Pride Can Destroy a Cultivator

(Minghui.org) Pride is viewed as a negative trait in many traditional beliefs. In Western religions, it is the first of the seven deadly sins. In the Buddhist scripture Avatamsaka Sutra (华严经), pride is listed as the foremost of the Three Obstacles, followed by jealousy and greed.

In orthodox religions, pride is a weakness that can lead to destruction. It is said that Satan was once a six-winged angel and was known as the son of the morning, radiant with beauty and wisdom. He was cast down from heaven because he lost his humility and rebelled against God.

There’s a similar story in Buddhism. Buddha Sakyamuni’s cousin, Devadatta, was his devoted disciple. After Devadatta developed supernormal powers, he became increasingly arrogant and attempted to usurp Sakyamuni’s leadership. He even hired people to assassinate Sakyamuni, unleashed a violent elephant, and rolled a large rock down a mountain. He ultimately dropped down to Hell for the enormous amount of karma he accrued.

I’ve noticed that some Falun Dafa practitioners exhibit pride. After they practice for a few years, they believe that they know all there is to know about Dafa. They put Zhuan Falun away, claiming that there is nothing more to learn; some even redefined the meaning of the Fa. These practitioners were blinded by their pride and failed to see the deeper meanings in the infinite levels of the vast universe.

This pride can be seen when some practitioners clarify the truth about the persecution. After they’ve done things for certain projects, they become arrogant and boast about their achievements. Some enjoy being praised, and start giving orders to other practitioners. They are also unable to accept criticism. When others made suggestions, one practitioner argued and refused to listen. When another one became ill, he said it was unfair because he felt he did so much for Dafa. He even complained about Master and eventually died in agony.

Pride also shows up in experience sharing. Some brag about what they’ve done, and belittle and complain about other practitioners. One practitioner was full of herself and looked down on others. Another one took credit for what others did, but dodged blame if things did not go well. Some of these practitioners eventually turned against Dafa and became CCP agents. A few became ill and passed away; some were repeatedly persecuted; and some continued to make trouble for other practitioners while refusing to take responsibility if a project failed.

In the Sutra of the Non-Activity of All Dharmas (诸法无行经), Sakyamuni said that in one of his past lives, he harbored anger for a monk. Because of that, he was cast into Avici Hell for eons. In the Sutra on the Wise and Foolish (贤愚经), a young monk mocked an old monk for sounding like a dog barking when he recited scripture. Even though the young monk quickly repented, he was still punished and reincarnated as a dog for 500 lifetimes. These stories tell us the terrible consequences of being arrogant and ridiculing others.

Harboring a sense of pride may be a result of the Dunning-Kruger Effect, also known as the frog in a well phenomenon. People with little experience or knowledge in a particular domain tend to greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence and exude self-importance. When we find ourselves or others acting arrogantly, we should be alert and immediately correct ourselves or remind others.

The less one knows, the more arrogant one is; the less competent one is, the more one wants to claim credit; the more narrow-minded one is, the more one tends to brag, envy and disdain others. As practitioners, we need to let go of our notions, including our pride. We must forsake self-importance because being humble allows us to continue to move up in cultivation. No matter how much we think we have learned or done, it’s too little – we know less than one drop in the ocean of Buddha Fa, and the number of sentient beings we saved may only be equivalent to one tiny star in the galaxy.

King Solomon, son of David, once prayed to God and asked for a discerning heart to govern God’s people and to distinguish between right and wrong. God then promised Solomon unprecedented wisdom because he had asked for wisdom in governing his people with justice instead of asking for a long life, wealth, or the death of his enemies.

King Solomon said, “Pride goes before destruction, and humility precedes honor.” If we want to be genuine practitioners, we need to be clear that pride is the starting point of degeneration, which leads to destruction. We must be alert when signs of self-importance and pride emerge, and work hard to eliminate them.