Four Steps from the Self to Hell

From attachment to self, to attachment to views, to selfishness, and then to cruelty—there are only four steps. This is a story about the danger of the ego and how to practice in order to transcend it.

On the dharma seat, amid the quiet drift of incense smoke, the Teacher's gaze slowly moved across the faces of those seated below. Outside, the afternoon sun had grown pale, and a few birds hurried home to their nests. Inside the lecture hall, the air was so still that one could clearly hear the sigh of a Buddhist practitioner lost deep in thought. The Teacher began to speak, his voice deep, warm, and clear:

"Today we will speak about the self. Have you ever asked yourselves why you always feel you are so important, why you always feel you are the center of the universe?"

At this question, many bowed their heads gently. Someone suddenly remembered their childhood, when they too had once wondered: "Could it be that every person has their own separate world, feeling sorrow and joy, anger and delight, just as I do?" That feeling, as we grow up, becomes familiar and seems perfectly ordinary. But today, sitting under the temple roof and listening to the Teacher, everyone suddenly recognized it as the invisible self, so difficult to break through.

The Teacher told a story: "There were two Buddhist practitioners; let us call them A and B. A was displeased with B, and from that arose unkind thoughts about B. A came to report to me, saying that B was terrible, worthy of blame. I listened, but I knew B was not as bad as A believed. It was only that a speculation had arisen in A's mind, and that speculation grew larger and larger, clouding everything else. I remained silent, waiting for the moment A would see it for himself. But A was too hasty. He spread the matter throughout the halls, speaking ill of B in front of many people."

The Teacher's voice grew lower, with a touch of severity: "When the matter grew serious, I had to speak up: 'For brothers and sisters to speak ill of one another is not acceptable. Even with ordinary people who are not Buddhists, we would not have the heart to gossip behind their backs—how much less with fellow practitioners on the same path. As long as I have not judged anyone, no one else has the right to judge another.'"

Hearing this, A was displeased and became resentful, and there were words exchanged back and forth. Only much later did A recognize his own fault, and he came to the temple to offer repentance. The Teacher did not analyze at length whether B was at fault or not. He said only one brief sentence:

"You cling too tightly to your own views. When a thought arises in you, you see it as absolutely right. That alone is enough to become a fault, a conflict, karma."

The whole lecture hall fell silent. Everyone saw some part of themselves in that story. The Teacher continued: "Attachment to self, if we are not careful, will move from attachment to views, to selfishness, and then to cruelty. There are only four steps, and each one is close to the next. From attachment to self born of ignorance—which everyone has—if we do not know how to practice, we will become people stubborn in our opinions. Stubbornness in opinion, if not removed, gives rise to selfishness, caring only for our own pleasure. Selfishness, if not stopped, becomes cruelty. And once we are cruel, the gates of hell already stand open, waiting for us."

The Teacher looked around and spoke slowly: "Consider this: if I told you to raise the intention to harm someone, could you do it? Certainly not. We know the path, we are accustomed to keeping the precepts, accustomed to releasing living beings. Now, if we are angry with someone and told to raise a hand and strike them, we could not even do that. But if selfishness and arrogance are nurtured in a favorable environment, then what is so hard about striking another person? Hell opens at once."

A practitioner seated below murmured softly: "Yes, Teacher, I am very afraid. But how can we avoid this attachment to self?"

The Teacher smiled, his eyes gentle: "You must remain vigilant at all times. Never think you are already secure. Even when your mind is pure, attachment to self can grow greater than in an ordinary person. There are those who practice meditation, whose minds are gathered and who appear serene on the outside, but inside they think, 'My mind is the Buddha; there is no need to bow to a Buddha outside.' Such a person believes himself accomplished, when in truth his arrogance has grown greater than that of someone who never practiced at all. Remember: a gentle and humble person is one whose attachment to self is light. But a practitioner who gives rise to arrogance, whose attachment to self is heavy, will fall harder and suffer far more."

The Teacher paused, then went on: "You see, the same person, when meeting a fellow Buddhist, is a teacher and must behave with proper respect. When out on the street and meeting a police officer, he is a violator and must humble himself and pay the fine. At home, he is a child and must observe filial respect toward his parents. Each circumstance, each person we meet, brings a different relationship. A person of virtue and wisdom will know how to handle each situation skillfully. But one who lacks these, who only follows the ego, will bring untold suffering upon himself and others."

The lecture hall sank into silence. Many sitting there looked back into their own hearts and saw more clearly the seeds of attachment to self quietly growing within. Today's lesson was nothing distant or remote—it lay right in every thought, word, and action of daily life. With just a little vigilance, a little humility, we can keep ourselves from those four descending steps. And if we should stumble, there is still time to turn back—to bow to the Buddha, to offer repentance, and through the blessing of merit, to guard and protect our own mind and heart.

The Meaning of the Story

The lesson that Venerable Thích Chân Quang wished to convey is this: the ego is the root of all suffering. From attachment to self, to attachment to views, to selfishness, and then to cruelty, there are only four steps—but if we are not vigilant, we will fall into hell right here in this very life. The only way to transcend it is to remain always humble, to practice letting go of the ego, to bow to the Buddha and rely on his blessings, and to treat all people with virtue and wisdom.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.