[Buddha-l] Re: H.H. The Dalai Lama vs Geshe Michael

[curt]

Wong Weng Fai wrote:
> On Sun, 20 Aug 2006, Richard Hayes wrote:
>
>   
>> Western Buddhists seem to be very eager to quote the Buddha's
>> observation that one can dismantle the raft when one gets to the
>> further shore.
>>     
>
> One observation I have (not sure if it is east or west or both): for a
> lot of people, the more learned/meditated/practiced/initiated the person
> is, the bigger the ego gets.
>
>
>   
I think skepticism is warranted with respect to an observation like 
that. In the US we have a pernicious anti-intellectualism that goes to 
the ludicrous extent of actually handicapping aspiring politicians who 
are "too smart". In fact, that very phenomenon would seem to indicate 
that less educated people have extremely sensitive, if not large, egos - 
at least in America.

In general, any kind of "accomplishment" (intellectual, scholarly or 
otherwise) entails the risk of "ego inflation". Nevertheless, people who 
are relatively unsuccessful at other things are often very successful in 
terms of cultivating large egos. Go figure.

- Curt