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harm it will bring to 
ourselves, others and society at 
large: 
I. Damage to yourself: You lose 
your opportunity 
to absorb goodness from others 
estimating 
yourself too highly — you will 
tend to think you 
are already good enough and have 
no room for 
improvement. Looking at others 
you see no-one 
who matches your own talents. 
2. Damage to others: Often 
people's arrogance 
starts with good intentions. 
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However their 
haughty discrimination will 
degenerate into being 
touchy about trivial things and 
they become 
the subject of disagreements which 
break up 
friendships. Like a pagoda with a 
narrow base 
which cannot be built very tall 
without toppling, 
arrogant people will not get far in 
teamwork. Because 
of the conflicts they always have, 
they will 
always prefer to work alone, so 
their life's 
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achievements will never amount to 
much. In the 
words of the famous Buddhist 
master of meditation, 
Luang Phaw Wat Paknam: 
"to look down on others, even 
without realizing 
it, seeing others as weaker than 
oneself, 
speaking irreverendly to them, is 
like 
the gables of a house being burned 
by a fire 
which has spread from the lower 
storeys. 
Even in the smallest house fire will 
spread 
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to the gables 
and in the same 
way, the 
resentment of juniors can destroy 
the person 
who governs them unless he is 
compassionate 
and wishes only happiness to those 
around him, especially those less 
privileged 
than himself." 
3. Damage to society at large: 
Arrogant people 
have many negative consequences 
for society, 
namely: 
1. breakdown of law and order: 
Arrogant people 
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don't tend to respect the rules and 
always 
expect to be treated as the 
exception to the 
rule. Society will break down if it 
supports 
such people. 
2. disharmony, social instability 
and vulnerability to 
colonization: in a society where 
arrogance prevails, 
it will be difficult for any lasting 
harmony 
to come about. (see §D2, Like 
sandy broken 
soil even after the rain). The caste 
system in 
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India in the olden days tended to 
make each 
caste arrogant and even when 
enemies were 
at the door such as the British 
colonists, instead 
of thinking to unite to defend the 
independance of their country, the 
superior 
castes all thought themselves too 
superior to 
deal with the practicality of 
national affairs 
— meanwhile the lower castes and 
the 
untouchables, although they saw 
the danger, 
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shrugged their shoulders and 
reflected that if 
the worst came to the worst, it 
would teach 
the arrogant superior castes a good 
lesson. The 
castes were so busy arguing 
amongst themselves 
they failed to defend themselves 
against invaders who were many 
thousands 
of times less numerous than 
themselves. In 
dynastic China arrogance was 
often expressed 
264 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
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in terms of vengeance wrought by 
one family 
on another often many generations 
after the 
original provoking incident. In 
countries such 
as Thailand where humility is 
more well-regarded 
as a social virtue, although there 
may 
disagreements on a national level 
— even coup 
d'etat from time to time — the 
transitions usually 
take place with a minimum of 
bloodshed. 
In any community or society 
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where humility 
prevails — even when a conflict 
should arise 
— before long people will be 
re-united again 
in harmony (see §D2, like a clay 
soil after the 
rain). These are all good reasons 
why we 
should cultivate humility. 
B. HUMILITY & 
ARROGANCE 
B.1 Definition: Humility 
The word for humility in the Pali, 
‘nivAta' used in 
this blessing, actually means 
someone who is without 
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(`ni') air (`vAta'). The word is 
applicable to someone 
who is not inflated by their own 
self-importance. 
B.2. Characteristics of Humility 
If you were able to see into the 
mind of a humble 
person, you would see the 
following characteristics: 
I. Freedom from false views: 
False views are 
ground assumptions about the 
nature of life and 
the world so negative or out of 
keeping with reality 
that they obscure any intention to 
cultivate 
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oneself for the better. 
2. Freedom from self-pride and 
self-importance: 
Self-pride is the belief that you are 
always superior 
to others. Some people who are 
born in the 
aristocracy don't believe that the 
normal manin 
the street can ever be his equal. 
Rich people 
look down on poor people. Town 
dwellers look 
down on `country bumpkins' — in 
a nutshell 
people tend to be proud of 
themselves for the 
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wrong reasons; 
3. Freedom from stubborness: 
The mind of a humble 
person is soft like greenwood 
(M1) or like a 
piece of soft workable clay (O)2). 
Not like a deadwood 
(M1) or like a clod of sandy soil 
(0302). 
This is the result of 1 and 2 above. 
4. Workableness of mind: whether 
the mind is soft 
or hard will be adapted 
appropriately to the situation. 
B.3 Characteristics of a humble 
person 
A humble person tends to behave 
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as if they are of 
no importance. Their virtues speak 
for themselves 
they don't need to advertise 
them. It is like a 
diamond which will always be a 
diamond whether 
you advertise it or not. A humble 
person doesn't 
need to show-off their strengths —
to be stubborn 
or make a fuss. Because humble 
people know their 
own worth according to reality, 
they are characterised 
by three identifying features: 
I. Humility of action: a humble 
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person is not arrogant 
in their body language or their 
manners —
but at the same time they are not 
obsequious. 
They know how to make 
themselves endearing 
to others by their behaviour but at 
the same time 
they have confidence in 
themselves. It is someone 
who is always ready to mould 
themselves 
to the convenience of others like a 
piece of soft 
clay. They will be the person who 
can get along 
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with everybody and fill the gaps in 
situations of 
social disharmony. They will be 
good-mannered 
to seniors and subordinates alike. 
They give 
things due respect rather than 
pretending that 
they are the equal of others out of 
their league. 
They are careful always to be 
consistent in their 
cultivated manners no matter what 
walk of society 
they are dealing with. They mould 
themselves 
favourably to any situation that 
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will give 
rise to virtue or reduce bad habits. 
This is in stark 
contrast to the body language of 
arrogant people. 
Arrogant people will often be 
physically 
unable to bend their body to 
express humility 
(such as bowing or even lowering 
their head in 
deference). 
2. Humility of words: a humble 
person is not arrogant 
in the way they speak. Their words 
express 
the purity and good intention in 
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their heart. Their 
words are soft rather than being 
provocative or 
boastful. They do not use their 
verbal skills to 
`put others down'. If they should 
be responsible 
for a mistake, they will be quick to 
say `sorry'. If 
they receive praise from others 
they will be quick 
Blessing Twenty-Three: Humility 
265 
to thank them for the complement. 
They don't 
make threats or tease others for 
making mistakes. 
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If they see the good someone else 
has done, they 
will be quick to congratulate them 
for it. Because 
their thoughts are pure, the words 
that come 
from their mouths are only those 
which have 
already been well filtered and 
considered. The 
manner of their speech is gentle 
but not weak. 
They refer to people by their 
appropriate titles. 
Their speech is therefore endearing 
to all who 
hear it. This is in stark contrast to 
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the rigid speech 
of arrogant people characterised by 
patronizing 
comments about others. They will 
never let others 
forget how they are related to the 
royal family 
or have a high rank in the civil 
service.The 
words they say are nauseating to 
all who hear 
them. 
3. Humility of mind: a humble 
person is not arrogant 
even in the way they think. They 
may be 
soft and gentle in their approach to 
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all things, 
but it doesn't mean that they are 
weak or indecisive. 
Never complacent about their 
abilities, they 
will always be looking for ways to 
improve on 
them. They don't assume that they 
are always 
right — they are open to others' 
opinions. They 
don't get angry if they don't get 
their own way, 
but look for ways to adapt their 
thinking to the 
needs of others (within the limits 
of scrupulousness 
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