Rethinking Modesty and Humility through the Lens of Mahāyāna Buddhism

This paper explores the concept of modesty and humility through the lens of Mahāyāna Buddhism, offering a perspective that contrasts with and enriches contemporary Western philosophical discussions on humility. While modesty has been extensively examined in Western thought, this paper proposes an alternative view, drawing on key Buddhist teachings. The first section of the paper investigates Western philosophical approaches to modesty, while addressing the challenges and critiques each perspective faces. In the second section, the paper shifts to Mahāyāna Buddhist perspectives on modesty and humility, with a focus on selected teachings from Langri Tangpa's Eight Verses for Training the Mind and Śāntideva’s Bodhicaryāvatāra. Through these texts, the paper examines how humility in Mahāyāna Buddhism is framed not as an individual cognitive or emotional stance but as a relational virtue grounded in interdependence, compassion, and the practice of bodhicitta (altruistic intention). The paper argues that Mahāyāna Buddhism offers a distinctive and philosophically robust account of humility—one that challenges us to rethink the self, revalue our relationships, and reimagine virtue as a collective, liberative project. In doing so, it not only enriches the conceptual understanding of modesty but also exemplifies the broader promise of cross-cultural philosophical dialogue.

کلیدواژه ها:

Modesty ، Humility ، Mahāyāna Buddhism ، Self-Cherishing