34 / 108 Gates of Dharma Illumination

[Shokai]

3 Quaint gate.jpg
一百八法明門
IPPYAKUHACHI-HOMYOMON
One Hundred and Eight Gates of Dharma-Illumination

[34] Inhibition of self-conceit is a gate of Dharma-illumination; for [with it] wisdom is fulfilled.

Inhibition of self-conceit in Buddhism involves dismantling the deluded belief in a permanent, independent "I" through the doctrine of no-self. It is achieved by recognizing the five aggregates as impermanent and not-self, practicing mindfulness to detect subtle arrogance, and utilizing "wise conceit" (the ambition for enlightenment) to overcome coarser forms of pride.

List two or three methods that can be used to remove self-conceit. How would that make you feel??


合掌,生開
gassho, Shokai
stlah
仁道 生開 / Jindo Shokai
"Open to life in a benevolent way"

[Tenryu]

Self-conceit often doesn't appear as something loud or obvious. It shows itself in very ordinary ways: in subtle comparisons, in the wish to be confirmed, in the feeling of being right or advanced. Because of this, it doesn’t seem helpful to approach it as something to be eliminated. It feels more appropriate to meet it as something to be seen clearly.

In sitting practice, there are moments when these movements of mind come into view on their own. Thoughts of progress, judgment, or self-evaluation arise and pass, much like anything else. When posture and breath are entrusted to the act of sitting itself, there is less need to follow those thoughts or to build an identity around them. The body simply practices the Dharma. In that sense, conceit is neither fed nor suppressed; it is allowed to exhaust itself.

Daily interactions seem to work in a similar way. Practice does not stay on the cushion. When friction or misunderstanding appears in relationship, it often reveals where self-centered views are still operating. Rather than being a failure, this feels like the Dharma showing itself in a very concrete form.

When self-conceit softens in this way, the feeling is not one of personal accomplishment. It is quieter than that. There is a sense of settling into what is already functioning, where wisdom is not something possessed, but something that expresses itself naturally through conduct.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
sat&lah today

[dorgan]

Māna refers to the persistent activity of self-measurement, the mind's habit of positioning "I" in relation to others as superior, inferior, or equal. Even the thought "I am equal to them" constitutes māna, because it still presupposes and reinforces an "I" doing the comparing. This measuring mind cannot perceive reality without distortion. The very act of inhibiting conceit is wisdom functioning.

Some methods to inhibit conceit:

1. Contemplate that whatever qualities I possess—intelligence, virtue, attainment—arise through causes and conditions not of my making: teachers, circumstances, genetics, practitioners who share their insight and experience, parents, neighbours, community, and so on.
2. In meditation, note the moment when the comparing mind activates, when "I" is measured against another. Do not suppress it; simply observe its arising and passing. This mindfulness exposes māna as a process rather than a truth, weakening its authority through bare attention.
3. Incorporate prostrations, serving others, cleaning, and other forms of embodied humility into daily life. These are not mere rituals but somatic interventions that interrupt the postural and behavioural habits that reinforce self-elevation.

In adding these to my practice, I feel grateful for this Gate.

"Gate, gate, pāragate, pārasaṃgate, bodhi svāhā", or, in English, "Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone completely beyond, awakening, so be it!"

gassho, david
stlah

[Tairin]

Thank you Shokai

Three practises
1. Any contemplation that involves attempting to place myself in the universe as a dependent being. A favourite is to contemplate all the sentient beings that contribute to my existence.

2. Zazen - even after years of Practice I am still astonished by my mind’s ability to manufacture thoughts. Self is a delusion regardless of what my mind tell me.

3. Kindness, generosity, compassion. Anything that gets me to look outside myself


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Choujou]

The heart sutra tells us that all that is of the relative world (form) is empty, and all that is empty is also the relative… this means that everything we experience and observe from our Buddha mind, including the ego, is empty and devoid of a separate “self”. Essentially, all that is, was, ever will be (speaking in a linear fashion) is all one thing.
The most direct way for this experience is Zazen/Kinhin… here we seek to drop all notions including that of a ”self”, and we sit as the universe. We drop the self-conceit and small mind, and observe as we let thoughts, concepts, ideas , preferences…all flows by…

Another method, I think , would be service to others. If we always come from a place of service, we aren’t thinking of the self, but what we can do for others, for Buddha, for the whole enchilada. I think this helps us to drop the importance our small mind places on the “self” and brings us to the Bodhisattva mindset, in fact, it’s right in our 4 Bodhisattva vows! To save all sentient beings means to be in service to all sentient beings.

I also really like what dorgan said about prostrations, cleaning, service to others bringing more humility into daily life, which helps to not foster or promote self conceit. That makes a lot of sense. Any activity or practice that focuses our mind on humility, gratitude, service, lovingkindness and what’s right here and right now… the less we grasp at any notion of a “self” and start to see reality as it is. Whole and complete

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Seikan]

I agree with all that others have shared above. That said, I'll see if I can't add a tiny grain of additional perspective here:

Three Practices:

1. Zazen, Zazen, and did I mention Zazen?—By looking into the mirror of Zazen, we might clearly see how "I" am no more than a somewhat arbitrary collection of transient phenomena like everything else reflected in the mirror. And the best part of about the mirror of Zazen is that it reflects all that arises before it whether the lights are on or not.

2. Putting others first—By seeking to always act with an attitude of service to others, we might diminish our own sense of "self"-importance. This also allows us to better see how serving others is the universe serving the universe as we are all not one/not two.

3. Intellectual Contemplation—While it may seem a bit contrary to our other practices, I do find that using the intellect to try to push itself to the edge of rational understanding can be a great way to move beyond my limited sense of "self". There are many ways to go about this, but a simple one is to contemplate just how small "I" am (as this human manifestation) when compared to the assumed size of the known universe. I then take it further to consider how much bigger the unknown universe may be, and if infinite, what might that even mean? When we reach the edge of infinity, what's on the other side? Infinity + 1? Heck, even trying to contemplate the concept of infinity itself is enough to make me feel almost non-existent as a individual being of much substance. Yet I find such a diminished sense of self to not be negative or depressing in any way. On the contrary, as the limited sense of "self" starts to wane, it bring about a different sense of expansion, of wholeness. There are so many possible approaches to this type of contemplative practice. The biggest challenge for me is to not go down this rabbit hole during Zazen . . .

Gassho,
Seikan
stlah

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

For me, self-conceit loosens its grip mostly through three pretty ordinary methods.

First: zazen. Watching the mind constantly rewrite a little "character sheet" of "me," like something out of a tabletop RPG, makes the trick obvious. Once you see it happening in real time, it’s harder to take it seriously.

Second: humor and humility. When I catch myself feeling subtly superior or quietly offended, I try to laugh and name it: “Ah, the ego monkey again.” That alone drains a lot of its power. Laughing at life's perfectly beautiful absurdities and not taking things too seriously are really key. Like the late, great Bill Hicks said, "It's just a ride."

Third: service. Taking care of family, helping others, and dealing with real-world messes keep me grounded. It’s hard to feel cosmic and important while scooping cat poop or paying bills.

How does that feel? Kinda more like bodysurfing to board surfing. Firstly, when our body is the board, we must be fully one with the wave. We don't ride it, we melt into its flow. Secondly, it's not easy for others to see what we're doing as bodysurfers. The wave itself smashes and crashes all around us, so unlike surfing, it's hard to "look cool." When your focus is on having fun and not "looking cool," you're definitely rippin' in the right tide!

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Chikyou]

Turning this one on its head, self-conceit inhibits wisdom. Three possible ways to inhibit self-conceit:

Practice humility.
Bear witness (to others’ suffering).
Sit zazen.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Tensei]

For myself, one way that I know of to remove self-conceit is to look at old pictures. Conditions are always changing, and we aren't the same person who we were last year, ten years ago. Interestingly, this makes me feel even more grateful to be alive and practicing now.

Gassho,
Tensei
satlah