Eliminating Arrogance

(Minghui.org) I was very arrogant but I didn’t realize it. I did not respect anyone and I often judged people, although I mostly kept my thoughts to myself. I read the Fa and even memorized Zhuan Falun several times, but I struggled to truly obtain the Fa and apply its principles to my life. There seemed to be a barrier separating me from the Fa.

When I finally acknowledged my arrogance, I could not believe the absurdity of my past behavior. I hoped I would gradually shed this arrogance and learn to respect others, but breaking the habit proved challenging. Even though certain displays of arrogance faded, it was still reflected in my thoughts, words, and actions.

A “Bump” That Stemmed From Arrogance

Another practitioner, Lian, who is a kind and simple-hearted person, helped me with this issue a lot. Unaffected by modern trends, she steadfastly adhered to traditional values reminiscent of my grandmother’s generation and helped me challenge contemporary notions. However, due to my arrogance, I looked down on her. I felt she was naive.

When my disdain for Lian was at it’s height, I noticed a hard bump forming on my hand. I became anxious as it grew bigger. However, when Lian once again kindly aided me during a time of trouble, despite my attitude towards her, I couldn’t help but feel remorse for my previous unkindness. Shortly after I had this realization, the bump began to shrink and then disappeared.

This miraculous experience helped me see my bad character traits like stubbornness, unkindness, narrow-mindedness, and egotism, which all stemmed from my arrogance. I felt the bump symbolized a tangible manifestation of my growing arrogance.

Finally Seeing My Arrogance

I gradually understood that it was CCP (Chinese Communist Party) culture I experienced since childhood that ingrained in me a lack of respect for others. I also observed that some practitioners who were diligent in their cultivation and steadfastly did the three things practitioners should do, sometimes exhibited arrogance towards other practitioners and experienced sickness karma. They failed to recognize their contempt, disdain, dislike, and impatience or measure themselves with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. On the other hand, those practitioners who consistently showed respect towards others cultivated steadily.

While gods judge people based on their hearts, humans usually prioritize accomplishments and abilities. Modern society, particularly in China, tends to breed arrogance towards those who are perceived to be honest, inarticulate, or slow-paced. Perhaps this explains why folklore often depicts gods assuming the guise of the weak to test human kindness, sincerity, humility, and respect.

Was my arrogance towards Lian a significant issue? An old Chinese adage suggests that humble and honest individuals are “bullied by humans, but not by Gods.” Individuals like Lian, who uphold their virtue without harming others, deserve even greater respect in the eyes of the Divine. Despite Lian’s invaluable assistance, I treated her disrespectfully, but I did not think it was a big deal. However, it may carry weight in the eyes of gods.

In contemporary society, people often evaluate others based on modern standards because they are driven by a fervent desire for success and competitiveness. Some practitioners even mistook my arrogance for confidence. Some people equate being haughty with being strong. Most of the time, the so-called confidence they perceive is arrogance and complacency.

With my new mindset, my perception of people changed. I noticed many individuals who I once viewed as confident were in fact arrogant and had no respect for others. Conversely, those whom I deemed unremarkable often possessed qualities of honesty, kindness, and generosity.

Ancient Chinese wisdom extols the virtues of gentleness, kindness, respect, and frugality. There is a story in the Records of the Grand Historian (a book documenting China’s history) about the prime minister of the State of Qi (founded around 1046 BC), Yan Ying, and his coachman.

The wife of the coachman peeked through the narrow opening of the carriage one morning. She saw that her husband sat inside commanding the four horses drawing the carriage with an air of complacency and pretentiousness.

When the coachman returned home, his wife said she wanted a divorce. The coachman asked why. She told him, “Sir Yan is much shorter than you are. As the prime minister of the Qi State, he is well-known among leaders of all states. This morning, I noticed how thoughtful and visionary he was, yet he always appears modest and humble. Even though you are much taller, you are just his coachman. Yet you act arrogantly and seem to think you are better than others. That’s why I want to leave you.”

The coachman took her words to heart and became more humble. Prime Minister Yan noticed the difference and asked him why he changed. The coachman told him what his wife said. For his honesty and willingness to change his behavior, Yan recommended that he be given the rank of an imperial court official.

Origins of Arrogance

I discovered that arrogance is not an ordinary issue and I understood the reason it was able to block me from absorbing the Fa when I read the book The Ultimate Purpose of Communism. Chapter Five contains the following two paragraphs.

“Cultivation requires one to be righteous and sincere in mind, whereas arrogance reveals a demonic nature, which is the opposite of the requirements of cultivation. The evil specter holds the genuine Divine in contempt. In the process of ruining cultivation culture, the specter instills people with demonic nature and arrogance on purpose. Instead of teaching people to be humble, the specter encourages complacency and pride, instilling notions like “battling with heaven and earth” or “defying laws of both human and divine,” and ultimately pushing humankind onto a path towards rebelling against and disobeying the Divine.

“In ancient times, people were required to first have a righteous heart and sincere intentions in order to cultivate. Only when a cultivator’s divine nature kicks in will he or she understand the characteristics of the universe and the Fa-teaching of the Divine. By ruining the cultivation aspects of Chinese culture and magnifying people’s sense of self-importance, the evil specter lead people to become fully antagonistic to the Divine.”

I hope my sharing helps other practitioners look inward and cultivate diligently.