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practising for himself 
all the theory thathe had taught. 
All he had was 
knowledge — he had no 
attainments. 
Out of compassion,the Buddha 
wanted the elder 
monk to realize that he must 
practice for himself, 
so he always called the elder by 
the name `Blank 
Scripture'. If the elder came to see 
the Buddha, the 
only thing the Buddha would say 
to him was 
"'Blank Scripture'— so you're 
here again?" For 
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other disciples the Buddha would 
ask questions or 
give encouragement, but instead of 
giving encouragement 
to this elder for having so many 
students 
he just said `Blank scripture'. 
Apart from this he 
would ignore the elder completely 
until everyone 
else was taking their leave. Again, 
the only thing 
the Buddha would say to him was 
"'Blank Scripture' 
— so it's time for you to go?" 
One day, the elder saw through his 
feeling of being 
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slighted bythe Buddha and thought 
to himself, 
"What the Buddha says is really 
true — I really am 
a `blank scripture' — because I 
know all the scriptures 
by heart, but I have never used any 
of it in 
practice for my own benefit." He 
thought to 
himself,"I have spent all my life 
teaching others, 
but I have never taught anything to 
the stubbornest 
person in the world — myself." 
(Sometimes, even though you 
know what is good 
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and what is bad, you still don't 
make any effort to 
change your behaviour. When the 
alarm clock rings 
in the morning, instead of getting 
up, you switch it 
Blessing Seven: Artfulness in 
Knowledge 111 
off and go back to sleep. This is 
the reason why it is 
necessary to teach yourself 
regularly). 
Thus the blank scripture elder went 
to the most 
senior arahant he knew and asked 
for his help in 
teaching the practice of Buddhism. 
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The arahant, 
knew what was in the mind the 
elder and knew if 
he made life too easy for him, he 
would never give 
up the arrogance he needed to shed 
in order to learn 
anything. Thus the arahant did not 
agree to teach 
him, but sent him to a more junior 
arahant saying, 
"That monk is still young and 
healthy — he will 
have the strength to teach you what 
you want to 
know." 
The `blank scripture' elder went to 
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the younger 
arahant, but the younger arahant 
knew the character 
of the elder again. He knew with 
his seniority, 
the elder would not pay much 
attention to anything 
taught to him by someone half his 
age. Thus the 
young arahant sent the elder to 
study with a novice 
who was an arahant. The elder was 
tempted to 
give up his search for knowledge 
because of the 
humiliation of having to be taught 
by a young novice! 
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However, the warning of the 
Buddha still rang 
in his ear and he gritted his teeth 
and went to see 
the novice. 
The novice knew the arrogant 
character of the 
elder so he told him that to get a 
good result from 
the teaching, the elder must be up 
to his neck in 
river water to get any benefit. The 
elder thought, "I 
am really at my last resort — if I 
don't do as this 
novice tells me, I will maybe never 
have the chance 
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to learn any more."When the elder 
was up to his 
waist in water, he had completely 
given up his dignity 
and hence his arrogance. The 
novice said, "Up 
to your waist is enough!" 
The novice taught, "There is a 
termite mound 
with six entrances. A water 
monitor is inside the 
termite mound. The way to catch 
the water monitor 
is to block five entrances and to 
put your hand 
through the sixth and you will be 
able to catch the 
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water monitor as you wish." The 
novice didn't need 
to say any more. Because the elder 
was an experienced 
teacher he immediately knew that 
the water 
monitor in the teaching is the mind 
itself which is 
constantly thinking of things that 
are of no benefit, 
losing its energy via the six sense 
doors. If we want 
to train the mind we have to 
control the five outer 
senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue 
and body) and purify 
the sixth sense which is the object 
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of the mind. 
As soon as the elder understood, 
he immediately 
trained himself in sensual restraint 
and purification 
of the mind. 
By the end of the novice's 
teaching, the elder was 
an arahant, even standing there up 
to his waist in 
water. Because the elder had been 
artful in knowledge 
for so long, to become artful in 
practice was 
no difficulty. All he needed was to 
have a little reminder 
to make him think a little. Thus we 
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can see 
that to be artful in knowledge is 
essential for one's 
personal development. 
112 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
Blessing Eight: Artfulness in 
Application 113 
A. INTRODUCTION 
Since Blessing Seven, we have 
already discovered 
the value of being artful in 
knowledge — but it is 
not good enough — it is also 
necessary to be artful 
in the application of what we know 
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— the subject 
of this Blessing. 
A.1 People confuse knowledge 
with ability 
Many people confuse knowledge 
with ability. Artfulness 
in the application of knowledge 
means that 
if you have learned an 
occupational subject, if you 
have learned all the necessary 
theory, you have to 
transform that theory into practice 
allowing you to 
earn your living. If you have 
learned Dhamma 
theory, you have to transform that 
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knowledge into 
Dhamma practice. 
It is like someone who reads a 
manual of swimming 
who can memorize every page of 
the manual. 
He knows how many types of 
swimming styles exist 
and what all the differences are. 
When he has 
read the book, he puts it at the side 
of the swimming 
pool and jumps in — sinking 
without a trace! 
A.2 Why no-one wants fresh 
graduates 
This is one reason why many 
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graduates are unemployed 
— they have only knowledge from 
examinations 
or from copying their friends. They 
have 
no practical knowledge. They 
expect to get a prestigious 
job in keeping with their 
prestigious degree 
and look down on almost every 
type of work. When 
they have only academic 
knowledge, no practical 
knowledge and they expect to 
choose where they 
want to work, who can they expect 
to want to take 
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them on? If you don't want to be 
an unemployed 
graduate, you should take on any 
work you can 
find, to get the practical experience 
ever since you 
have not yet graduated. If you can 
transform your 
academic knowledge into practical 
skills even before 
you graduate, you will make an 
very attractive 
prospect for employers. There will 
be employers 
asking after you even before you 
graduate. 
Some people get themselves a 
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prestigious degree 
in accounting. They take a job as a 
lecturer in university 
and because they can teach 
accounting in a 
way that allows their students to 
become successful 
accountants, they think that they 
are also a capable 
accountant. The lecturer sees that 
his students 
are richer than he is, so he gives up 
his job to start a 
business himself. Before long, his 
business is bankrupt 
and he has to go back to teaching! 
Only then 
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would such a person find out the 
reality that knowledge 
and application of knowledge are 
completely 
different attributes. 
B. DEFINITIONS 
B.1 Definition: Artfulness in 
Application 
The Pali word `sippaO', meaning 
`one endowed 
with artistry' means someone who 
is skilled in application 
of their knowledge. The 
`bahEsEta' of 
Blessing Seven is one who is 
skilled in knowledge, 
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Blessing Eight: 
Artfulness 
in Application 
114 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
but the person who has mastered 
this Eighth Blessing 
is one who can apply that 
knowledge fruitfully 
too. 
B.2 Six Components of Artful 
Application 
Not all performances or displays of 
application of 
knowledge qualify as `artfulness in 
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application'. 
You can learn skills, but it doesn't 
guarantee that 
using the skill will bring you merit 
— therefore, 
before committing yourself to a 
skill you want to 
learn, you have to consider the 
merits of it first, for 
the harmony of society: If you are 
a sculptor, then 
why not use your skill to sculpt 
Buddha images that 
can bring inspiration to others? If 
you can draw then 
why not draw the sort of pictures 
that will inspire 
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others to do good deeds? Even 
little skills like being 
able to make toys for one's 
children can help to 
stop wastage of family income on 
imported dolls 
and cartoon characters — as a 
guideline, bear in 
mind the following six qualities of 
applied work 
that demonstrates artistry: 
1. Must be refined 
2. Adds to the value of the raw 
materials 
3. Product of the work leads to 
creative thinking, 
not aggressive or destructive 
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