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Sequence of the Blessings 
The Buddha chose to put 
"Dhamma Practice" as the 
sixteenth blessing (i.e. before 
"Looking after one's 
extended family" [17] and 
"BlamelessWork" [18] because 
looking after one's extended 
family and harmless 
work, both of which concern our 
dealings with a 
wider society (the members of 
which have a wide 
variety of dispositions) are 
possible minefields of conflict. 
Without particular caution in our 
dealings, we 
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run the risk of spoiling our good 
intentions or coming 
into conflict through our own 
partiality. Thus before 
embarking on works of "social 
value" we have 
to prepare ourselves by studying 
the right approach 
to our worldly and spiritual work 
so as not to bring 
harm inadvertently to ourselves or 
others. 
B. PRACTICE FOR PURITY 
There are many ways of practising 
good deeds for 
your own benefit, but in this 
Blessing we emphasize 
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the groupings of good deeds which 
boost our 
Blessing Sixteen: Dhamma 
Practice 199 
sense of responsibility for our own 
human dignity. 
B.1 Avoiding the Defilements of 
Action 
Firstly, it is vitally important that 
we avoid the four 
defilements of action 
[kAmakilesa], namely: 
1. Killing people or animals 
[pAAAtipAta]; 
2. Stealing or taking what is not 
given 
[adinnAdAna] 
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3. Adultery or sexual intercourse 
outside marriage 
[IcAmesumicchAcara]; 
4. Telling Lies [musAvAda]; 
You will notice that these four 
forms of behaviour 
are diametrically to the decent 
behaviours described 
in the moral codes of almost any 
religion. In Buddhism 
restraint from these behaviours is 
covered 
in the first four of the Five 
Precepts. Keeping the 
Five Precepts is well known to be 
the underlying 
virtue that allows us to be born 
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human. If we want 
to stay human (i.e. remain humane 
or respect our 
own human dignity) then it is 
necessary to live our 
lives according to the Five 
Precepts. Even compromising 
our behaviour for any single one of 
the Five 
Precepts diminishes our 
humanness by that amount 
— but that is not the end of it—
those human 
intuitions which we lose are 
replaced by the same 
amount of savage or animal 
instincts. If we are to 
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give up all of our Precepts then we 
reduce our instincts 
entirely to the level of a savage 
[manusso 
tiracchAno]. The missing fifth 
Precept, i.e. to restrain 
oneself from the consumption of 
alcahol or 
substances that cloud the mind 
[surAmerayamajjapamAdatthAn 
A 
veramaAE] is not included 
inthe Four Defilements of Action, 
but reappears 
later in Blessing Nineteen. 
A person who cannot manage to 
restrain himself 
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from these defilements of action 
compromises their 
own human dignity — they will 
have no scruples 
about constantly taking advantage 
of other people 
both in their presence and behind 
their backs. If they 
have neither fear nor shame of evil 
or its consequences 
then nothing will be left of their 
respect 
for human dignity. 
Anyone who can abstain from the 
Four Defilements 
of Action is someone established 
in self-discipline 
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because they are able to keep the 
Precepts 
— they neither harm others nor 
take advantage of 
them. Because such a person does 
nothing to harm 
society, then it can be considered 
as social responsibility 
to a certain extent. 
B.2 Cultivating the Five Virtues 
[paricadhamma] 
If we want to go further than 
simply avoiding taking 
advantage of others, in Thai 
Buddhist culture 
there is a traditional set of virtues 
called the "Five 
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Virtues" [paficadhamma] which 
build on the virtues 
of abstinence cultivated in the Five 
Precepts, 
namely: 
I. Compassion (controlling all the 
nasty things 
that come from the body in a way 
that will 
not offend them (personal 
cleanliness to the 
eye and to the nose; well-spoken 
(courteous 
& express concern for others); 
good manners; 
going out of your way to help 
others; not doing 
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things to create suspicion in others; 
2. Generosity: This means giving 
resources, 
time, forgiveness, attention, 
teaching, advice 
(see Blessing Fifteen for full 
details); 
3. Contentment with one's 
spouse: This means 
being faithful to one's spouse (if 
applicable) 
and actively practising the virtues 
that keep a 
marriage going (see Blessing 
Thirteen for full 
details); 
4. Truthfulness in everything you 
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say, honesty 
to yourself, earnestness in every 
task you do 
and earnestness towards good 
deeds. Train 
yourself to do your very best in 
every task that 
comes to you. Train yourself to be 
a person of 
principle, honest to yourself and 
honest to 
other people. You will find that all 
ten of the 
principles above will come 
automatically; 
5. Mindfulness train yourself to 
keep your mind 
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at the centre of the body the whole 
of the time 
whether you have your eyes closed 
for meditation 
or open for other duties you 
perform 
during your life. Meditate too to 
give yourself 
the encouragement to keep 
practicing 
because you are getting to the roots 
of the 
problems that crop up in life. 
Cultivating any or all of these 
virtues will add to 
the strength of accumulated 
positivity in the mind 
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200 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
that will be able to change our 
mind from negative 
to positive on a more regular basis. 
Even if we have 
negative things in our past — the 
things we have 
done and which we may now 
regret — by building 
up more and more positive deeds 
in the way we 
mention above will allow us to 
dilute the regrets 
and anxieties we have in our 
minds. 
B.3 Fulfilling the Tenfold Path of 
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Wholesomeness 
Our aim in cultivating these virtues 
is to establish 
oneself in the Tenfold Path of 
Wholesomeness 
[kusaladhammapatha] which we 
have already 
seen in Blessing Nine: 
1. absolutely not killing. 
2. absolutely not stealing 
3. absolutely not committing 
adultery 
4. absolutely not lying 
5. absolutely not gossiping 
6. absolutely not speaking harshly. 
7. absolutely not chattering idly 
8. absolutely not thinking to take 
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the possessions 
of others 
9. absolutely removing yourself 
from vengefulness. 
10. absolute possession of Right 
View 
C. PURE PRACTICE 
A second facet of Dhamma 
Practice is behaving in 
accordance with purity. This 
means particularly in 
our decision-making we must 
establish our thinking 
in `purity' and not allow impure 
things like defilements 
and temptation to interfere with 
what we 
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know is good and fair. Pure 
practice instils respect 
for the human dignity of yourself 
and others. It includes: 
• refraining from bias (see §C.1 
below); 
• avoiding the six roads to ruin 
(see Blessing 19); 
• fulfilling one's duties in the six 
directions mentioned 
under the relevant blessing topic: 
• a child's duties to their parents 
(see Blessing 
11, §C.4); 
• a parent's duty to their child (see 
Blessing 12, 
§B.3); 
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• a student's duties to their teacher 
(see Blessing 
7, §E.1); 
• a teacher's duties to their 
students (see Blessing 
7, §E.1); 
• a husband's duty to their wife 
(see Blessing 13, 
§C.2.3); 
• a wife's duty to their husband 
(see Blessing 13, 
§C.2.4); 
• friends' duties to each other (see 
Blessing 2, 
§D.2); 
• an employer's duties to their 
employees (see 
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Blessing 18, §D.1); 
• an employee's duties to their 
employer (see 
Blessing 18, §D.2); 
• a congregation member's duties 
to their clergy 
(see Blessing 15, §E.1); 
• a clergyman's duty to the 
congregation (see 
Blessing 3, §C.2); 
C.1 Lack of Bias 
The four forms of bias comprise: 
I. Bias because of desire 
[chandAgati]: e.g. parents 
who don't love their children 
equally because 
of bias based on desire, may treat 
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their 
children unfairly; 
2. Bias because of hatred 
[dosAgati]: e.g. teachers 
suffering from bias based on 
hatred or 
anger will behave unfairly towards 
annoying 
students, perhaps awarding them 
less than 
their due grades; 
3. Bias because of ignorance 
[mohAgati]: e.g. 
someone who suffers from bias 
because of ignorance 
may take decisions based on his 
own 
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stupidity or lack of information or 
put someone 
wicked or stupid in a position of 
responsibility; 
4. Bias because of fear 
[byAgati].e.g. someone 
who is biased because of his fears 
might bear 
false witness against someone he 
knows is 
innocent because someone he is 
afraid of told 
him to do so. 
All forms of bias cause us to 
trample the dignity of 
the innocent. Trampling dignity 
through bias starts 
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