The Gate of Pride: Why Did the Buddha Scold a Wealthy Monk?

At an ancient temple, there lived a monk who had ordained late in life. He kept all of his possessions, lived in a private quarters attended by servants, and dressed and ate in comfort. When other monks complained, the Buddha gently rebuked him. The monk's pride was wounded, and he stripped off his robes in front of the assembly. Have you ever felt your pride wounded when someone reminded you, even with the gentlest words? This story is not merely an old tale; it is a mirror for us today.

When Possessions Remain, the Heart Has Not Let Go

That monk had shaved his head, yet he remained an owner of property, still had people serving him, and still lived like a worldly man. The Buddha taught that one who ordains should give away all possessions and live in harmony with the Sangha. But this monk, hearing only a mild rebuke, flared up with wounded pride.

"He flares up with wounded pride whenever anyone scolds him, even his own teacher. He said: 'I will not show my face anymore.' And he stripped off his robes right there in front of the assembly."

Today, many people are the same: they ordain yet still keep their possessions, still cling to their families. The Buddha once said that a person of sixty years of age should not receive ordination as a monk, according to the rules, though there are cases where flexibility is allowed. However, someone who ordains while keeping a backup plan, ready to run home if anything goes wrong, will surely return to lay life.

"Ordaining means having no backup plan, no home to return to if things go wrong. If you still have a house and a door, you will fall back to lay life immediately."

Letting go of possessions is the same as letting go of worldly habits. Many people enter the temple still carrying the air of an official or a general, because their worldly habits have not been fully uprooted.

A Past-Life Story: Knowing How to Yield to Goodness

The Buddha then told a story from the past: A king had three princes, and the eldest was a bodhisattva. Because of a scheme by the second queen, the three brothers had to flee to the mountains. When they reached the edge of a lake, the two younger brothers were seized by a yaksha demon, because they could not expound the noble dharma. When the eldest brother arrived, the yaksha demanded: "Speak to me the dharma of the noble ones." The eldest brother spoke of love, humility, and gentleness. The yaksha was deeply impressed and released one of the younger brothers. The eldest brother then asked that the other brother, born of a different mother, be released first, so that everyone would know that love makes no distinctions. The yaksha respected him even more, released both brothers, and served the three brothers for the rest of his life.

"A noble one is someone who has great love for all people. In their heart there is deep humility; they never see themselves as important. They live a life of gentleness and reverence, even while being very serious."

That is knowing how to yield to goodness: knowing how to admit one's faults and bow before the truth. Even a fierce yaksha could yield to goodness; how much more should we.

Asceticism Is Not the Goal

The verse from the Dhammapada teaches that even if one goes naked, wears matted hair, covers oneself in ashes, fasts, rolls on the ground, lives in filth, or squats — such austerities do not make one a person of goodness if doubt has not been uprooted from the heart.

"If doubt is not ended, then even if one goes naked, wears matted hair, smears oneself with ashes, fasts, rolls on the ground, lives in filth, or squats, one is still not a person of goodness."

The harsher the outward appearance, the more it feeds the ego. A true practitioner is one who has subdued doubt, afflictions (kleshas), and unwholesomeness within the mind.

Pride — The First Gate

In the story, the monk's pride was wounded when the Buddha scolded him. The Buddha asked: "In the past, when you heard me teach about yielding to goodness, why do you now behave so badly?" The monk realized his fault and repented. Wounded pride is the first obstacle for a practitioner.

"If someone scolds or blames you and your pride is wounded, then the first gate has not yet been passed. There are still many challenges on the path of practice."

Even as laypeople, we need to train ourselves to overcome wounded pride. My teacher once said, the moment someone glares at us, we are already a little angry. But if we can swallow harsh words without justifying ourselves, without arguing, without getting angry, that is truly opening the gate to the noble path.

Practicing How to Swallow Harsh Words

There is a very charming story: An abbot walked into the kitchen and saw a snake's head in the soup pot. He said nothing, only picked up the snake's head with his chopsticks and lifted it. The cook snatched it and put it straight into his mouth and chewed. That is swallowing harsh words.

"Swallowing harsh words means not getting angry, not feeling wounded pride, not justifying yourself, not arguing — nothing at all."

When we are scolded unjustly, we can listen calmly without flaring up. This is a practice, not a theory.

Repentance to Dissolve the Ego

In Buddhism, there is the practice of repentance before the assembly. Bowing to our brothers and sisters to apologize and repent dissolves the ego. It is a very effective way to cut through wounded pride.

"Nothing brings as much happiness as bowing to our brothers and sisters to apologize, to repent, and to make our ego vanish completely."

Let us practice repentance even now as laypeople. When we come to the temple, we can admit our faults before our teacher and our brothers and sisters, and feel our hearts grow light.

The gate of pride is the first gate. Only those who pass through it can open the gate to the noble path. Let us begin today: when someone offers us feedback, let us smile and say thank you. Do not let wounded pride seal off your heart. Turn inward, put down the ego, and become a true practitioner.