Subduing Jealousy and Arrogance

When feelings of jealousy arise within oneself, introspect and analyze the reason behind this jealousy. When arrogance arises, introspect to understand why such arrogance emerged. After identifying the cause, one must use the principles learned to persuade and guide oneself, thereby subduing jealousy and arrogance. Before attaining fruition (of the path) or the first dhyāna (meditative absorption), one can only subdue, not eradicate, afflictions such as jealousy and arrogance. Generally, people feel jealous because others have stolen their spotlight, preventing their own "I" from standing out, or because they have failed to gain the benefits they hoped for. When the mind harbors concepts of "self" and "others," it inevitably leads to comparison, breeding an unwillingness for anyone to surpass or be better than oneself.

Due to jealousy, any group will inevitably experience disputes, mutual exclusion, suppression, and struggles over power and resources; conflict becomes unavoidable. Within a community of the Three Jewels (the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha), if such jealousy is not subdued, it can easily lead to schism within the monastic order. If it results in the schism of the Sangha, that constitutes the sin leading to the Avici hell (the hell of uninterrupted suffering).