Thinley Norbu RinpocheWhen pride arises, do not be controlled by it; return to the recognition of the fundamental awareness. Pride can be very gross, as one can see in arrogant people, or it can take a subtle form that is felt inwardly but does not have a strong outward manifestation. It is important to recognize pride at the moment of its arising. When one has recognized it, one should neither follow nor control it, but return to the condition of awareness. Pride will suddenly disappear together with its object — some knowledge or skill with which one identifies — and what will be left will be the wisdom of equanimity.
Tag Archives: arrogance
Attitude of a Dharma practitioner ~ Dudjom Rinpoche
Dudjom RinpocheTo put it simply, from the moment you enter the sacred Dharma and become a Dharma practitioner, your inner attitude and outer conduct should far surpass those of an ordinary mundane person. As the saying goes:
The sign of true learning is a peaceful temperament,
And the sign of having meditated is fewer afflictions.If, on the contrary, your attitude and conduct are not even slightly better than an average person caught up in worldly affairs, you might consider yourself a scholar simply because you have some intellectual understanding of a few texts. Or you might think you are a perfect monk simply because you maintain celibacy. Or just because you know how to chant a few ritual texts, you might start thinking of yourself as a ngakpa. These are all just instances of blatant arrogance, and only go to show that even with the Dharma one can stumble in the direction of the unwholesome. As the incomparable Dakpo Lharje [Gampopa] said:
When it is not practised properly, even the Dharma can catapult one into the lower realms.
Benefits of suffering ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheSuffering, in fact, can be helpful in many ways. It spurs your motivation and as many teachings point out, without suffering there would be no determination to be free from samsara. Sadness is an effective antidote to arrogance.
Bowing down my head ~ Gyelse Tokme Zangpo
Gyelse Tokme ZangpoEven if others, equal or inferior to me in status,
Should, out of arrogance, disparage me,
To honour them, as I would my teacher,
By bowing down my head before them — this is the practice of all the bodhisattvas.
Enduring success ~ Ringu Tulku
Ringu TulkuIt is often seen that human beings can endure problems quite well, but cannot endure success. When we are successful and have everything we desire, it can easily go to our heads. There is a great danger of losing our common sense and becoming careless and arrogant. As it is said, “Nothing corrupts a person more than power.” Very powerful people sometimes become so proud that they no longer care about their actions or about the effect they have on others. Losing any sense of right and wrong, they create severe problems for themselves and everyone else. Even if we have all the success we could dream of—fame, wealth, and so on—we must understand that these things have no real substance. Attachment does not come from having things, but from the way our mind reacts to them. It is fine to participate in good circumstances, provided we can see that they have no real essence. They may come and they may go. When seeing this, we will not become so attached. Even if we lose our wealth we will not be badly affected, and while it is there we will enjoy it without being senseless and arrogant.
Reducing a god to a demon ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye
Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro ThayeIf, as you meditate on mind training, your personality becomes stiff with pride and arrogance, its as though you have reduced a god to a demon; dharma has become non-dharma. The more you meditate on mind training and dharma, the more supple your personality should become. Act as the lowest servant to everyone.
Nothing but fading illusions ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Dilgo Khyentse RinpocheThrough faith in the Three Jewels and the practice of generosity, it could happen that, by way of karmic fruit, we become rich, gain a high position in society and so on. This might lead us to think, ‘I am rich, I am important, I am the best, I have come out on top.’ If we practitioners have this kind of arrogance, our clinging to this life will increase and a demon will enter our hearts. If, on the other hand, we manage to enjoy happiness, possessions and influence without pride, we will understand that they are noting but illusions, insubstantial dreams, all of which will one day fade away. For as it is said of ‘all compounded things, which is accumulated will be used up; what is raised up will fail; what is born will die; what is joined together will separate.’
Ordinary sangha ~ Mingyur Rinpoche
Mingyur RinpocheIn general, people tend to minimize the importance of the ordinary sangha: Buddha is a big deal, Dharma is a big deal, and Sangha is something to put up with. Yet it’s within the ordinary sangha, monastic or lay, that the roughest edges of our arrogance and pride can be smoothed down a little. Americans — with their car obsessions — have a good expression for this: “Where the rubber meets the road.” Let’s say there’s a shiny new car on the floor. It appears to be perfect. But we still need to take it for a test–drive. The car that never leaves the shop is like a practitioner reciting nice words about compassion and selflessness, but removed from the opportunity to test–drive their intentions and aspirations. How do the bodhisattva ideals hold up when we actually interact with others?
Problems within the sangha inevitably arise because we’re talking about unenlightened people trying to get along with each other. Jealousy, competition, and anger inevitably erupt. Although individual practitioners have unenlightened minds and commit unenlightened activities and get ensnared in ignorant understanding, the ordinary sangha still offers the best opportunity to apply dharma.
A very drastic measury ~ Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam TrungpaThe process of freeing yourself from arrogance and cutting off your habitual tendencies is a very drastic measure, but it necessary in order to help others in this world.