The more I learn about various schools of Buddhism — Theravada and Mahayana in particular — the more clearly I see their claim of superiority over each other. An ancient claim. An unavoidable claim. And also a very human claim that finds fertile soil in our Western culture that programs us to get ahead of the competition no matter what it takes. In our weakest moments, this tendency clouds our judgment and clear seeing.
In contemplating this tendency, I was reminded of new research by an eminent scholar Bhikkhu Analayo now published as Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions: a Historical Perspective. (It’s worth noting the book also covers secular Buddhism, a phenomenon similar to secular Christianity, that aims to transform and adapt ancient teachings to fit the modern world; the world of both religious and scientific dogma — two unskilful extremes that keep us stuck in the dichotomy of science and religion, and which Albert Einstein described beautifully by writing that “mere thinking cannot give us a sense of the ultimate and fundamental ends,” and “to make clear these fundamental ends and valuations, and to set them fast in the emotional life of the individual, seems to me precisely the most important function which religion has to perform in the social life of man.”)
In the final chapter of the book, having examined the main types of superiority conceit in Theravada, Mahayana, and secular Buddhism, Bhikkhu Analayo writes:
Instead of appropriating the historical Buddha to authenticate one’s personal or group beliefs, the true seal of authentication for any Buddhist practitioner can be found by putting into practice the central discovery of the historical Buddha: emptiness, or not self. It is by diminishing ego, letting go of arrogance, and abandoning conceit that one becomes a better Buddhist, no matter what tradition one may follow.
We can find freedom from ego on the path laid out by the Buddha two and half millennia ago and expounded in his teaching on the Noble Eightfold Path.
This path becomes light in the darkness that bridges immense expanse between rivalries — light that leads us out of the cave of ignorance to see the very essence of the Sun, the ultimate truth of complete liberation.
In consonance with deep ecologist John Seed’s insistence on going beyond anthropocentrism and echoing poet Wendell Berry’s call for realization that what is good for the world will be good for us, Bhikkhu Analayo writes:
The need to give up superiority conceit in its various Buddhist manifestations is required not only from the viewpoint of Buddhist doctrine, but also in light of the current crisis faced by humanity on this planet. The superiority conceit of human beings in relation to the natural environment, in the form of the assumption that nature can be exploited without concern for possible consequences, has led to a crisis: the repercussions of climate change and ecological destruction are threatening to escalate to a point at which human life on this planet can no longer be sustained. It is already too late to prevent mass extinction of species and a serious deterioration of living conditions. But it is not yet too late to prevent a total catastrophe.
In this situation, members of all Buddhist traditions need to collaborate in a spirit of mutual respect, in order to apply the medicine of the Dharma for maximum effect in countering the mental disease responsible for the current crisis. The historical Buddha’s teachings on ethics of the mind can be relied on to counter the irresponsibility of materialism and its rampant greed, together with employing the practices of Buddhist mental culture to find a middle path between the extremes of denial and despair. In this way, as an expression of the conjunction of compassion and emptiness as well as an implementation of internal and external dimensions of mindfulness, stepping out of various forms of superiority conceit could pave the way for a collaboration of members of all Buddhist traditions in doing the needful to ensure that future generations can still benefit from the liberating message of the Buddha.
Complement these insightful passages from Superiority Conceit in Buddhist Traditions with a short two-minute excerpt from the interview with Bhikkhu Analayo, where he talks more about how respecting all Buddhist traditions helps us overcome differences and gain a deeper understanding of the Buddha’s teachings.
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