Pages

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Lotuschef on Pride Before Fall.

Pride is an inwardly directed emotion that carries two common meanings.

With a negative connotation, pride refers to an inflated sense of one's personal status or accomplishments, often used synonymously with hubris

With a positive connotation, pride refers to a satisfied sense of attachment toward one's own or another's choices and actions, or toward a whole group of people, and is a product of praise, independent self-reflection, or a fulfilled feeling of belonging. 

Philosophers and social psychologists have noted that pride is a complex secondary emotion which requires the development of a sense of self and the mastery of relevant conceptual distinctions (e.g., that pride is distinct from happiness and joy) through language-based interaction with others.[1] 

Some social psychologists identify it as linked to a signal of high social status.[2] 

In contrast pride could also be defined as a disagreement with the truth. 

One definition of pride in the first sense comes from St. Augustine: "the love of one's own excellence".[3] In this sense, the opposite of pride is either humility or guilt; the latter in particular being a sense of one's own failure in contrast to Augustine's notion of excellence.

Pride is sometimes viewed as excessive or as a vice, sometimes as proper or as a virtue. 

While some philosophers such asAristotle (and George Bernard Shaw) consider pride a profound virtue, some world religions consider it a sin, such as is expressed in Proverbs 11:2 of the Old Testament.

Link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride

In Dharma context, Pride is another derivative of Negative or a Non-virtue.
However, Dualism of Virtue and Non-virtue exist or prevalent in all sentient minds.
As per 6th Patriarch's No Form Verse, Dualism also don't exist!

Let me tell a story.

Waiter AA, is a Chinese National, working at a restaurant. 
When I frist sighted him, he held his head up high and look pretty stern and uncompromising.
Sadly his target portrayal is Dignified!

Well, he assumed that his recommendation of dishes on the menu will all be accepted by the dining clients.
To his horror, the clients paid for the meal before the last dish was served. They claimed they did not agree to have that dish when ordering. 
The client also returned a bottle of beer which is unconsumed.
The supervisor reprimanded him and planned to deduct $40, the cost of the unconsumed dish from his wages. 
These daily waged individual will feel a great pinch in their pockets or heartache with a $40 deduction from their wages.

I sympathized with his having to pay dearly for his mistake. However, I sincerely hope he learns to be more service orientated and do not force orders on clients anymore. 

For a truly sincere cultivator on the Middle Path, Pride is not an issue or a hindrance as it does not exist, agree?

Remember the saying: Pride comes before a Fall. :)

Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef

No comments:

Post a Comment