in, but one is wont to forget 
that although ma-
Blessing Four: 
Living in an 
Amenable Location 
68 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
terial poverty might be hard to 
find, spiritual poverty 
might be rife (see §.B.4 below). In 
such a country, 
EFTA01160680

the opportunity and the means to 
develop spiritual 
maturity might be very hard to 
find. The 
chance to accrue merit might be 
almost nonexistant. 
Residents in such countries think 
only of 
work from the time they get up in 
the morning to 
the time they go to sleep at night. 
Thoughts of generosity, 
self-discipline or meditation might 
be the 
last thing on their minds. Even for 
those who have 
some spiritual calling, often they 
EFTA01160681

can find no-one 
to give them useful advice. To live 
in such a country 
might be life wasted from the point 
of view of 
spiritual development. It would be 
better to make 
some sacrifices of material 
convenience in choosing 
the place you want to live, in order 
to live in an 
environment of spiritual richness 
— which is truly 
an amenable environment for one's 
spiritual 
progress. 
B. Components 
EFTA01160682

The components of amenable 
location cannot be 
defined globally because they 
mean different things 
at different levels of explanation 
(see diagram p.66): 
B.1 Amenable Location 
B.1.1 National Level 
At the geographical level, it may 
mean an amenable 
climate that is not too hot and not 
too cold. It 
might mean that the landscape is 
not too rugged or 
liable to flooding — but at the 
same time with convenient 
communications towards the rest 
EFTA01160683

of the 
world. 
B.1.2 Local Level 
At a more local level, an amenable 
climate means 
ease for the populace in earning a 
decent living, 
good communications, proper 
social infrastructure 
and a plentiful supply of clean 
drinking water. 
B.1.3 Neighbourhood Level 
On the level of the neighbourhood, 
the things that 
make the environment amenable 
are a proper water 
and electricity supply, a good road 
EFTA01160684

system to 
avoid traffic jams, good 
communications and no 
flooding in the wet season. 
B.1.4 Household Level 
On the level of the household, the 
things that count 
for making the environment 
amenable are a properly 
planned house with sufficient 
space, good ventilation, 
enough trees round and about to 
give 
shade, nearby open areas or parks 
and no disturbance 
from noise. Applying the same 
principles to 
EFTA01160685

a temple, amenable temple 
grounds is sufficiently 
spacious for the number of 
templegoers, with 
enough shade to allow the 
congregation to meditate 
in comfort and without disturbance 
from the 
hustle and bustle of urban life. 
B.2 Amenable Food 
B.2.1 National Level 
On a national level, amenable food 
means being 
self-sufficient in one's food 
supply, not having to 
rely on neighbouring countries for 
one's food supply, 
EFTA01160686

or drinking water. 
B.2.2 Local Level 
On local level, amenable food 
might mean the proximity 
of a market for foodstuffs. It might 
also mean 
being able to grow home-produce. 
In any case, anyone 
who lives in an area liable to 
flooding should 
try to be self sufficient with their 
own cottage garden. 
It doesn't matter how you go about 
growing 
the vegetables. For some villages, 
when the floods 
come, if the government doesn't 
EFTA01160687

send in supplies 
by helicopter for two or three days, 
the whole village 
will starve. These are always the 
villages which 
are too lazy to grow their own 
vegetables. If they 
had grown their own vegetables, 
even though the 
floods come, it doesn't particularly 
bother them. By 
contrast, those places that plant 
only cash crops like 
maize, lose everything they have 
as soon as the 
floods arrive. Just having a few 
vegetables like onions 
EFTA01160688

in the garden allows one to survive 
for over a 
month even when the floods come. 
B.2.3 Neighbourhood Level 
Amenability of food at the 
neighbour hood level 
might mean the proximity of the 
market. 
B.2.4 Household Level 
An amenable food supply at the 
household level 
Blessing Four: Living in an 
Amenable Location 69 
can be summarized with just a few 
brief hints: 
1. You should have a supply of 
vegetables used 
EFTA01160689

around the kitchen in reserve in 
your cottage 
garden in case of times of need. 
2. Your house should be located 
close to the market. 
If it is too far from the market, this 
will become 
an obstacle to obtaining food. 
3. Your house ought to have a 
good cook. A good 
cook is the heart of a successful 
kitchen. There 
was once an army general who 
commented in 
front of his wife (whether he meant 
to praise 
her or criticize her is uncertain) 
EFTA01160690

saying, "the 
only reason that I've been able to 
put up with 
her all these years, is her only 
single good point 
— apart from this point there is 
nothing good 
about her. She neglects the 
children. She is useless 
at receiving guests. She takes little 
care of 
the household finances — I have to 
do the accounts 
myself. The only reason that I've 
been 
able to put up with her all these 
years, is that she 
EFTA01160691

makes a tasty meal. If it wasn't for 
her being a 
good cook, we would have gone 
our separate 
ways years ago." Anybody who 
thinks they can 
rely on instant foods, convenience 
foods and 
take-aways should think again. 
Everybody 
should attempt to learn how to 
cook. If ever you 
have to take care of someone who 
is ill or lonely 
or anxious, who have lost their 
appetite, and you 
can't get out to the market 
that 
EFTA01160692

will be the 
time when your ability to make a 
proper meal 
will really make a difference. 
For as long as we still have 
defilements in the mind, 
we still have an appetite and we 
still have our favourite 
foods. Were not all like crocodiles 
which 
can survive on gravel. For as long 
as we're still human, 
we are still choosy about the food 
we eat. Too 
sweet or sour, salty or oily and the 
food loses its 
attraction. Thus if the food we eat 
EFTA01160693

is to be amenable 
there is no harm in food being 
tasty. 
B.3 Amenable Neighbours 
B.3.1 Definitions 
The various characteristics of a 
location or a neighbourhood, 
whether good or bad, are only 
general 
characteristics. Even if the general 
characteristics 
of a location are abysmal, but the 
place is inhabited 
by virtuous people, then the 
drawbacks of the location 
can be overcome. On the other 
hand, in a 
EFTA01160694

good location with good housing 
and employment 
prospects, if the inhabitants are 
dishonest, however 
beautiful the buildings, it can be no 
better than a 
den of thieves. If the inhabitants 
are peaceful and 
well mannered, like monks, then 
the buildings are 
a refuge as good as a temple. 
B.3.2 National Level 
At the national level, amenable 
personnel means a 
population who eke out their 
existence by honest 
means. It means a population that 
EFTA01160695