The Fetter of Conceit

The eighth from the last fetter, conceit (māna), is the tendency to prioritize one's self as the subject of everything experienced. It is to allow things to happen and the mind infers that there is a "self" in the middle of their being somewhere. Let's be clear; nothing is happening "within" this body except digestion and the rather gross processes by which we go on living (and are thankful for). Our extrapolation of reality stems from misapprehending these events. The body as a whole makes possible to development of consciousness like a radio antenna pulls in a signal and broadcasts it.   

While common pride involves feeling superior, the Buddhist definition of conceit is much broader (and more useful). It is the deep-seated habit of comparing oneself to others based on three categories: 

Superiority: "I am better than..." 

Equality: "I am equal to..." 

Inferiority: "I am worse than..." Even the thought "I am as good as you" or "I am the worst person here" is considered conceit because it reinforces the illusion of a solid, independent "I", one with talents or lack thereof. 

This "I-making" faculty remains a subtle "aftertaste" even after an individual has achieved significant spiritual milestones toward abandoning a self belief. We might wonder how we go through life without self-comparison. But we only need to know what we are doing and where we are to get by and make progress. We need to be completely in the moment with no longings to be anywhere else or doing anything else. Yes, we need to know if we are sick, slow, tone-deaf, or ignorant at any given milestone of life. This is a sort of comparison. But we don't need to compare ourselves at all, meaning we look for the causes of where we are in life and we simply accept reality as it is. Some will be in front and some behind. Some will be more proficient and some will be less. But no value judgment should be assigned to our being "better" or "worse" at anything. This, most would say, is easier said than done. Our conditioning in samsara runs deep. 

The antidote is simple: To break the fetter of conceit, practitioners focus on the impermanence of the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental fabrications, and consciousness). By seeing that no part of experience is a permanent "self," the "I am" obsession naturally fades with time. The cessation of conceit allows for the full fruition of unconditioned empathy and compassion. It allows wisdom to flow like a clear mountain stream.