Arrogance is a fault of people who, because of their talents, abilities, possessions, or conditions, surpass the average, and feel that they are superior to others and deserve more respect. Arrogant people have big egos, and cannot regard others as having the same or higher worth than themselves. As a result, arrogant people have few friends and are unable to relate to most people. Since arrogant people look down upon others, they tend to be supercilious when dealing with people. It is difficult for them to dwell in a communal group and put down their sense of self to harmonize and comply with the multitude. Arrogance is a fault which isolates a person from the rest of humanity, which causes his sense of kindness and compassion to wither and atrophy. Thus, arrogant people deserve our sympathy and should be taught expediently to develop a stronger sense of interconnectedness with humanity. When arrogant people experience the joy of interacting with and helping others they will be able to gradually reduce their attachment to self and expand their minds.

Since arrogant people tend to be independent and seclude themselves, the Dharma-door of being part of the assembly, of following along with the group, is the most appropriate Dharma-door to cultivate, and also the most difficult. By staying with the assembly, one must deal with other people, and develop a helpfulness toward others. One cannot attach to the mark of helping others, for if one does, one will only feel more superior. We should use our talents or superior blessings to benefit others. We should not let pride obstruct us from utilizing our talents to the fullest to do beneficial deeds. We should also be grateful to living beings who need our help, who are a medium and means for us to cultivate. Out of gratitude, we should always be gentle and harmonious to all living beings. Without them, we wouldn’t have this opportunity to cultivate!

In Buddhism, all living beings are equal. On the one hand, all living beings are suffering in the cycle of birth and death, unable to escape. On the other hand, all living beings have the potential to become Buddhas and end birth and death. Thus, ultimately, we are all equal. When we cultivate in Buddhism, we should not discriminate based on worldly dharmas. We should not let worldly distinctions of education, wealth, age, beauty, strength, social position, occupation, intelligence, and so forth, obstruct us from seeing that all living beings are basically equal, and that we are all one substance, if you trace it to the source. It is often hard to practice this principle.

Often we forget, and feel superior to a fellow cultivator who is not as skilled as we are. When such a person asks for our help, we are very haughty and unwilling to help, thinking that there are more worthwhile and important things to do. But this is a great mistake, for what could be more important than helping someone who explicitly gives us the chanc to do so?

Often, we may want to cultivate the Dharma of benefitting others, but do not see any opportunity to be of use to anyone. So when someone requests our help, we should be extremely grateful to him for giving us the chance to plant blessings. Never should we overlook the opportunity to help them, how much less dismiss his plea with the excuse of being "too busy with more important matters." We must exhaust our efforts to satisfy the wishes of others while we have the strength and ability to do so. We must put into good use our physical body and mental faculties for the sake of fulfilling the wishes of others--only in this way can we get rid of the mark of self which brings us endless afflictions and hinders our liberation from birth and death. We should not hesitate or hold back out of gear a of being too tired, taking a loss, or out of laxness.

We have to take the Venerable Master and the ancient Great Worthies as our models. I have said these words easily enough, but it is really difficult to practice them.