พระอาจารย์อธิบายมงคลข้อที่ 25 ความกตัญญู 5 ประการ คือ ต่อบุคคล ต่อสัตว์ ต่อสิ่งของ ต่อบุญ และต่อตนเอง พร้อมชี้ว่ากตัญญูคือการรู้คุณ ผู้รู้คุณมากเท่าใดก็ยิ่งมีปัญญาใช้ประโยชน์จากสิ่งนั้นได้มากเท่านั้นPra Ajarn explains Blessing 25, the five kinds of gratitude — toward people, animals, possessions, merit, and oneself — and shows that gratitude is fundamentally about recognizing value: the more clearly we recognize the good in something, the more wisdom we gain in putting it to use.
Someone asked Pra Ajarn to expand on Blessing 25: "Having gratitude."
The Five Kinds of Gratitude
A person without gratitude comes to an unhappy end, meeting with slander and the like; a person with gratitude is praised even by the Buddha. There are five things worth being grateful for. First, gratitude toward people — recognizing the kindness of anyone who has ever done us good, however great or small. Second, gratitude toward animals, such as elephants, horses, oxen, or buffalo that serve us with their labor. Third, gratitude toward possessions, such as schoolbooks, one's place of education, or the tools one uses to earn a living. Fourth, gratitude toward merit — not belittling merit, remembering merit already made, and not being careless about making more. And fifth, gratitude toward oneself — recognizing that this body is the essential instrument for doing good, and so it must be cared for and never used to commit wrongdoing.
Gratitude Means Recognizing Value — and Recognizing Value Brings Wisdom
Kataññū means to recognize a kindness; katavedī means to repay it. Pra Ajarn recalled that someone once asked a senior teacher in the tradition why the Venerable Sāriputta possessed such great wisdom. The answer was that he was filled with gratitude — he recognized value clearly. The more clearly one recognizes value, the more wisdom follows. Pra Ajarn gave an example: pick up a bottle of paracetamol and read the label — it lists exactly what the medicine treats: headaches, toothaches, muscle pain. That is recognizing its value, and recognizing it is what lets us put it to good use. Walk into a forest full of countless plants without knowing the properties of each one, and none of it can be put to use. It is the same with people who have been kind to us — if we fail to recognize their kindness, the benefit that could come from that relationship rarely has a chance to grow.
Gratitude Toward Merit: Recognizing Its Value Puts It to Use
Someone who recognizes the value of merit uses it often and calls it to mind often, letting it work to their benefit. Whoever recognizes the value of wholesome will make use of wholesome dhamma often. Wherever we clearly recognize value, we become able to put that thing to use — this is the very source of wisdom, the ability to solve problems, because recognizing value is what allows us to draw benefit from it.
Gratitude Toward Oneself: Body, Mind, and the Sphere of Dhamma
Gratitude toward oneself means recognizing one's own worth. We are born equipped with body and mind, together with . The mind is the instrument that perceives the three forces of nature as they take turns directing our life, and it also functions like a generator that draws in energy — set a wholesome frequency in the mind, and it draws in pure energy along with refined qualities and blueprints for success. The sphere of holds everything connected to us, made up of the spheres of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the vision of liberation. When the sphere of Dhamma is bright and clear, life flourishes — so we must care for our physical health and keep the sphere of Dhamma luminous by abiding in morality, concentration, and wisdom.