The Foolishness of Conceit and Its Cure

“Soṇa, when any ascetics and brahmins, on the basis of materiality—which is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change—regard themselves thus: ‘I am superior,’ or ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior,’ what is that due to apart from not seeing things as they really are?

“When any ascetics and brahmins, on the basis of feeling … on the basis of perception … on the basis of volitional formations … on the basis of consciousness—which is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change—regard themselves thus: ‘I am superior,’ or ‘I am equal,’ or ‘I am inferior,’ what is that due to apart from not seeing things as they really are?” 

~ Saṃyutta Nikāya, Khandhasaṃyutta, Sutta 49

Measuring oneself against others whether as superior, equal, or inferior to them, is conceit or māṇa. The three kinds of conceit are shown in this Sutta: superiority, equality, and inferiority conceit. In this Sutta also the Buddha shows us that the basis of conceit are the five aggregates which are “impermanent, suffering, and subject to change.” Whenever and however we measure ourselves against others we do so on the basis of these five aggregates or one among them. Apart from these aggregates there are no other basis for measurement or comparison with others. So for example, on the basis of feeling one measures thus 'My sofa feels more comfortable than yours,' or 'My sofa feels just as comfortable/hard as yours,' or 'My sofa does not feel as good as yours; What to do, I am not as rich as you, I cannot afford a luxurious sofa such as yours.'

The Luminous Mind

“Luminous, bhikkhus, is this mind, but it is defiled by visiting defilements.” (AN 1:49)

“Luminous, bhikkhus, is this mind, and it is freed from visiting defilements.” (AN 1:50)

These two related suttas and their terse and almost cryptic description of the mind have fascinated, intrigued, and confounded many teachers and students of Buddha-Dhamma for a long time. The Commentary identified this luminous mind with the bhavaṅga-citta, the life-continuum consciousness. But, probably because of the suttas' laconic, cryptic, riddle-like, and almost poetic description of the mind, many have simply refused to accept the Commentary’s assertion that this luminous mind is something as simple, unimaginative, and uninspiring as the unassuming bhavaṅga-citta. After all, bhavaṅga-citta is often associated with the state of mind when one is asleep. So how can it be described as luminous? And so many have worked to come up with what they think or feel would be a more satisfying and inspiring explanation as to what this luminous mind is.

To begin with, some take the expression āgantukehi upakkilesehi (which we rendered “visiting defilements”) literally to mean that these defilements are adventitious to the mind, something coming from the outside, an alien, a stranger that are not intrinsic to the nature of the mind and are therefore not an integral part of the mind. They are something which the mind can do without, and which can be put away by means of the practice of Dhamma, leaving the mind in an unadulterated luminous form. While we agree that the practice of the Dhamma can help to restrain the defilements and purify the mind from them, but to say that these defilements, when they arise in the mind, are not intrinsic to the nature of the mind and do not form an integral part of the mind, ignores the fact that the mind or consciousness (citta) always arise with their associated mental-factors (cetasikas) as an integral and inseparable part of every moment of conscious experience. And the defilements are some of these mental-factors that may arise in conjunction with consciousness.

For any particular moment of conscious experience, the consciousness present and mental-factors that arise in association with it are determined by the particular conditions surrounding that moment of experience. So if the conditions present (both external conditions, e.g. the object, the people present, the environment, etc., and internal conditions, e.g. perception of the object, presence or absence of mindfulness, one’s general mood, etc.) are conducive to bringing about wholesome response to the object arising in that moment, then wholesome consciousness associated with beautiful (sobhaṇa) mental-factors arise. On the other hand if they are conducive to arousing unwholesome response, then unwholesome consciousness associated with unwholesome mental-factors – the defilements – arise. Regardless of the response, the consciousness and mental-factors, beautiful or unwholesome, that arise as a result of those conditions, are all integral to that experience in that moment. For they each plays a part in contributing to the overall experience of the object in that moment. It also cannot be said that for dhammas (natural phenomena or realities, including consciousness and their associated mental-factors) involved in one moment of experience of an object, dhammas that are brought about by the same set of conditions, some are integral to that experience while others are not-integral. If one is integral the others must also necessarily be integral. If one is not integral then the others must also necessarily be not integral. Otherwise it would be like saying that for children born of the same parent, some of these children are integral to the family while others are not. Therefore both consciousness and its associated mental-factors, being brought about by the same set of conditions in one moment of experience, must necessarily be integral to the experience in that moment.

In truth defilements do not come into the mind from outside. Nor are they a stranger or alien to the mind – they are something very familiar to the mind of a puthujjana (an ordinary worldling). Rather the defilements are latent (anusaya) in the stream of mental continuity (i.e. the stream of consciousness with their associated mental-factors, arising and passing away together in moment after moment of sense-experience in a continuous flow), existing as a tendency or potential which, when suitable conditions are present, will seize upon that opportunity and cause the defilements to appear concretely in the mind.

The Burden of Momentary Experience

At any one moment of sense experience, let the mind carry the burden of only that moment. Be clearly aware of the burden the mind is carrying in that one moment.
Use all the energy in the mind to shoulder only that one moment of burden, to experience clearly and completely its heaviness. Then as the burden begins to feel heavier and heavier by the moment, and the mind no longer can bear it, then put it down, let it go. Be free from the burden. Feel the lightness when the burden is put down.

"A burden indeed are the five aggregates,
A carrier of burden is the person;
Taking up the burden is suffering in the world,
Discarding the burden is bliss.

Having discarded the heavy burden,
Without taking up another burden;
Having pulled out craving with its root,
Freed from wanting, one is completely cooled."

~ Saṃyutta-Nikāya, Khandhasaṃyutta, Sutta 22

Mindfulness is Needed Under All Circumstances

There seem to be an assumption present among many Buddhist meditators that mindfulness (sati) is a mental-state that is relevant only to the practise of Vipassanā meditation and that when it comes to other kinds of meditation, especially Samatha meditation, it is not relevant at all, or, at best, it plays only a minor role. This assumption very likely stemmed from the emphasis in Vipassanā meditation on the development of mindfulness. And in fact Vipassanā meditation is very often simply called “mindfulness meditation”. Furthermore, in Samatha meditation, the emphasis is usually not on mindfulness but on the development of mental tranquillity, deep state of concentration, and – at times – even psychic abilities. This general emphasis of Vipassanā and Samatha meditation on different states of mind is probably responsible for why Vipassanā meditation is usually identified exclusively with mindfulness while Samatha meditation, with tranquillity and concentration. In truth, however, mindfulness is not exclusive to Vipassanā meditation, and neither are tranquillity and concentration exclusive to Samatha meditation.

Which is Your Refuge?

For one who is still wandering on in Saṃsāra, kamma is the reliable refuge. For one who is seeking to be released from Saṃsāra, Satipaṭṭhāna Vipassanā Dhamma is the one and only refuge. And for the Noble Ones who have seen the perils of Saṃsāra, Nibbāna is the only true, safe, and secure refuge.

Which is your refuge?

The Importance of Right View

“Bhikkhus, this is the forerunner, this is the precursor for the arising of the sun, namely dawn. And in just the same way, bhikkhus, this is the forerunner, this is the precursor for wholesome states, namely right view. For one who has right view, right thought occurs. For one with right thought, right speech occurs. For one with right speech, right action occurs. For one with right action, right livelihood occurs. For one with right livelihood, right effort occurs. For one with right effort, right mindfulness occurs. For one with right mindfulness, right concentration occurs. For one with right concentration, right knowledge occurs. For one with right knowledge, right liberation occurs.”

~ Aṅguttara-Nikāya, Book of the Tens, Sutta 121

Right view generally means view that is in accordance with the true nature of reality. It is view that does not contradict but conforms with the true nature of things as they really are, and with the natural order of our universe. When one has acquired right view, one understands things correctly as they actually are. One understands things in conformity with natural laws and, therefore, knows how to order one's life accordingly, enabling one to live one's life in harmony with nature. Living thus one is able to avoid much suffering and increase happiness in one's life. And according to the Buddha's teaching, if one can fully penetrate the relevant truth about the nature of our existential problem of suffering (i.e. the four Noble Truths), then one can even acquire the very clear vision and right view that will enable one to fully transcend all suffering.

Buddhism: Adapting to Change without Losing our Tradition

(NB: In this article Buddhist and Buddhism refer only to Theravāda Buddhist and Theravāda Buddhism respectively.)

The Buddha's teaching at its root is essentially a contemplative one. It deals primarily with the question of dukkha, i.e. the unsatisfactoriness and suffering in our lives. It is a discipline of training our mind in order to achieve liberation from dukkha. In its earliest form there is little that is ritualistic about it. The path to liberation from dukkha requires no rituals whatsoever. What it requires is a dedicated effort to investigate deeply into the nature of dukkha and its cause, to purify one's mind from the cause of dukkha, and thus realise its cessation. This effort is the work of contemplation. And no amount of rituals can accomplish its aim.

But later on this teaching was gradually institutionalised into a religion - Buddhism. And, as with any other religion, rituals become a necessary accompaniment and adornment. There is nothing really bad about turning the Buddha's teaching into a religion. It's a natural progression that takes place when the Dhamma starts to become popular among the general mass. When a big group of people come together for a common purpose to follow the Buddha's teaching, they need a system to organise and regulate their group practise, to impart and share knowledge about the Dhamma, to support each other in their commitment to the practise, and also to serve as their group identity. The religious system, Buddhism, gradually emerged out of this need.

Rituals are part of this system which serve many useful purposes. For example the ritual of recitation and reflection on passages from the scriptures serves to draw out and impress upon the Buddhist devotees the profound meaning of certain aspect of the Buddha's teaching. This promotes understanding and faith. Rituals also give the devotees a very real sense of closeness to the Buddha and his teaching. This promotes faith and dedication to the observance of his teaching. Devotees who participate together in a ritual also feel a sense of belonging to a common cause and community. This promotes fellowship which leads to the devotees supporting each other spiritually and materially in their spiritual quest, which strengthens the community.

In the Buddha's time, he and his core disciples, majority of whom were monks and nuns with contemplative bent, constitute more or less a contemplative movement. There were lay disciples to be sure but they were mostly on the periphery and played mostly supportive role for the core contemplative movement, the Saṅgha. And the majority of these disciples not only strive very hard in their meditative practise but also aim to bring the practise all the way to its conclusion, i.e. the realisation of the cessation of dukkha.

While most of these disciples of the Buddha during his time were satisfied with and could get by just on learning Dhamma and meditation alone, and their faith in the Dhamma is firmly established and affirmed by the profound clarity arising out of their contemplative work, the later non-contemplative masses of Buddhism (the religion), comprising mostly lay people whose aim of a religious life is not so much to strive in meditation practise, much less to realise the final goal of the Dhamma (not in this life anyway), but more to just live their daily life in accordance with the principles of the Dhamma, they needed rituals as an addition to their religious practise to continuously sustain their faith.