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deals with refinement 
at its root. 
C.3 Applying knowledge for your 
own benefit 
and the benefit of others 
In continuation of the "Learning 
Process already 
described in Blessing Seven", 
Blessing Eight concerns 
the last two steps of the knowledge 
acquisition 
process which involve the 
application of that 
knowledge for the good of 
ourselves and others. 
Some people use their knowledge 
and skills only 
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for their own selfish benefits. 
Sometimes they are 
afraid that if they teach all they 
know to anyone 
else then they will be giving away 
their trade secrets 
or that that other person may 
overtake them 
and make more progress than they 
have done. 
The attitude which is the most 
healthy for rounding 
off a body of knowledge that you 
have learned 
is to use your knowledge both for 
your own benefit 
and the benefit of others too. Like 
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the example of 
the College of Surgery with the 
policy "See One -
Do One - Teach One" where 
capable students were 
not only those who could witness 
and perform surgery 
— they were also able to teach 
surgery to others 
too! In that way, all your mastery 
of the knowledge 
will not be limited to overcoming 
your own 
shortcomings — the application of 
knowledge can 
also be used to overcome the 
shortcomings of others. 
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C.4 How not to instil yourself with 
"Artfulness 
in Application" 
If you want to learn artfulness in 
application 
quickly, you have to make sure 
that you are not the 
sort of person who can do nothing 
better than find 
fault with the work of others —
unless you are training 
yourself to be a professional critic! 
If you have 
done nothing but criticise others, 
when it comes to 
your turn to show off your 
craftsmanship, you will 
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not have the confidence to let 
others see what you 
have made or done — for fear they 
will criticize 
you in the same way as you have 
done them. In 
such a case, you will end up as 
someone who never 
achieves anything. 
D. ILLUSTRATIVE 
EXAMPLES 
D.1 Proverb: He who knows but a 
single skill... 
He who knows but a single skill 
can eke out his 
livelihood with ease. 
D.2 Metaphor: Just as twigs... 
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If you plant a mango tree, the 
benefit you get from 
it depends entirely on the amount 
of fruit. Even 
though the tree might grow a 
trunk, branches and 
leaves — these are no more than 
precursors for any 
benefit which may come later. In 
the same way, even 
though a person may be learned, 
this knowledge is 
no more than a precursor for the 
benefit that can 
accrue if the knowledge is applied. 
D.3 Ex. Swimology (traditional) 
Once a young professor was 
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making a sea voyage. 
He was a highly educated man 
with a long tail of 
letters after his name, but he had 
little experience 
of life. In the crew of the ship on 
which he was 
traveling was an illiterate old 
sailor. Every evening 
the sailor would visit the cabin of 
the young proBlessing 
Eight: Artfulness in Application 
117 
fessor to listen to him hold forth on 
many different 
subjects. He was very impressed 
with the learning 
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of the young man. 
One evening as the sailor was 
about to leave the 
cabin after several hours of 
conversation, the professor 
asked,"Old man, have you studied 
geology?" 
"What is that,sir?" 
"The science of the earth." 
"No sir, I have never been to any 
school or college. 
I have never studied anything." 
"Old man, you have wasted a 
quarter of your 
life." 
With a long face the old sailor 
went away. "If such 
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a learned person says so, certainly 
it must be true," 
he thought. "I have wasted a 
quarter of my life." 
Next evening again, as the sailor 
was about to 
leave the cabin, the professor 
asked him, "Old man, 
have you studied oceanography?" 
"What is that, sir?" 
"The science of the sea." 
"No, sir, I have never studied 
anything." 
"Old man, you have wasted half 
your life." 
With a still longer face the sailor 
went away: "I 
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have wasted half my life; this 
learned man says so." 
Next evening again as the sailor 
was about to 
leave the cabin, "Old man, have 
you studied meteorology?" 
"What is that, sir? I have never 
heard of it." 
"The science of the wind, the rain, 
the weather." 
"No sir. As I told you, I have never 
been to any 
school. I have never studied 
anything." 
"You have not studied the science 
of the earth on 
which you live; you have not 
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studied the science of 
the sea on which you earn your 
livelihood; you have 
not studied the science of the 
weather which you 
encounter every day? Old man, 
you have wasted 
three-quarters of your life." 
The old sailor was very unhappy: 
"This learned 
man says that I have wasted 
three-quarters of my 
life! Certainly I must have wasted 
three-quarters 
of my life. 
The next day it was the turn of the 
old sailor. He 
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came running to the cabin of the 
young man and 
cried, "Professor! Have you 
studied swimology?" 
"Swimology? What do you 
mean?" 
"Can you swim, sir?" 
"No, I don't know how to swim." 
"Professor! You have wasted the 
whole of your life! 
The ship has struck a rock and is 
sinking. Those 
who can swim may reach the 
nearby shore, but 
those who cannot swim will 
drown. I am sorry, professor 
sir, you have surely lost your life." 
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You may study all the "-ologies" 
of the world, 
but if you don't learn swimology, 
all your studies 
are useless. You may read and 
write books on swimming, 
you may debate on its subtle 
theoretical aspects, 
but how will that help if you refuse 
to enter 
the water yourself? You must learn 
how to swim. 
D.4 Ex. SAlittaka JAtaka(J.10 7) 
In ancient times, there was a child 
with polio. His 
legs were so weak that he couldn't 
walk anywhere 
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unaided. He had to stay wherever 
his friends put 
him. He couldn't even get up. 
Although his body 
was deformed, his intelligence was 
bright. He 
didn't look down on any subject. 
The child would 
practice flicking sand until he 
could flick sand a 
long distance very precisely. The 
boy used his skills 
to earn favours from others. The 
boy could flick 
sand so accurately that he could 
shoot holes in the 
leaves of trees above. Not only 
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holes — but he could 
shoot holes in the shapes of 
anything he wanted —
whether they be the shape of 
rabbits or tigers or 
deer. The boy would shoot holes in 
leaves to the 
order of the other children in return 
for sweets. The 
boy with polio had never studied in 
school, but 
through his skill, he had more 
sweets to eat than 
the other children every day. 
One day the boy was flicking sand 
on the sand 
heap for the other children when 
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the king passed 
by. All the other children ran 
away, and the boy with 
polio was left alone. The king 
came to rest in the 
shade of the tree by the sandheap 
and when he 
looked up, he was surprised to see 
that almost every 
leaf of the tree had been perforated 
in the shape of 
different animals. The king asked 
how the tree had 
come to be that way, and found out 
that it was due 
to the skills of the boy with polio. 
The king thought, 
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"the skills of such a boy should not 
be wasted at 
the sandpit." The king happened to 
have a something 
on his mind — every time he had a 
meeting 
118 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
of his counsellors, there was a 
particular counsellor 
who would interrupt and dominate 
the discussion 
regularly wasting the time of 
everyone in the 
meeting. The king asked the boy, 
"if someone were 
to open their mouth, would you be 
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able to shoot 
goat dung into their mouth in the 
same way you 
shoot sand through leaves?" 
The boy said, "It would be a piece 
of cake." The 
king had the boy taken into the 
palace. Those with 
all health and strength never got 
the chance to go 
to the palace, but this poor crippled 
boy did. Every 
time there was a meeting, the boy 
was put behind 
a curtain in the room. Every time 
the counsellor in 
question opened his mouth to 
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speak, the boy flicked 
goat dung into his mouth. The boy 
was so fast, that 
the counsellor didn't even know 
where the taste in 
his mouth had come from. The 
counsellor would 
want to speak but change his mind 
as a result every 
time, because he would have to 
swallow what was 
in his mouth. One day, the 
counsellor had opened 
his mouth so many times that the 
boy had used up 
a whole litre of goat dung. The 
king felt sorry for 
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the counsellor and was afraid he 
would get dysentery. 
He ordered the counsellor to go 
and wash his 
mouth out immediately and told 
him to reduce the 
amount he said or else in future he 
would get two 
litres of goat dung in his mouth! 
On future occasions, 
the counsellor had to consider 
carefully before 
saying anything in case he fell prey 
to flying 
goat dung. As the result of having 
more effective 
meetings, the economics of the 
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