Human beings are special, unlike any other kind of animal. What makes them special is sikkha, or education, namely learning, training and developing. Human beings who have been trained, educated or developed are called “noble beings.” They know how to conduct a good life for themselves and also help their society fare securely in peace and happiness.

     To be truly involved in this education, human beings, especially children and young people, who are the new members of the human race, should acquire the seven fundamental qualities known as the auroras of a good life, or the dawn of education. These are the guarantees of a life moving toward full human development, to people’s becoming truly noble beings. They are:

     1. Kalyanamitata (having a “good friend” a person or social environment that is helpful to one’s life development), seeking out sources of wisdom and good examples. This is to live with or be close to good people, beginning with one’s parents as good friends in the family; to know who to associate with and to socialize with good people who will influence and encourage each other to betterment in conduct, mentality and wisdom. It is especially (that association which encourages one to) learn and develop communication and relations with fellow human beings through good will, to have the faith to follow good examples, and to know how to utilize external resources, be they people, books, or other communications media, for seeking knowledge and virtue for one’s life development, problem solving and constructive action.

     2. Sila-sampada (perfection of morality), having discipline as a foundation for one’s life development. This is to know how to organize life-style, activities, work, and environment so that they provide opportunities for personal growth; at least to have a basic level of morality; that is, to have proper conduct in one’s relationship with the social environment by living helpfully and not exploitatively with one’s fellow beings, and in one’s relationship with the material environment by using the four necessities (food, clothing, shelter and medicine) as well as technological appliances and equipment in a way that supports the quality of one’s life and is favorable to one’s education, to constructive action and to the  state of balance in nature.

     3. Chanda-sampada (perfection of aspiration): having a heart that aspires to learning and constructive action. This is to be one who is driven by desire for knowledge, goodness, action, constructiveness, achievement and excellence, by the desire to help all the things and people one meets or is involved with to attain to a good state; not obsessively thinking only of getting what one wants and seeking pleasure through consuming, which only drags one into the whirlpool of heedlessness and contention. Instead, one knows how to use one’s faculties, such as the eyes and ears, in learning, and to derive joy from learning and doing good things, by using one’s brain and hands for constructive ends.

     4. Atta-sampada (perfection of oneself): dedicating oneself to training for the realization of one’s full human potential. This is to always bear in mind the truth that human beings by nature are beings that can be trained, and must be trained, and that once trained are the most excellent of beings; then to resolve to train oneself so that one views difficulties, hardships, obstacles and problems as training grounds to test and develop one’s intelligence and abilities; to pay heed to one’s continuing improvement toward the realization of one’s full potential through a comprehensive development that encompasses behavior, mentality and wisdom.

     5. Ditthi-sampada (perfection of view): adhering to the principle of conditionality, seeing things according to cause and effect. This is to be established in good and reasoned principles of thought and belief; at least adhering to the principle of conditionality, a principle leading to consideration, investigation and research as the way to wisdom development, and believing that action is the most powerful determinant of one’s fate; it is also having behavior and mental states that are under the control of reason: even though one aspires to the highest achievement and excellence, one realizes what is possible within the limitations of the causes and conditions that exist and that one has created; in success, one does not forget oneself, and in failure, one is not despondent; one maintains one’s mental clarity and independence, not being impulsive, over reactive or petty, and also not allowing oneself to drift along the stream of public hysteria and values.

     6. Appamada-sampada (perfection of heedfulness): establishing oneself in heedfulness. This is to be aware of impermanence, to realize the instability, unenturability and insubstantiality of life and all things around one, which are constantly changing according to causes and conditions, both internal and external. Thus one sees that one cannot afford to be complacent. One sees the preciousness of time and strives to learn about, prevent and rectify the causes of decline and bring about the causes of growth and prosperity, using all one’s time, night and day, to the greatest benefit.

     7. Yonisomanasikara-sampada (perfection of wise reflection): thinking wisely so as to realize benefit and see the truth. This is to know how to think, to know how to investigate, to be able to see all things as they really are within the system of causes and conditions, by intelligently examining, investigating, tracing, analyzing and researching to see the truth of a given situation, or to see the perspective that will enable one to benefit from it. By so doing one is also able to solve problems and do things successfully through intelligent methods that allow one to be self-reliant and at the same time become a refuge to other people.