The Heart of the Revolution by Noah Levine

Author:Noah Levine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2011-03-16T04:00:00+00:00

Not proud and demanding in nature

This instruction not to be proud or demanding reaffirms the earlier references to humility and acceptance. Avoiding pride is a great test for those following the Buddha’s dharma when we start to feel like we’ve made serious progress on the path. To what extent do we allow the ego to take that progress personally? How much does spiritual pride begin to be another source of suffering in our lives (or, more likely, in the lives of the people who have to fit in the same room with us and our big egos)? I’m very fond of watching spiritual teachers, looking for these signs. If a teacher seems to be overly prideful or demanding, I begin to question his or her wisdom and skill. Many times over the years, I’ve had the experience of meeting spiritual teachers whom I admired based on their books or public lectures, and being disappointed, in person, by the way they seemed to be overly demanding of my efforts, attention, or respect. Now, this isn’t to say that spiritual teachers can’t have preferences. It’s fine to know what you want and to ask for it. The practice here is not to make a problem out of not always getting what we want.

Pride can be a perfectly natural and healthy response to some situations—a job well done, a major accomplishment—but there is a healthy way to feel proud of ourselves or others. Notice that the Buddha added the words “demanding in nature.” I hear this as a warning: it is okay to experience pride now and then and to ask for what you want; just don’t let it become your nature to be always demanding things as you wish them to be.

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