Discussing "Sense of Superiority"

　

    What is "superiority"? Where does it happen? Superiority is the idea of ​​"comparing oneself with others and thinking that one is higher than others". Similar concepts are: pride, arrogance, conceit, etc. Some people think that they are more capable and smarter than others, so they have a sense of superiority and look down on ordinary people; some people look down on poor people because they are rich; when it happens between races, some people think that their own races are more civilized, so they discriminate against people of other races; some practitioners think that their spiritual state is high, so they look down on other practitioners. These are the senses of superiority, which are called "arrogance" and "self-conceit" in Buddhism. Why is there a sense of superiority? The reason for this is the excessive cherishing of the self, hoping to be superior to others; like greed, hatred, and delusion, it all stems from the attachment of the self.

　

    As the saying goes: "A proud soldier will lose." Soldiers who are proud, arrogant, and look down on the enemy will definitely lose in battle. Similarly, people with too much superiority cannot see their own position, so they often do not know what is important or not and make actions that do not match their own identity. In today's society, there are many politicians or officials who are often in high positions and have been flattered by their subordinates for a long time, so they have too much sense of superiority and look down on ordinary people. There are also many people in society who classify everyone and think themselves are superior. However, a sense of superiority can easily make people lose attention to their own shortcomings and indulge in the feeling of superiority without knowing it. In Buddhist practice, the sense of superiority —— self-conceit will hinder the practitioner's practice, because self-conceit originated from "the attachment of self".

　

    I have heard a famous saying: "The fuller the ear of rice, the lower it hangs", which means that the more capable people are, the more humble they are, because they can see clearly that "they still have their own shortcomings"; half a bottle of vinegar always shakes with squeaking sound, wishing the whole world knew that they are higher than others, but people with great ability, like a bottle full of vinegar shakes without any sound.

　

    From a Buddhist point of view, there may be some people who are smarter, richer, higher in status…… etc., but that's just because their blessings are greater, it doesn't mean that they can always remain in a "superior" state. When the blessings of these people are exhausted, they usually fall from the cloud to the bottom, and can no longer be "superior".

　

    How to avoid having too much sense of superiority? Eliminating the excessive cherishing of the self can reduce our arrogance; don't take ourselves too seriously. The existence of the self is just an illusion —— after hundreds of years, what can prove our existence? Secondly, think carefully, all living beings are equal; we all have to "eat, drink, pee, and poop", all have the annoyance of "birth, old age, sickness and death", all live in reincarnation, and still have "annoyances" that plague us, and if we remind ourselves often with such thoughts, we will be less likely to feel that we have things to be proud of. In addition, Buddhism believes that "everyone can become a Buddha", and becoming a Buddha is the highest state of life. Everyone can become a Buddha and they are all equally excellent. If you think this way, there is nothing to be arrogant about. It is mentioned in the Lotus Sutra that there is a person named "Bodhisattva Always-does-not-despise-others ", and his practice method is to "do not despise anyone", because everyone will become a Buddha, and he eventually also became a Buddha.

　

    Too much sense of superiority is not good for the individual and society. When two people with superior mentality meet, conflicts often arise; reducing our arrogance is beneficial to ourselves and the society. It can reduce annoyances and resolve unnecessary conflict.