Lzh Mu Bu Pm Sk 25Not Enter Proudly

Explanation of the Sutta “One Should Not Enter Proudly”

Context

This sutta belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, where the rules of training and ethical education for the Sangha are recorded. The Vinaya Piṭaka is the foundation for governing the community of renunciant Buddhists, ensuring discipline, harmony, and diligence in the practice of the Buddha-Dharma.

The sutta “One Should Not Enter Proudly” (where “enter” means to take part, engage in, or come into contact with a task, community, or collective practice) addresses a profound ethical principle: a monk or practitioner of the Buddha-Dharma should not enter any activity of practice or any role with an attitude of pride, arrogance, or self-importance. This is a warning about the danger of conceit (māna), one of the most subtle defilements in practice.

Main Content

This sutta emphasizes that conceit, the mind that raises oneself up and looks down on others, is a great obstacle to progress in the Dharma. When a monk or practitioner enters the life of practice or carries out duties with a proud attitude, that mind will gradually distort every intention, causing actions considered wholesome to become poisoned by partiality and self-satisfaction.

Pride covers wisdom (paññā), making the practitioner unable to perceive clearly the true nature of phenomena. It also undermines concentration (samādhi), causing the mind to be unable to abide and focus in meditation. Furthermore, pride breaks down moral conduct (sīla), because the proud person follows the Vinaya not out of reverence for the Dharma and the teacher, but in order to boast or maintain a favorable image.

The sutta advises those who wish to enter practice to have a humble mind (khama-bhāvanā). Humility is not self-abasement or self-contempt, but a mindful heart that clearly recognizes one’s own limitations and faults while respecting the teachings of the Buddha and the elder members of the Sangha.