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SIGNIFICANCE OF CONCEIT (MĀNA)
Conceit (māna)
The literal meaning of the Pali word “Māna” is measuring, but generally, it refers to conceit, self-pride or arrogance. It is one’s tendency to arrive at valued judgments about oneself by comparing with others. In the Buddha’s higher teaching (Abhidhamma), conceit has been described as one of the fourteen unwholesome mental factors (akusala cetasika) as they are associated with one or more of the three unwholesome roots of greed (lobha), hatred (dosa) and delusion (moha). The fourteen unwholesome mental factors (Kilesa) are:
1. Delusion (moha)
2. shamelessness of wrongdoing (ahirika)
3. fearlessness of wrongdoing (anotappa)
4. restlessness (uddacca)
5. greed (lobha)
6. wrong view (Micchādiṭṭhi)
7. conceit (mana)
8. ill-will (dosa)
9. envy (issa)
10. avarice (macchariya)
11. worry (kukkucca)
12. sloth (thīna)
13. torpor (middha)
14. doubt (vicikiccā)
In the Anusaya sutta of the Anguttara Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s numerical discourses), the Buddha has described a group of mental defilements called the latent tendencies (anusaya) as they tend to remain dormant in the mind life after life until they are completely eradicated by attaining the state of Nibbāna. The Buddha named conceit as one of the seven latent tendencies:
1. Latent tendency of desire for sense pleasures (kāmarāganusaya)
2. Latent tendency of aversion (patighanusaya)
3. Latent tendency of conceit (mānanusaya)
4. Latent tendency of wrong view (ditthanusaya)
5. Latent tendency of doubt (vicikiccānusaya)
6. Latent tendency of desire for existence (bhava-rāganusaya)
7. Latent tendency of ignorance (avijjānusaya)
Conceit (māna), along with the two mental defilements of craving (tanhā) and wrong view (ditthi), is responsible for the development of a self-identification view in an unenlightened person.
Craving, conceit and wrong views lead us to develop that false identification as follows:
1 .“This is mine” is due to craving (tanhā)
2. “This I am” is due to conceit (māna)
3. “This is me” is due to the wrong view (Micchādiṭṭhi)
Identification with a self has been described as responsible for the development of mental defilements such as egoism, attachment, selfishness, ill-will, hatred etc. These mental defilements can lead one to engage in unwholesome and unskilful behaviour which can result in suffering to oneself as well as others. Unwholesome and immoral actions performed due to the self-identification view will lead one to inevitable rebirth in the four planes of suffering: the plane of immense suffering (niraya), the plane of animals (tiracchāna yoni), the plane of hungry ghosts (peta loka) and the plane of demons and titans (asura loka).
When one reflects on the word conceit in general, one may think that through conceit one is always likely to consider oneself superior or more important than others. However according to Buddhist teaching, the feeling of equality as well as inferiority in comparison to others can also be manifestations of the defilement of conceit.
In the Vattha sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya, the Buddha has described sixteen unwholesome qualities that can defile the mind. The Buddha described conceit (māna) and arrogance (athimāna) as two of those sixteen unwholesome qualities which can lead to a bad destiny.
There are so many factors based on which one is likely to develop conceit comparing oneself with others. One can develop conceit based on: one’s race, one’s country, one’s nationality, one’s religion, one’s birth, one’s family name, one’s good health, one’s youth, one’s age, one’s honour and respect, one’s politeness and respect for others, one’s followers, one’s wealth, one’s beauty, one’s physical build, one’s education, one’s earning ability, one’s effort, one’s mental cleverness, one’s seniority, one’s possessions, one’s blameless character, one’s good manners, one’s success, one’s popularity, one’s ethics, one’s ability to develop concentration (samadhi) during meditation and mental absorptions (Jhana) etc.
Three justified types of conceit (yathāva māna):
1. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is superior to others.
2. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is equal to others.
3. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is inferior to others.
Six unjustified types of conceit (ayathāva māna):
1. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is equal to others.
2. The conceit of I am superior to others when one is inferior to others.
3. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is superior to others.
3. The conceit of I am equal to others when one is inferior to others.
5. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is equal to others.
6. The conceit of I am inferior to others when one is superior to others.
- This subject is very interesting but often misunderstood by me and others. In the arahant stage, mana is eliminated. Even an anagami still possesses this taint. However, when an arahant describes their qualities and achievements, it is not considered pride. In the suttas, we see Lord Buddha and other venerable arahants talking about their abilities in various fields. Why would this not be considered pride in this case?
Welcome to the forum, Waisaka! 😁🙏🏿
If you have difficulty writing in English, I recommend an application called Grammarly. When I first started on the forum, I also had difficulty writing in English. Grammarly corrects the majority of your mistakes and can also make suggestions regarding the meaning of your text. I always use this application to write on the forum. I recommend using Google Translate, copying and pasting the text into Grammarly so that it corrects the mistakes and suggests a better text. It’s free and can be installed on phones and computers. The full name is Grammarly AI Writing Assistant. It can be found on the Google Store or other platforms.
May the triple Gem bless you and may you attain the Supreme bliss of Nibbāna. 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿☸️
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RESPECT THE TEACHER FROM WHOM ONE LEARNS THE DHAMMA
The Brāhmana”, which contains 41 verses said by the Buddha. The background story of the 392nd verse, which is the tenth verse of the Brāhmana vagga is about Arahant Sāriputta, who continued to pay homage daily to Arahant Assaji, from who he first learnt the Buddha’s teaching.
The background story of verse 392
Arahant Sāriputta was named Upatissa in his lay life as he was born into the chief family of a village named Upatissa. He had a very close friend named Kolita and both of them completed their education satisfactorily mastering the Vedic doctrines. They attended an annual festival called Hilltop Festival in the town of Rajagaha and enjoyed the entertainment. But they became disenchanted with the material world with a strong sense of the impermanence of things in their life and decided to leave the domestic life to become ascetics. They first went to a teacher named Sanjaya Bellatthiputta but were not happy with his teaching. Then they walked all around India looking for a teacher who could provide them with the correct teaching but could not find one. They decided to go their separate ways but promised each other that if one were to find the truth first he would immediately come and inform the other.
One day, Upatissa happened to see Arahant Assaji who was doing his alms round for food in the city of Rajagaha, and was quite impressed with the calm and serene appearance of Arahant Assaji. He thought to himself that this ascetic must be either an Arahant already or on his way to becoming one. He asked Arahant Assaji who his teacher was and what the teacher’s teaching was. Arahant Assaji informed Upatissa that he was a pupil of Gautama Buddha and that he could not describe the teaching in detail as he had not been a monk for long. But, when Upatissa requested that the teaching be mentioned in brief, Arahant Assaji recited the verse:
“Ye dhammā hetuppabhavā,
Tesaṁ hetuṁ tathāgato āha;
Tesanca yo nirodho,
Evaṃvādi mahāsamaṇo”
“Of things that proceed from a cause, their cause, the Tathagata has told, and also their cessation, thus teaches the great ascetic.”
On hearing the first two lines of the verse, Upatissa realized the Dhamma and became a Stream Enterer (Sotāpañña), the first noble stage of the Buddhist path of liberation. Having obtained the details of where the Buddha was residing, he went to Kolita to tell him of his discovery of the truth and when he repeated the same verse, Kolita too became a Stream Enterer. They went to the Buddha and were ordained as monks and soon both became Arahants and were appointed as the two chief disciples of the Buddha.
Arahant Sāriputta never failed to remember his very first teacher Arahant Assaji from whom he first heard the Buddha’s teaching in brief and became a Stream Enterer. If they both happened to be residing in the same monastery, Arahant Sāriputta would first visit the Buddha and then visit Arahant Assaji to pay homage to him. If Arahant Assaji was residing elsewhere, each day before going to sleep, he would find out where Arahant Assaji was and pay homage to that direction and would sleep with his head in the same direction.
At one time, the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti, and Arahant Sāriputta was also staying there at that time. When the other monks at the monastery witnessed Arahant Sāriputta paying homage in some direction or other, they mistook it as worshiping the various directions as Brahmins do. They reported to the Buddha that Arahant Sāriputta had not given up the old habit of worshiping the various directions. The Buddha sent for Arahant Sāriputta and when asked about it, he explained to the Buddha that he was only paying homage to his teacher Arahant Assaji and was not worshiping various directions. The Buddha was quite satisfied with that answer and said to the other monks:
“Monks, Sāriputta was not worshiping in various directions; he was only paying homage to his teacher Arahant Assaji, from whom he first learned about the Dhamma and it is quite proper for him to pay homage to such a teacher.”
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 392nd verse of the Dhammapada.
“Yamhā Dhammaṁ vijāneyya,
Sammāsambuddhadesitaṁ,
Sakkaccaṁ taṁ namasseyya,
Aggihuttaṁ va brāhmano.”
“One from whom one learned the Dhamma, taught by the Sammā Sambuddha, should be revered like a Brahmin reveres the sacrificial fire.”
- Venerable Arahant Sariputta is considered the wisest disciple of Lord Buddha. His wisdom surpasses all other arahants except for Lord Gautama. Despite this, he continued to pay homage to his first master. It’s important to follow this example and show respect to those who introduced us to the Dhamma, regardless of whether they use mundane interpretations. Understanding mundane concepts is essential for comprehending deeper teachings. Even Lord Buddha would have wanted to pay homage to his anariya masters (Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta) by teaching them the Dhamma first. Unfortunately, they had already passed away and been reborn in the arupa loka(is impossible for an anariya Brahma to learn the Dhamma, in the Arupa loka). We must continue paying homage to our initial Dhamma teachers.
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Hmm, the Anagamis have eliminated Dosa forever, but they still have Moha (ignorance, mana, agitation) and Lobha (attachment to the Brahma worlds Rupa and Arupa). It is the complete elimination of Moha which eradicates the other two. The cause of our suffering is the total ignorance of the reality of this world. This is why it is at the arahant stage that all ignorance is eradicated.
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PUTTAMAMSA SUTTA: DISCOURSE ON A SON’S FLESH
Thus have I heard.
At one time the Buddha was staying at Sāvatti in the Jeta Grove, Anāthapindika’s monastery.
[All the discourses of the Buddha contained in the five collections were narrated by Venerable Arahant Ānanda from memory at the first Buddhist council that was held three months after the Buddha’s passing away. He was the chief attendant of the Buddha and was known as the “guardian of the Dhamma” due to his excellent skill in remembering the Buddha’s discourses.
“Monks, there are these four kinds of nutriment for the maintenance of beings who have come into being and for the support of those who are seeking a birth. What four? Physical food, gross or subtle, contact is the second, mental volition is the third, and consciousness is the fourth. These monks, are the four kinds of nutriment for the maintenance of beings who have come into being and for the support of those who are seeking a birth.”
[In another discourse too called Aththirāga sutta of the Samyutta Nikāya (collection of the Buddha’s connected discourses), the Buddha has described the four types of nutriments: nutriment of physical food (kabalinkāhāra), nutriment of contact (phassāhāra), nutriment of mental volition (mano sancetanāhāra) and the nutriment of consciousness (viññānāhāra).]
In the Puttamamsa sutta, the Buddha has given a very significant and powerful sermon on the four kinds of nutriments, one external and three internal, that sustain all sentient beings. Then the Buddha used four similes to describe the dangers of each nutriment unless they are properly and reflectively used. The similes are so strong, particularly the simile of the parents killing their only baby son to consume his flesh, that they should create a sense of revulsion and disenchantment in anyone. Buddhist monks and nuns are expected to reflect each time they consume physical food and other requisites offered by their lay devotees. The Buddha has also stated how a disciple can gain enlightenment and liberation from all suffering by fully comprehending each of the four nutriments.
- An excellent sutta on the 4 types of food. Sir Lal had already written an article on Āhāra (Food) in Udayavaya Ñāna. However, this is the first time I have read this sutta. If I’m not mistaken, the desire for the first type of food is eliminated at the anagami stage. The other 3 desires are eliminated at the arahant stage. Even though an arahant or an anagami with a human body needs food, these two individuals will never eat food for pleasure.
Oh, this will make great reading material. Thank you very much, Sir Sengkiat!!
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Sir, I seek your advice. I find myself no longer interested in many worldly activities. Some relatives accuse me of being indifferent and becoming antisocial, blaming it on my practice of Buddhism. I abstain from alcohol and avoid parties, and when I do attend, I leave early. I still enjoy video games and some films, but not as much as before. How should I handle this situation? People are at risk of developing Dosa right? As laypeople, we are bound to encounter this kind of dilemma, especially in a non-Buddhist society.
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THE VIRTUOUS AND THE WISE DO NO EVIL FOR ANY GAIN
At one time the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti which was donated to the Buddha by the chief benefactor Anāthapindika.
In Savatti, there was a householder named Dhammika who was living with his pregnant wife. One day, he said to his wife that he wished to become a monk. But his wife pleaded with him to stay at home until their child was born. When the child was born, he again said to his wife that he wished to be a monk. His wife then pleaded with him to wait until the child began walking. Dhammika thought that there was no point in asking his wife’s permission to become a monk and that he should work for his own liberation. Then he left home and became a monk. He obtained instruction from the Buddha on a suitable meditation object and by meditating diligently, he soon gained enlightenment as an Arahant.
A few years after becoming an Arahant, he visited his home to teach the doctrine to his wife and son. After listening to his teaching, his son became a monk and gained enlightenment as an Arahant. Then his former wife thought now that both her husband and son had left home to become monks, she should also leave home and become a nun. So she also left home and became a nun and soon gained enlightenment as an Arahant.
On one occasion, the Buddha attended the congregation of the monks when the monks said to the Buddha how Dhammika left home to become a monk and soon became an Arahant, and how with his help, his son and wife also became Arahants. Then the Buddha said to the monks:
“Monks, a wise man does not wish for wealth and prosperity by doing any evil, whether it is for himself or anyone else. He only works for his own liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsāra), by comprehending the Dhamma and living according to the Dhamma.”
Then the Buddha recited the following verse which is recorded as the 84th verse of the Dhammapada.
“Na attahetu na parassa hetu,
na puttamicche na dhanaṁ na ratthaṁ,
na iccheyya adhammena samiddhimattano,
sa sīlavā paññavā dhammiko siyā.”
“Not for one’s own sake or another’s sake,
not desiring a child, wealth or a kingdom,
he should not wish for success through unfair ways,
such a one is indeed virtuous, wise and righteous.”
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THE WISE BECOME SERENE AFTER LISTENING TO BUDDHA’S TEACHING
At one time the Buddha was staying at the Jetavana monastery in Sāvatti which was donated to the Buddha by the chief benefactor Anāthapindika.
There was a female lay devotee of the Buddha named Kanamātā, whose daughter named Kana was married to a man from another village. Kana had come to visit her mother and had been staying with her mother for some time. Her husband sent her a message to return home, but her mother asked her to stay for another day as the mother wanted to make and send some sweets for her husband. On the following day, the mother made some sweets, but when four monks stood in front of her house during their alms round, she offered some of the sweets to the monks. When the other monks came to know from those four monks, about the sweets offered by Kanamātā, they also visited her house one after another. Kanamātā offered sweets to all the monks who visited her house until she had offered all the sweets that she had made on that day. She asked her daughter to stay for another day so that she could make some more sweets, and for the next two days, the same thing happened as monks kept visiting her house for alms and she offered all the sweets that she had made to the monks. So Kana could not return to her husband on the two following days too.
Then her husband sent her an ultimatum saying that if she failed to return on the following day, he would find another wife. Kana could not return on the following day too, as her mother had offered all the sweets that she had made to the monks visiting their house. So Kana could not return and her husband found another wife. Kana then became very bitter towards the monks and began verbally abusing the monks who visited their house. Because of her continuing abuse, the monks were kept away from their houses.
When the Buddha came to know about what had happened, the Buddha visited Kanamātā’s house and after the meal that Kanamātā offered, said to Kana:
“Did my monks take what was offered to them or what was not offered to them?”
Kana replied that the monks took only what was offered to them. She also said to the Buddha that she was in the wrong and not those monks. She acknowledged her own mistake and paid homage to the Buddha. The Buddha delivered a sermon to Kana and after listening to the Buddha’s teaching she attained Stream Entry (Sotāpañña), the first of the four supramundane stages of enlightenment.
While returning to the Jetavana Monastery, the Buddha met King Pasenadi of Kosala. When the king was told about Kana and her anger towards the monks, the king asked whether the Buddha was able to teach her the Dhamma so that she could see the Truth. The Buddha said to the king that Kana was taught the teaching and made her rich in her next existence. Then the king said to the Buddha that he would make her rich even in this life. The king arranged to send some men to bring Kana to the palace in a palanquin and told the king’s ministers that whoever could keep Kana in comfort could take her. One of the king’s ministers offered to adopt her as his daughter. He gave all his wealth to Kana and said to her that she could give as much as she liked to charity. So Kana made arrangements to make offerings to the monks every day at the four city gates.
When the Buddha was told that Kana was making offerings to the monks daily at the four city gates, the Buddha said:
“Monks, Kana’s mind was foggy and muddled, but after listening to my words, her mind became clear and calm”.
Then the Buddha recited the following verse, which is recorded as the 82nd verse of the Dhammapada.
“Yathā pi rahado gambhīro,
vippasanno anāvilo,
evaṁ dhammāni sutvāna,
vippasīdanti panditā.”
“Like a lake that is deep,
clear and calm,
the wise become serene,
on hearing the Dhamma.”
- This is a story that demonstrates how even a person who is extremely hostile to the Dhamma can become a sotāpanna! Lord Buddha had to personally go and teach her. If he hadn’t gone, she would probably still be a puthujana. I believe that there are many people today who would become sotāpanna or even more if Lord Buddha were present in our times.
The story of Ugga, who was an anagami, serves as an example. Ugga, a man with 4 wives, became an anagami after listening to a discourse by Lord Buddha. As an anagami, he had no attachment to the world (Kāma loka). He told his 4 wives that they could either stay, in which case he would consider them as sisters, or leave to find new husbands. Despite no longer having romantic attachments, he allowed them to stay so they could accumulate Kusulas. Even though he no longer had romantic attachments, he still wished them well.
Sisters, I’ve undertaken the five training rules with celibacy as the fifth.
‘mayā kho, bhaginiyo, brahmacariyapañcamāni sikkhāpadāni samādinnāni.
If you wish, you may stay here, enjoy my wealth, and do good deeds. Or you can return to your own family.
Yā icchati sā idheva bhoge ca bhuñjatu puññāni ca karotu, sakāni vā ñātikulāni gacchatu.
Or would you prefer if I gave you to another man?’
Hoti vā pana purisādhippāyo, kassa vo dammī’ti?
When I said this, my eldest wife said to me:
Evaṁ vutte, sā, bhante, jeṭṭhā pajāpati maṁ etadavoca:
‘Master, please give me to such-and-such a man.’
‘itthannāmassa maṁ, ayyaputta, purisassa dehī’ti.
Then I summoned that man. Taking my wife with my left hand and a ceremonial vase with my right, I presented her to that man with the pouring of water.
Atha kho ahaṁ, bhante, taṁ purisaṁ pakkosāpetvā vāmena hatthena pajāpatiṁ gahetvā dakkhiṇena hatthena bhiṅgāraṁ gahetvā tassa purisassa oṇojesiṁ.
But I can’t recall getting upset while giving away my teenage wife.
Komāriṁ kho panāhaṁ, bhante, dāraṁ pariccajanto nābhijānāmi cittassa aññathattaṁ.
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You are welcome, Taryal !!!
Yes, Pathfinder is right. What I like about the bhikkhus of the Jethavaranama monastery is that they teach the Dhamma in a language that non-Buddhists can understand. This is a subtle point but extremely important. Do not feed solid food to a newborn as it may cause choking. Their bodies will adapt as they grow, similar to the human mind’s understanding of deep Dhamma concepts. ONLY a Lord Buddha can always find the appropriate language depending on the gati of his interlocutor. For example, you can discuss the theme of Kāma ragā with this person using the example of Jesus. Jesus and many of his disciples were single because they saw that marriage was an obstacle to a contemplative life. Priests and some pastors continue to respect celibacy. Until today there are Christian monks withdrawn from the world and who reach high spiritual levels. Buddhist monks are in the same situation. Jesus said that nothing in this world can defile our minds. All our defilement comes from our impure mind. This is the kind of debate that might spark interest in the Dhamma, depending on how open the person is.
14 Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15 Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” [16] [a]
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18 “Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? 19 For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)
20 He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.
Also, this desana is very good for them.
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Dosakkhayo : No. If a peta receives transferred merit, it means that the conditions for the manifestation of that peta’s past kamma have been met. Therefore, in this case, the peta has received the vipaka of their own kamma.
Me: Yes,that makes senses
Thank you !!
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Hi dosakkhayo great essay !!!🙏🏿
Dosakkhayo : It also implies that no one can take responsibility for another person’s actions because no one can perform kamma on behalf of someone else or experience the results (vipaka) of another’s actions. This is the basis of sila and bhavana.
Me : Does that mean that it is useless to perform good deeds and transfer them to apaya beings like petas (hungry ghosts) in order to alleviate their suffering?
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