An Explanation on Principles

on what the buddha taught

Home

Māna is often translated as conceit.

Of the ten yokes the first three are cut by the stream-undergoer (sotāpanna), the next two are weakened by the once-heading-back-one (sakadāgāmin), the first five by the not-heading-back-one (anāgāmin) and the remaining five by the virtuous-one (arahant). Māna is one of those last yokes; thus as long as not enlightened, there is māna. Now conceit is excessive pride in oneself. But when we see someone acting selflessly would we then say this person is acting out of conceit? That feels a bit weird right? So how can we let this make sense?

'I was', 'I saw', 'I did', 'I want', 'I said', 'I feel', 'I think', ... if someone would use these in several sentences within a short period of time, we could think that this person is really full of him/her self. We could say that he/she is 'making it about him/her self' hence conceit. But suppose someone was asked a lot of questions like 'Where were you?', 'What did you see?', 'What did you do?', then answering them with 'I was', 'I saw', etc. wouldn't automatically mean this person must be full of him/her self. So, conceit is more about 'making it about you while it is not about you'. At undergoing the stream, heading-back-once and not-heading-back 'not self' is understood, yet a sense of self is left (SN22.89). And this sense of self is regarding things which are not self (the pañc'upādānakkhandhā), so this too is 'making it about self while it is not about self'. In this way it got the characteristics of conceit, hence conceit. Conceit, arrogance, pride, etc. are manifestations of this principle of conceit.

Having that said, the dictionary also shows that māna can also mean honour, respect, and there is a third meaning in the form of measure. An English word which would cover all the three meanings is esteem of which the most subtlest form is the self-esteem 'I am' (asmimāna), which is a form of measurement. Thus not only does esteem seem to fit better, it also steers a bit away from selfishness or ego to which māna might perhaps be reduced to. And it might be that esteem can more easily be associated with holding ('held in high esteem'). And what can be held can be let go.

Pāḷi-English

Māna esteem.