The Virtues of Being Humble and Sorry Enough
The Virtues of Being Humble and Sorry Enough
The compassionate feel "sorry" - even for the unwise who do not feel sorry. -stonepeace
Ironically, one of the ways to gauge the spiritual greatness of an unenlightened person is not by how often one appears to be great, but by how readily one appears "not so great" - through frank admittance of their imperfections. In other words, the truly great are those who are truly humble. Those who assume themselves to be great are indeed "great" - in arrogance though. We should note that deciding whether someone is humble by appearance is unfair - because one can appear humble, while nursing great arrogance that one appears humble! One can never know how humble one truly is, until we undergo experiences that truly require the actual practice of humility. Such an opportunity would include having made a mistake, thereupon "needing" to offer an open personal apology - despite the fact that one could get away without giving one. If you are to observe carefully, you might be shocked by the number of people around you, who only appear courteously humble, who seldom readily apologise for their mistakes, who simply walk away from their mistakes with no expression of remorse.
What is wrong with not being humble? Much indeed. To be humble is to be the opposite of being egoistic. Egocentrism is the antithesis of the realisation and actualisation of the truth of non-self. It is the clinging to one's unsubstantial and thus illusory "ego". To practise humility is to "battle" against one's "ego" - by letting it go. As long as one is not fully enlightened, there is the need to be humble, so as to learn - simply because we are truly not great enough and should not be proud. What's more, if even the enlightened continually conduct themselves in a humble manner, much more should we. But what about personal dignity? Well, there's no need to be proud to gain respect. And we can still stand up for the truth firmly without being haughty. It is hypocritical to be "over-humble" though, which becomes patronising. Those who over-apologise might be ungenuine. The direct opposite of being egoistic, it is the other extreme away from the Middle Path of humility. Yes, it is not extreme to be humble - because to be so is to function in sync with the truth that there is no "ego" to be proud about.
The truly humble are also highly sensitive in a good way - even for the most minor of mistakes to the tiniest of sentient beings. Even if one were to accidentally frighten an insect, one would naturally feel apologetic. Every misgiving is paid attention to. This is the quality of highly attuned compassion at play. Feeling apologetic, one would be determined to be more mindful of the welfare of others and their feelings, and to never repeat mistakes. Having mentioned much on the value of humility, it is hard to imagine the possibility of anyone being able to advance spiritually in compassion and wisdom, while being proud. Here is my challenge to you, to help you advance spiritually too... Make a list of people you know, whom you still owe an apology. Set resolutions and deadlines to sincerely apologise to every one of them. Dissolve any discovered grudges, and never assume there are no grudges. This is kindness to others and oneself, because it resolves the negative karmic affinities between. Remember - it's never too late to humbly say sorry. To not realise this, is indeed something sorry. -Shen Shi'an
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Namaste,
Ben, Licensed Unity Teacher as of 1/1/07
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30th October 2006, 09:11 PM
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