A Study of the Way to Overcome Conceit (Māna) on Ordinary Person · SBAM Repository

Title: A Study of the Way to Overcome Conceit (Māna) on Ordinary Person
Author: Ashin Janaka
Type: Research Paper
Format: PDF
Language: English
Subject: Buddhist Studies
Date: 2019
Place: Mandalay
Publisher: Sitagu Buddhist Academy Mandalay
Rights Holder: Sitagu Buddhist Academy Mandalay
Abstract: This paper aims to present the way to overcome the influence of conceit (Māna) on ordinary person and how much it affects social life. Beings are quarreling and fighting each other, country to country, village to village, house to house, and person to person depending on conceit. When conceit arises, beings are lack of consideration. One cannot distinguish that this is my mother, my father, my teacher, my elder brother, my uncle, my aunt, he is older than me, he is higher than me by virtue, by education, he is my benefactor. He does not know to respect them. As a result, he does so many bad things to them. One who wants to uproot conceit (Māna) must practice insight meditation, or Vipassanā meditation, because conceit lies down in the root of the mind. One who is influenced by conceit should practice the ten kinds of foulness and mindfulness of the body, such as the 32 parts of the body. Human beings are not able to live alone by their own nature. So, one should not be proud of himself for having good statuses of family, wealth, beauty, education, etc. Reflecting upon this is a good way to defeat conceit in our daily life. This paper is the qualitative research using the method of documentary research. This research paper is extensively based on the data of Buddhist texts such as Tipitaka, sub-commentaries, and other related books.

Keywords: Conceit (Māna), Ordinary person, Overcome, Influence, Vipassanā meditation

Item sets: SBAM Annual Seminar Proceedings 2019