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lacks criminals, 
terrorists or anarchists who 
threaten the solidarity 
of the country. 
B.3.3 Local Level 
At the local level, if the populace 
are interested in 
nothing more than earning their 
living, society will 
not be a happy one. 
B.3.4 Neighbourhood Level 
At the neighbourhood level, in 
addition to a 
hardworking populace there must 
be those who 
make a direct contribution to the 
well-being of the 
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society. 
I. Doctors are necessary in any 
society. Without 
them, every illness will entail 
death. Even if a 
location is the most profitable of 
marketplaces, 
without doctors in the background, 
it can never 
become an amenable society. 
2. Patrons and benefactors. 
Patrons and benefactors 
arise in a society where there is 
trading. 
Those who live in a mercantile 
society reap the 
benefits of having capital and such 
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a society 
breeds rich benefactors and 
millionaires. Compare 
a society of people where there are 
only 
paupers and beggars and you will 
see how hard 
it is for such a society to become 
amenable to the 
study of Dhamma. In the time of 
the Lord Buddha, 
if a king decided to establish a new 
city, even 
if he had sufficient labour, 
craftsmen, without 
being granted a benefactor or 
patron from a 
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neighbouring city, to be the patron 
of the new 
city, the king wouldn't dare to 
build a new town. 
70 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
(see §.D.2 below) The reason that 
having a patron 
was so important, apart from being 
a capitalist 
who would stimulate trade and 
growth, he 
would act as the economist who 
would help the 
king with his financial 
policy-making so that the 
new city would be able to keep its 
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financial head 
above water. 
3. Wise men. Many of the reasons 
for the importance 
of the wise have already been 
covered in 
Blessing Two. In brief, the wise 
have a special 
discretion which allows them to 
distinguish between 
what is right and what is wrong, 
what's 
appropriate and what's 
inappropriate, what is 
meritorious and what is downright 
evil. Even if 
you're illiterate, but you can tell 
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the difference 
between right and wrong, you can 
still be considered 
a wise one. Thus if you are 
choosing a 
place to live, avoid choosing a 
place where no 
wise ones live, because in such a 
place society is 
not amenable to the study of 
Dhamma. 
4. Righteous Monarch who is 
established in the Ten 
Virtues of a Monarch. Without 
going into detail, 
it can be said that a qualifying 
monarch must be 
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just and moral. Of course the 
country's leader 
doesn't have to be a king to make 
it an amenable 
place to live. The same virtues in a 
president will 
make his country as amenable as a 
country governed 
by a virtuous king. 
B.3.5 Household Level 
Amenable personnel at the level of 
the household 
means the leader of the household 
must be virtuous. 
The husband should abstain from 
drinking alcohol, 
the wife from gambling. Both 
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should be earnest 
in earning an honest living. Their 
children 
should be earnest in their studies 
and should be 
obedient to their parents' 
command. In this way 
the household will be united as the 
smallest unit of 
an amenable society. 
B.4 Amenable Dhamma 
B.4.1 Definitions 
Dhamma is the culture or 
principles which governs 
the lifestyle of a society that lives 
in an amenable 
location. At the most basic level 
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amenable Dhamma 
in a society means the governing 
principles of law 
and order that the society abides 
by. Amenable 
Dhamma is lacking from countries 
where outlaws 
run amok. At a deeper level, 
amenable Dhamma 
equates with culture and tradition 
that is one of virtue. 
The law protects society only from 
acts of violation 
through the channels of body and 
speech, but 
has no effect on the quality of 
peoples' minds.The 
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minds of a nation can be shaped 
for the better only 
by culture or traditions that raise 
the quality of 
mind. Examples of this might be 
the attitude of respect 
that a child should have towards 
his parents 
or a student towards his master. 
For as long as such 
traditions are still perpetuated and 
passed down 
from one generation to the next in 
a particular society, 
that society is still an amenable 
place to live. 
By contrast, you should avoid 
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going to live in a 
barbaric society where man has no 
respect for his 
fellow man. An example of this 
would be the primitive 
society which idolize the man who 
is able to 
kill his own father — seeing him 
as the epitomy of 
hard-heartedness and fit to be the 
leader of the 
tribe. 
At a yet deeper level, amenable 
Dhamma in a society 
means a good educational system 
which allows 
the citizens to make a thorough 
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study of both 
worldly and spiritual matters —
where both schools 
and temples form the educational 
infrastructure of 
society 
and all citizens are 
equipped with sufficient 
rationale not to be credulous. 
Deeper still, Buddhism should be 
well rooted in 
that country. The Lord Buddha 
taught that some 
people are born empty-handed and 
die empty 
handed — because they cannot 
distinguish between 
good and bad deeds. They just do 
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whatever they 
feel like doing. When they are 
young, their parents 
bring them up. When they are 
full-grown, they get 
married and have a family — and 
their children 
get married and have their own 
children and the 
family name is perpetuated for 
another generation. 
In the end they pass away and they 
have no merit 
or demerit to take with them when 
they go. It is 
this sort of person that Buddhism 
recognizes as 
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being born empty-handed and 
dying emptyhanded. 
Put another way, life has been 
fruitless for 
them. 
Blessing Four: Living in an 
Amenable Location 71 
Even though some people are born 
on the doorstep 
of Buddhism, they still leave the 
world emptyhanded 
— so what chance do people who 
have 
never even come across Buddhism 
stand? The Lord 
Buddha thus laid down guidelines 
for life, teaching 
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that having taken human birth, you 
must seek 
benefit both for this lifetime and 
the next. Benefit 
can only accrue if you use your 
body and mind for 
positive good deeds that will give 
worthwhile returns 
on our having been born human. 
The Lord 
Buddha taught that at the very 
least, you ought to 
be able to set yourself up in life. If 
you are in debt 
or still have to rely on others for 
the roof over your 
head, you have not yet suceeded in 
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even the most 
rudimentary of human duties. If 
you are a man (and 
not a mouse) you must be able to 
stand on your 
own two feet. This is what we call 
benefit for the 
present lifetime. 
From our description so far of the 
features of an 
amenable location, whether the 
inhabitants know 
Buddhism or not, they will manage 
to succeed in 
fulfilling benefit for the present 
lifetime. Where 
those who don't know Buddhism 
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miss out, is 
through not knowing how to fulfil 
benefits for the 
next lifetime. Without a 
knowledge of Buddhism, 
you can do no better than use up 
the merits accrued 
from previous lifetimes. No 
additional merits are 
accrued this lifetime and at the end 
of this life, your 
after-life destination will be one of 
suffering. 
Those who accrue benefit for 
future lifetimes, when 
they die will not go to hell or be 
born as animals. 
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Whatever the proportion of good 
and bad deeds 
they may have done, at the very 
least they will take 
human birth again — even though 
they may be 
handicapped in one way or 
another. 
B.4.2 National Level 
Amenable Dhamma Teachings at 
National Level 
means having just laws and 
customs as the national 
identity. 
B.4.3 Local Level 
Dhamma for the children means 
having a good 
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school. If our children have the 
chance to study at a 
decent school, it will give them a 
head start in life 
because there is such a great 
variety of quality in 
the teaching given at different 
schools. Dhamma 
for the adults means having a good 
temple near at 
hand. At the very least, if there is a 
temple near to 
our house there will be monks who 
pass near to 
our house on their almsround and 
we will have the 
opportunity to make merit every 
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morning. If we 
want to listen to a sermon, we 
won't have to go far. 
If a site is close to both the school 
and the temple it 
will earn plenty of points for 
amenable Dhamma. 
B.4.4 Neighbourhood Level 
Amenable Dhamma Teachings at 
the Neighbourhood 
Level means that monks pass on 
almsround 
and having temples and schools in 
the vicinity. 
B.4.5 Household Level 
This means an atmosphere of 
enthusiasm for 
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