Page 22 - EH59

20 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Although humility is important to Buddhism, ultimately spiritual attainments are
associated with such personal qualities as the “middle way,” a balanced personality that
is neither arrogant nor “humble” in the sense of self-abasement. Thus a semantic question
may be raised as to exactly what we mean by humility. Does it necessarily imply an under-
evaluation of one’s own worth and merits that led the Tibetan lama to reject humility as a
virtue for practitioners? From a true Buddhist perspective, the answer is “No.” And we may
add the following criteria to define genuine humility:

Behave without arrogance, self-conceit and other egoist tendencies such as jealousy and
an impulse to show off.

Respect others and show a genuine human interest in them without a desire to please or
to impress.

Come up with an objective and honest understanding of our own strengths and
weaknesses, with a realization that we are far from perfect and have a lot more to learn,
to improve and to accomplish.

While we do not recognize self-depreciation or self-effacement as part of humility, we
must recognize that our biological self is fraught with frailties and ignorance and that a
true self characterized by such divine qualities as love, compassion, joy and wisdom is
innate in everyone of us.

With the above understanding, it is safe for Buddhists to speak of humility as a norm of
personal conduct and a mark of supreme attainments that is consistent with the Buddhist
“middle way.”

Reference
Jack Kornfield, A Path With Heart. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
Sharon Salzburg, Loving-kindness: A Revolutionary Art of Happiness.
Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1995.

Pema Chodron, The Wisdom of No Escape. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1991.

William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience. New York: Random House,1994.

The Sutra of Hui Neng (Platform Sutra). Hong Kong: Buddhist Youth Association Ltd.,
1994. EH