Essay Writing of Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated
(Issue 15)
The relationship between arrogance and Disease
Instructor: Bennie Spirit
Shi Wuguang
Author: Wang Huaigu
0ct 13, 2023
Abstract
The relationship between arrogance and disease is a close causal one. It can cause both mental and physical disease . It affects the mental health of the individual, including anxiety, depression and other psychological disorders. Arrogance syndrome can also lead to neurological and brain disorders. High levels of arrogance and self-importance can lead to psychological stress, which in turn can adversely affect the immune system and cardiovascular health, as well as corresponding physical disease . Arrogance inevitably invites disease. The root cause of Arrogance is greed.
Keywords: Arrogance , disease, psychological illness, Arrogance Syndrome, physical illness.
Chapter 1 Introduction
As a pre-study topic, this chapter first clarifies the motivation and purpose of this study, then explores the current status of the study from the literature review, and then gives a statement on the structure of the whole paper. Since I was a child, I have heard that many people suffer from various diseases, but I don’t know what they are, not to mention the real reason , I only think that this is a natural law, everyone can’t escape, it’s very normal.
It was only when I grew up and studied Buddhism that I realized that illnesses are related to vexations such as greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and doubt. In view of the fact that “I can’t pick the leaves and find the branches of a disease when the root cause of the disease is confirmed by the Buddha”, in order to dispel the confusion in one’s minds, the author will, based on my own studies of sutras and medical and scientific knowledge, make a preliminary inquiry into the root cause of this disease, with a view to better understanding the relationship between arrogance and disease.
This article first defines the relationship between arrogance and illness, and then utilizes scientific and medical research findings to explore the two major aspects of mental and physical illnesses that can be caused by arrogance. Arrogance may have a negative impact on an individual’s mental health, including psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression, as well as physical disorders such as those of the immune system and cardiovascular system. Finally, it is concluded that arrogance can lead to various physical and psychological diseases, and that there is a causal relationship between arrogance and disease.
The text is divided into four chapters: Chapter 1: Introduction; Chapter 2: The Concept of Arrogance and Disease; Chapter 3: The Relationship between Arrogance and Psychological Disease; Chapter 4: The Relationship between Arrogance and Physical Disease; and Chapter 5: Conclusion.
Chapter 2 Concepts of Arrogance and Disease
The main reason why people are arrogant is because of the role of self-esteem and special self-perception. Before exploring the relationship between arrogance and illness, let us first understand what arrogance is, namely the definition of arrogance. In Buddhism, there are seven precise definitions of “arrogance”, that is, there are seven different types of arrogance. According to the Dharani Sutra of Protecting the Lord of the Realm of the State, it is discussed as follows:
Saddening beings give rise to all arrogance: arrogance, excessive arrogance , more excessive arrogance, arrogance of myself, increasing arrogance, lowly arrogance and evil arrogance. What is arrogance ? It means that I am better than inferior sentient beings. To say excessive arrogance, it means that I am better than those who are equal to me. To say more excessive arrogance, it means that I am better than those who surpass myself. To say arrogance of myself, it means that I am the form, and even the conciousness so that my mind is exalted. To say increasing arrogance, he says to others that he has attained the holy dharma when the increasing holy dharma has never been attained by him. To say lowly arrogance, he says to others that he is a little inferior than those who are more superior than him in many ways. To say evil arrogance , he considers himself to be right in the midst of his own evil views and immoralities, but considers them to be evil.
From this, we can see the various specific undesirable manifestations of the arrogance of sentient beings.
The Vajrayana Sutra also mentions the ten kinds of arrogance karma, “Bodhisattva Mahasattva has ten kinds of arrogance karma. What are the ten? They are: not respecting and making offerings to the fields of respectful blessings, monks, acharyas, parents, sramanas, and brahmanas…”
From this we can see that the ten kinds of arrogance karma of the Bodhisattva are both vast and subtle, and that one must indeed be careful in what one says and acts, or else one will easily fall into them.
In addition, coveting one’s own honor and defending one’s dignity are all called arrogance. Anything that disrespects others is arrogance. If one’s arrogance is inflated , one will always think that everything is normal, deserved, and natural, and one may even reach the point of saying, ” The roots of goodness of those who do not know kindness are cut off .” In short, the root of arrogance is all kinds of greed.
In addition, arrogance is manifested in various ways in personal behavior and thinking:
Arrogance and self-importance: This is characterized by an overconfidence in one’s own abilities and insights, and a tendency to see oneself as superior to others.
Self-centeredness: A preoccupation with oneself, often ignoring the feelings and needs of others.
Contempt for others: disdain for the views and opinions of others, believing that one’s own views are the only correct ones.
Vanity: seeks fame, power and external recognition, and social status.
Difficulty in accepting criticism: may become angry or defensive about criticism from others, believing that they are always right.
Social Difficulties: May have difficulty establishing and maintaining healthy social relationships due to arrogance and self-centeredness.
The definition of arrogance is clear. What is disease? Diseases can be categorized into physical and mental illnesses. Physical disease is the body in a certain cause of the damaging effect, due to the disturbance of self-stabilizing regulation and the occurrence of abnormal life activity process. The real physical disease, ordinary people usually think that people feel very painful is to call disease. In fact, the real disease, pain is only one of them, and even soreness, numbness, hot and cold, inflation are diseases.
Psychological disease is vexation disease, simply divided into five major disease of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance and suspicion, the fine points will have infinite dust and sand vexation disease. Including what we often call the five annoying and six mania , bad moods are also mental illnesses.
Chapter 3 The Relationship Between Arrogance and Mental Illness
This article focuses on the relationship between pride or arrogance and mental illness: analyzing how pride affects an individual’s mental health, including mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Pride may have a negative impact on an individual’s mental health, including mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Pride is causally related to other mental illnesses. The impact of pride on mental health and some of the relevant research evidence will be explored in detail below.
1. Pride and Anxiety
Self-expectation and anxiety: Prideful people may set very high standards in terms of self-expectation, and they may be afraid of not being able to meet these standards, leading to anxiety. They may fear failure and being seen by others as weak, which can increase the risk of anxiety.
Social Anxiety: Arrogant people may worry excessively about what others think and fear that they will not perform well in social situations. This can lead to social anxiety, making it more difficult for them to build healthy social relationships. According to research, children with bullying behaviors are at risk of growing up to be adults with social anxiety disorders.
2. Pride and Depression
Pride can lead to depression.
Ego and self-esteem: Prideful people may be so concerned with their own self-worth that they are overly influenced by failure or criticism. When they are unable to meet the high standards they set for themselves, they may feel self-depreciating and depressed.
Loneliness and inability to accept criticism: arrogant people may have difficulty accepting criticism, which they may interpret as an attack on themselves. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and depression.
Here is some research evidence that supports the relationship between pride and anxiety and depression:
A study published in Psychological Bulletin found a positive association between high levels of self-reported pride and social anxiety. These studies suggest that excessive pride may be associated with a link between anxiety and depression. While pride itself does not necessarily lead to these psychological problems, people who are proud may be more susceptible to these problems because their psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns make them more likely to feel stress and emotional distress.
3. Pride Syndrome and its Neurological and Brain Diseases
David Owen and Jonathan Davidson, in a 2009 article published in Brain Magazine, stated that, “Arrogance syndrome is a disease of power. Its 14 clinical features include contempt for others, loss of contact with reality, restlessness or rashness, and incompetence. On the verbal level, there is a tendency to use the third person, “our royal family”; overconfidence; and extreme self-confidence.
”Arrogance Syndrome” is often an informal term used to describe people who display extreme self-importance, arrogance, and self-centeredness. These people may display irrational self-confidence, contempt for others, a strong sense of vanity, and an overconfidence in their own abilities and insights.
Although “arrogance syndrome” is not an official psychological or medical diagnosis, it can sometimes be recognized as a specific personality trait or psychological attribute. These traits can affect an individual’s social interactions, professional relationships, and general sense of well-being.
Arrogance syndrome can also bring about brain changes and disease: The neurological basis for it is what Keltner calls the “power paradox”: “Once we have power, arrogance tends to expand rapidly, and we lose the ability to get it in the first place. Sukhwinder Obhay, a neuroscientist at McMaster University in Ontario, describes it similarly. Unlike Keltner, who studies behavior, he studies the brain.When he subjected powerful and less powerful brains to transcranial magnetic stimulation, he found that, in fact, power or arrogance impaired a specific neural process, a “mirroring” that may be the cornerstone of empathy. This provides the neurological basis for Keltner’s ‘power paradox’: once we have power, we feed our arrogance, which impairs a particular neural process, and we lose some of the ability we need to gain power in the first place.
This loss of ability has been demonstrated in a number of creative experiments. In a 2006 study, participants were asked to write on their foreheads for others to see the letter E. This was a task that required them to observe themselves from an observer’s point of view. People with a sense of power were three times more likely to write the exact shape of the letter E, but the opposite was true for others. Other experiments have shown that people with a sense of power are less likely to recognize the feelings of a person in a photograph or to guess how a colleague would interpret a passage. This is because arrogance damages his nerves and brain.
It is now thought that Pride Syndrome may be linked to two neurotransmitters in the brain: serotonin and dopamine. The former makes people more confident, and overconfidence can lead to arrogance. The latter causes schizophrenic symptoms such as fantasies and delusions.
Serotonin is another neurotransmitter that, like dopamine, has an unknowable correlation with success. Simply put, dopamine influences the decision-making process, while serotonin directly determines how decisions are made. Similarly, serotonin can be influenced by a wide range of personal behaviors; people who exercise, think positively, and are motivated achieve great success, but of course, being overly motivated can also lead to arrogance. Dopamine is involved in the transmission of sensory information and is an important substance for maintaining emotional stability and transmitting excitement. It is the key part of the body that controls human emotions and delusions. An increase in dopamine in this area may lead to schizophrenic symptoms such as fantasies and delusions.
To summarize, arrogance can bring about psychological disorders such as neurological, cerebral, and delusional disorders.
Chapter 4 The Relationship Between Arrogance and Physical Illness
There is a causal relationship between arrogance and mental illness. Is there also a causal relationship between arrogance and physical illness? Arrogance is causally related to physical illness, and arrogance is causally related to physical illness. When we explore how pride may trigger a physical stress response, we can see a complex interaction between psychological states and physical health. High levels of pride and self-importance can lead to psychological stress, which in part can affect physiological processes, including the immune and cardiovascular systems. Here are some key considerations for the relationship between pride and the physical stress response:
Hormone Secretion: High levels of pride may lead to the secretion of hormones, particularly adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are commonly associated with the stress response and can trigger physiologic changes such as raising the heart rate, elevating blood pressure, and enhancing the immune system’s response.
IMMUNE SYSTEM: Arrogance can lead to a weakened immune system. While it is vital for the immune system to respond to external threats, prolonged psychological stress and strain may lead to a weakened immune system, making individuals more susceptible to infections and illness. This may include colds, infections, autoimmune diseases, and more.
Hypertension: pride and ego can lead to chronic psychological stress, which can adversely affect the cardiovascular system. Chronic stress can trigger high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Inflammatory response: pride may trigger a chronic inflammatory response. Long-term chronic inflammation has been linked to a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Pride and arrogance may lead to a more aggressive inflammatory response, which increases the risk of these diseases.
Lifestyle: Pride or conceit may also influence an individual’s lifestyle choices. For example, someone may be reluctant to take medical advice, ignore health risks, or make unhealthy lifestyle choices such as excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise, all of which can lead to physical health and disease problems.
In conclusion, there is an inextricable causal relationship between pride, which may trigger the body’s stress response through a variety of pathways, adversely affecting the immune system and cardiovascular health as well as corresponding physical illnesses.
Chapter 5 Conclusion
Chronic illness can lead to a variety of physical and psychological disorders, and there is a close causal relationship between arrogance and disease.
At present, there is relatively little research data on the relationship between arrogance and disease, and there are some limitations to this research. Future research may be directed at how to subdue and control arrogance in order to minimize human disease.
Bibliography
I. Ancient Texts (in chronological order)
1. 〔Dongjin〕Translated by Fotuobatuoluo: the Flower Adornment Sutra, vol. 09 of Dazhengzang.
2. [Tang] Translated by Prajnaparamuni Shili: The Dharani Sutra of the Lord of the Protectorate of the Realm of the State, Chapter. 3 of Vol 19, Da Zheng Zang.
II. OTHERS
1. Porne Millet: What is Social Anxiety Disorder, URL: https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/344562904#, Date of Retrieval: 13/10/2023.
2. Spiritual Psychology, URL: https://www.medsci.cn/article/show_article.do?id=5813e27437dd, Date of Retrieval: October 13, 2023
3. Default (GPT-3.5): https://chat.openai.com/c/91c27660-2524-4042-9f77-2164a01e4129, date of retrieval: 13/110/2023.