EFTA01160176

spiritual knowledge 
because 
spiritual knowledge 
properly studied can guarantee that 
we will 
not be put in jail — it is not only 
something to fill 
up our brains — it has 
transformative power to 
upgrade the way we think, speak 
and act. 
In the ideal world, our system of 
education would 
give us the answers we need to the 
questions inside 
ourselves, but in practice, the 
secular education 
doesn't manage to fill this gap — 
EFTA01160276

and maybe, 
even if it were to try, it could not 
— because in some 
way the personal quest is part of 
the process of acquiring 
knowledge.Thus we are forced to 
look for 
the answers from alternative 
sources. 
A.2 Fashion and Universal 
Values 
Many things can affect our 
spiritual progress. Sometimes 
it can be people, objects, attitudes, 
situations 
or experiences we come across in 
the world. However, 
EFTA01160277

for most things, the worth or 
uselessness of 
an experience is just a matter of 
opinion. Are there 
things then that have a universally 
uplifting effect 
on people's lives 
that are more 
than just a mat-
Orientation 
20 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
ter of opinion? 
Take present day trademarks 
which are accepted 
as status symbols by everyone as 
an example — 
EFTA01160278

Mercedes, Adidas — really such 
companies should 
pay us to advertise their products, 
but on the contrary 
we pay more for a T-shirt with the 
trademark 
for the privilege of associating 
ourselves with the 
trademark. Why should this be? 
We feel that associating 
ourselves with such a symbol 
somehow 
improves our own worth. 
Sometimes we feel that 
the worth of these things is 
unchanging, but in fact 
from age to age these values 
EFTA01160279

change according to 
fashion. In times gone by, people 
thought in the 
same way, but they didn't call 
these things `brand 
marketing', or `trademarks', they 
called them `lucky 
charms' — but again they liked to 
associate with 
them as a way of improving their 
worth or fostering 
progress in their lives. We still 
have lucky 
charms in the present day — things 
like lucky horseshoes 
or four-leaf clovers, but their role 
is diminished 
EFTA01160280

if compared to olden times. In 
olden times 
the role of charms was much more 
significant. 
Systems of spiritual knowledge are 
attempts by 
men to model the values of the 
world in a way according 
to unchanging universal values —
ways to 
recognize the things that improve 
our worth in 
ways that are eternal and don't 
differ from person 
to person. Many bodies of 
knowledge exist in the 
world to help us in this respect. 
EFTA01160281

They differ in their 
degree of comprehensiveness. The 
ideal body of 
knowledge for us to learn from 
would perhaps be 
one with the following 
characteristics: 
• Progressive & Sequential 
something which leads 
you step by step from simple to 
more complex; 
• Self-Catalysing creating its own 
motivation and 
enthusiasm to pursue it as you go 
along; 
• Exhaustive being applicable to 
all aspects of life; 
EFTA01160282

• Holistic perhaps dealing with 
problems not just 
by symptoms but in their entirety; 
• Multi-level working on personal, 
interpersonal, 
family, social and global levels 
equally well; 
• Non-discriminatory being 
equally applicable to 
those of all cultures; 
• Multi-Factorial being able to 
deal not just with 
simple problems but with those 
with many contributing 
factors; 
• Facilitating Practical Outlook 
giving a clear 
EFTA01160283

ou s9np A a IE 'pup& sj0Haq I0TO 
JO 0SOLp 
1SUIU8e &IBM LI0AO puB XlIATSttpX0 
fen1Inds 1 pi o1 stualsics 
01nos .epa1!JD oSo1.11 JO VOITS 
palm s0np A tempIds 
jo stuoisXs Xu1
 0 
010qI 
.JOJ 1111U 01 
SaLIT141 aAT)-Nod su II0A箋 SB moke 
" s0sino„ II 0p sn 
&TEA8 safisoddo 胃uyti砌tp）H • 
tsanp A
0d pue out puntu 
0AOCIU OSIJ 0. sn 
8tumoTiu sanivA .gugmadsumi • 
伏q dosoI
JO X.10otpu 
1ou 
stuomaid tium
1S 01 o01 id 
EFTA01160284

longer suitable 
for an age of globalization and 
tolerance. Some systems 
lead their practitioner to shut 
themselves away 
from the world and to ignore social 
problems. Some 
systems confine themselves to 
their own culture or 
language. 
B. THE MANUAL OF PEACE 
B.1 Historical Origins of the 
Manual of Peace 
The Blessings of Life which make 
up the Manual of 
Peace are interesting because they 
seem to answer 
EFTA01160285

to all the characteristics specified 
above. They grew 
up in response to just the same 
type of debate over 
universal values mentioned in the 
introduction. In 
fact, even from ancient times, men 
had values —
but at a certain time in the past 
2,500 years ago in 
India a group of people started to 
wonder whether 
there was anything deeper behind 
the fashions —
were there symbols of worth that 
transcended fashion? 
What sort of charms could 
EFTA01160286

possibly allow one 
to live without obstacles'. 
Supposing one wanted 
wealth, honour, praise and 
happiness, how could 
one ensure that one received just 
that? There was 
such a debate ensuing from this 
question, over 
which everybody seemed to have a 
different point 
of view. To generalize the debators 
divided themselves 
into three main camps: 
1. The first group believed that the 
thing to make 
one's life a blessing was to see 
EFTA01160287

something that 
was `pleasing'. 
2. The second group believed that 
the thing to make 
one's life a blessing was to hear 
something that 
was `pleasing'. 
3. The third group believed that the 
thing to make 
one's life a blessing was the mood 
in the mind 
Orientation 21 
which arose whenever you saw or 
heard something 
that was `pleasing'. 
Each group disagreed with the 
others because it 
EFTA01160288

was obvious that an image pleasant 
to one person 
may not be pleasant to another. A 
sound pleasant 
to one person might not be 
pleasant to another. 
Something that creates a pleasant 
mood today 
might cause an unpleasant mood 
tomorrow. Thus 
there is nothing to make anything 
discussed a 
`blessing' without doubt. The 
debate went on and 
on without any sign of coming to 
an end. It is just 
like people in the present day can 
EFTA01160289

still not agree 
as to what is truly a `lucky charm'. 
Eventually the problem was only 
resolved by 
taking audience with the Buddha. 
A representative 
asked the Buddha the nature of 
blessings and 
his reply is what is now know as 
the Mangala Sutta 
— thirty-eight blessings divided 
into ten groupings. 
B.2 Definitions: The Word 
`Blessings' 
Some may still wonder about the 
meaning of the 
word `blessing' [maIgala]. Some 
EFTA01160290

people think a 
blessing must be an object or an 
action — but by 
our technical understanding of the 
word, we translate 
it as `a cause of prosperity, 
progress and happiness'. 
If you want to know the definition, 
you could 
say that the progress towards 
happiness that a 
`maIgala' will bring is four-fold: 
1. progress through acquired 
wealth (worldly treasure, 
heavenly treasure and the treasure 
of Nirvana). 
2. progress through wisdom, which 
EFTA01160291

is the means 
by which obstacles in life and evil 
are abated. 
3. progress through virtue through 
the channels of 
body, speech and mind, at the 
basic, intermediate 
and advanced levels 
4. progress through the three 
benefits: benefit in this 
lifetime, the next lifetime and in 
the hereafter. 
A blessing is a sign that positive 
development is 
about to take place (to a person, 
society or the 
world). Unlike such principles as 
EFTA01160292

that of deserved 
fate, the logic of blessings is 
forward looking, signifying 
that something good is about to 
happen. 
B.3 Principles of Ethical 
Learning 
A working computer has two 
important parts: hardware 
and software. The hardware of the 
computer 
is the wiring and the circuitry. The 
software is the 
programming that we install on the 
computer. The 
hardware of a computer is neutral, 
but what makes 
EFTA01160293

the difference between a beneficial 
and a degrading 
computer is the type of software 
installed. If 
you install working programs, the 
computer can 
be useful. However if you install 
violent games, viruses 
or pornography then the computer 
becomes 
a source of degradation. The worth 
of the computer 
thus depends on the software. 
A drinking glass is also neutral. 
What makes the 
difference between a beneficial 
and a degrading 
EFTA01160294

glass is the sort of drink you put in 
it. If you put a 
nourishing drink in the glass such 
as milk then the 
glass will be an uplifting one 
welcomed by everyone. 
However, if you put alcohol or 
poison in the 
glass, then the glass is immediately 
eyed with suspicion. 
The worth of a drinking glass thus 
depends 
on its content. 
In the same way, a human being 
has two important 
parts: body and mind. By body we 
mean all 
EFTA01160295