Perfection, Elitism and Excellence
Original source: satipanya.org.uk
Bhante Bodhidhamma explores the psychological suffering that arises from perfectionism and elitism, contrasting these with the healthier approach of excellence. Drawing from his own experiences in Sri Lanka, he recounts how observing incomplete tasks by gardeners and monks initially frustrated him, until he realized he was placing the same impossible pressure on his meditation practice. Through the simple act of deliberately leaving a corner of his room unswept, he learned to accept imperfection and found relief from self-judgment.
The essay examines how perfectionism creates anxiety and competition, leading to the three types of conceit (māna) that the Buddha identified: feeling superior, inferior, or equal to others. Bhante distinguishes between destructive perfectionism and healthy excellence, which is relative and personal—doing one's best within present circumstances and capabilities. He illustrates this with examples ranging from children's drawings to philosophical achievements, showing how elitism judges people's worth by their performance rather than their inherent dignity.
This teaching offers practical wisdom for meditation practitioners who struggle with self-criticism and competitive attitudes in their spiritual practice, encouraging a more compassionate and realistic approach to personal development.
Perfection, Elitism and Excellence
What a pain perfection is!
What do we mean by it? Can there ever be a perfect painting? Can there be a perfect cake?
Or a perfectly washed plate! Can there ever be a perfect meditation period?
Who decides?
Are we not talking about personal interpretation? What is perfect to one is not quite up to
the mark for another.
And everything becomes tight. This is how it should be. There
And when I fail, as I must, the misery. m no good. It stand myself.
And how can one possibly reach perfection in a changing world? In a relative world? Where
is there an objective standard? And if there is one, who decided it was? Cant be that
objective then!
I was cured of a lot of my obsession for perfection in Sri Lanka. Id just installed myself in
a kuti (monastic hut). A gardener came to cut back the weeds and sweep out the leaves
and so give me a head start. As he was leaving, I pointed out that he hadnt finished the
job. There was still a strip of garden to be cleared. , he said. I never saw him again! I was
annoyed. Why couldnt he finish the job properly! It was the same with the monks. They
swept the leaves on the paths and open ground, but there it was. A little bit left. I was so
miffed!
Then I woke up! I saw what pressure I was putting on myself and my meditation to be
prefect. Right, I thought, enough of that! Every morning I swept out my room, thoroughly.
But now I decided to leave a corner unswept. How it clawed on the mind! A few days passed
and I was ok with it. I even stopped being so judgemental about my meditation. What a
relief!
Now excellence is something else. It is relative. It is dependent on the person. When a child
drew a picture of me without my nose, it was excellent. When an artist friend painted a
portrait of me, it was excellent.
Itt do better. Nor that another couldns just that now, this very moment, Im doing the best I
can.
Thatt it?
So wheres the anxiety coming from?
It might be real. I might not be good enough. Maybe I will lose my job. But thatve to accept
Ive over-reached myself.
But I still feel anxious. And jealousy of others? Am I still in competition? Still competitive?
Ive slipped into the error of elitism. Here I am comparing! Im worse than you. And at a
more subtle level I in equal, of course, simply means Ive found a companion in conceit.
Someone I can join to compare ourselves against all those who are superior or inferior to
us!
When I win, I feel great! When I lose, I feel miserable!
Thats the three conceits the Buddha talks about.
Thats grief.
And worse.
Elitism judges the person by how good they are at doing something, achieving something.
Take reading. Some people are poor readers, some speed readers. Bertrand Russell, the
philosopher, read an Agatha Christie novel in 15 min. Dont we tend to rate people according
to their cleverness. To be clever is to be a good person. Hence, a slow reader cant be a very
good person. So if a slow reader thinks they are no good till they can speed read, then they
suffer from the effects of elitism.
Best to stay within my limits.�� No pain! What a joy it is just to do things the best I can.
Now thats excellent!