HUMILITY...!

priyajiivana

wow, well first of all i'm so surprised that i can't find anything on this topic that is already here! BUT... that aside... how does one go about practicing humility? my petty little ego gets in the way profusely, i see it everyday. that is the easier part, compared to actually actively making changes in my lifestyle to practice more humility, and diminishing my ego. any ANY advice is helpful. thank you all!
*namaste*

ravkes

just don't be a douchebag, meditation helps with experiencing instead of reacting impulsively. so if you have a habit of being a douche, practice meditation it'll re-program it for you.. and the 'ego' isn't a problem it's just a function of thought that helps the body survive lol

namaste

mugzy

I like the second verse from the eight verses of mind transformation:

"Whenever I am with others
I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all,
And from the very depth of my heart
I will respectfully hold others as supreme."

ravkes

that's cool mugzy, i prefer to see myself as an equal though.

karmadorje

that's cool mugzy, i prefer to see myself as an equal though.

YMMV but the reason that one practices viewing oneself as lower is to counteract the many, many lifetimes of viewing ourselves as more important. I have found such lojong practices tremendously powerful exactly because they are directly counter to our normal habits.

sukhita

And then, this the last verse of the "Training Rules" in the Sutta Nipata:

The sage does not speak of himself as
someone superior, inferior or equal.
At peace, unselfish, he neither possesses
nor disposseses.

I suppose different traditions, different ideas. Here, it seems that one should not label oneself at all and stay away from the "I am" concept. Just a guess....

ravkes

or just see the 'i' as a function of thought and focused attention needed to help the body survive..if it went away (if thinking went away) then we'd all die..

instead of staying away from 'i' maybe we should all just stop making it such a big problem and see it for what it is.

genkaku

Just pay attention ... that will automatically make you humble.

Roger

Wake up in the morning and make a promise to yourself to find good traits, behaviors, accomplishments, strengths and other positive things in the OTHER PEOPLE around you.

Compliment those people earnestly on those good things you observe while you leave yourself at the door (figuratively speaking). Expect nothing in return; perhaps even actively avoid "accepting" compliments in return if possible.

At the end of the day you might get a clearer picture of humility than you had at the beginning.

Just a thought. FWIW.

TheJourney

First see your ego at work. Observe it.

PietroPumokin

you could try being an idiot in public like pooping in a park and then taking care of it like you do dogs poops, HAHA, something well thought out like that so you can tap into a fool's nature.... or just be a complete idiot! win win!!!!

DharmaField

Dear Priyajiivana,
Pride is the hardest defilement to crack, so don't be too worried about not being humble in your own thinking. The fact that you notice your ego and can discuss it is a lot of progress, but for now, try to just act as if you are humble. If this is a question has some grip for you, you could try to locate that thing you call your ego, examine it very closely, as TJ says, observe it, get its measure... when you are really intimate with your ego and can stay with it, things will begin to shift.

caz

Tips for training in Humility.
Dont seek to solicit praise for good deeds, Be not moved by harsh words.
Work upon realizing the illusion of self-cherishing and grasping and you wil naturally become full of good qualities. Pride arises from the factor of self cherishing, So work on the root cause of all our delusions to get where you need to go.

priyajiivana

HAHAHA thank you pietro, very inspiring...!! thank you ALL for this lovely, HELPFUL advice!! roger i have been practicing your ideas daily, including it with my daily intention. it has beeen helping i think. sukhita i like what you have to say, also. very Tao.
thanks again, everybody!! keep it comin.

buddhajunkie

1. Gratitude meditation. Realize that your many good qualities came with the help of other people and good fortune. Be thankful for what people and good fortune (birth, chance, nature) have done for you. Realize that what you have has, in some way, been given to you.

2. Practice seeing impermanence and not-self in your meditation. Know that what has been given can, and will, be taken away. Pettiness is just the futile defense mechanism for the illusion of a permanent self. Weaken the notion of a permanent self to defend and pettiness will go away.

that's cool mugzy, i prefer to see myself as an equal though.

YMMV but the reason that one practices viewing oneself as lower is to counteract the many, many lifetimes of viewing ourselves as more important. I have found such lojong practices tremendously powerful exactly because they are directly counter to our normal habits.

I think this is an unskillful approach because:

1. This still involves making a comparison between yourself and other people. This would strengthen the notion of self and possibly create some jealousy, bitterness or depression.

2. Not everyone normally sees themselves as important. There are a lot of people out there with low self-esteem who would be hurt by this exercise. (However, I think this might be a good exercise for people who had excessively high self-esteem).

[DeletedUser]

Recognizing ego is very insightful as most are along gradual path. Buddha mentioned that all living beings were our loved ones in past lives, and gratification will be helpful.

nanadhaja

O.K,so this may not be practical for every one,but walking on alms rounds every morning and seeing the generosity of the Thai people certainly has taught me a thing or two about humility.
With metta,
Phra Greg