Abhidhamma followers are conceited?

[RobertK]

Someone thought those who know Abhidhamma get conceited.

Like any rigorous subject – those who gain some proficiency, no matter how superficial, may have conceit based on that. Still if there is genuine investigation of the present
moment, based on what is said in the Abhidhamma and the rest of the
Tipitaka, then conceit should (but no guarantee) become more
apparent - and thus gradually its ugly nature discerned.

The Book of Analysis (Vibhanga,Ch 17, 832) gives a list of the objects
on account of which pride and conceit can arise:

“Pride of birth; pride of clan; pride of health; pride
of youth; pride of life; pride of gain; pride of being
honoured; pride of being respected; pride of
prominence; pride of having adherents; pride of
wealth; pride of appearance; pride of erudition; pride
of intelligence; pride of being a knowledgeable
authority; pride of being (a regular) alms collector;
accomplishment; pride of popularity; pride of being
moral; pride of jhana; pride of dexterity; pride of
being tall; pride of (bodily) proportion; pride of
form; pride of (bodily) perfection…”

Conceit has been accumulated and thus it will find an object. Maybe we have conceit because we follow suttas, not Abhidhamma, or our group keeps strict vinaya , they don’t. We studied Dhamma for many years and so on..

Not only defilements like conceit should be known: “In the same manner consciousness on
account is eye and forms is eye consciousness. Consciousness on account of
ear and sounds is ear consciousness.” These dhammas need to be
known. And visible object is arising now, as is the consciousness
that experiences it- the only question is whether there is any
direct insight into its actual nature or not. Is there sati or is
there neglect. Or is there some sort of imitation sati that knows
something about the characteristic of seeing but with the subtle
idea that “I” made the sati arise? Only we ourselves can know and
even then we may fool ourselves or overestimate our understanding.

It’s bound to be intellectual and unclear in the
beginning (and we are all beginners), but perhaps gradually a little more understanding grows that is a little more refined and understands a more precisely for an instant only. In
between there is thinking (not necessarily in words) and wondering and doubting, but these are all realities which are explained in the Abhidhamma and which should be
known too. Then we may just get lost in the world of
concepts and that’s so normal I think- and conditioned to be that
way.

[RobertK]

What helps to lessen conceit - and even more importantly self view - is understanding that any good qualities that are present are entirely conditioned . They shouldn’t be thought of as “my virtue, my understanding’. And if there is any understanding that is due to the great compassion of the Buddha who laid down this DhammaVinaya.

Nina Van Gorkom Abhidhamma in Kraeng Kacang, Ch 4, no 6

It is thanks to the Abhidhamma that we can learn what we are still ignorant
of, otherwise we may believe that we have a great deal of understanding. The
Abhidhamma shows how intricate realities and their conditions are. The
Abhidhamma explains about the processes of cittas which evolve in a
particular order because of the appropriate conditions, without there being
a person who can direct them. It depends on the individual to what extent he
wants to study the details of the Abhidhamma, but it is beneficial to keep
in mind some basic principles. The Abhidhamma teaches that all realities of
our daily life are mere elements, each performing their own function and
proceeding according to their own conditions. The four great elements
(solidity, cohesion, heat and motion) perform each their own function, as is
also taught in the Suttas, such as the ³Mahå-Råhulovåda Sutta². We digest
our food because these elements perform each their own function. Nobody uses
a ladle to push the food through, nobody lights a fire in the stomach so
that heat causes our food inside to be digested, as we read in the
Commentary to the ³Satipatthåna Sutta². Also cittas perform each their own
function. The cittas that arise in processes proceed according to
conditions and arise in a specific order. The cetasikas that accompany
cittas perform each their own function.
Understanding realities as elements each performing their own function, as
taught in detail in the Abhidhamma, can be our guiding principle in the
development of vipassanå. Sati of satipatthåna has the function of being
mindful of an object, and paññå has the function of understanding that
object. Right from the beginning we should see them as elements performing
their own functions. This leads to abandoning of the idea of “I am
practising, I am developing vipassanå”.
Vipassanå, insight, develops according to its own conditions in different
stages. There is no person to be found who meditates or tries to concentrate
on specific nåmas and rúpas. We should not have an idea of self who is
guiding paññå, right understanding. Sati and paññå can be accumulated, so
that there will be conditions again for their arising. We should not
underestimate the force of paññå that is accumulated.
Acharn Sujin stressed time and again that there are three rounds of
understanding of the four noble Truths:
sacca ñåna, which is the understanding of the truth (sacca means truth),
kicca ñåna, which is the practice of right mindfulness of nåma and rúpa
(kicca means function),
kata ñåna, the realization of the truth (kata means: what has been done).
As to the first round, sacca ñåna, this is the firm understanding of what
the four noble Truths are. It is understanding of what dukkha is: the
objects appearing at this moment. They are impermanent and thus they are
unsatisfactory. The impermanence of realities can be directly understood
when satipatthåna is developed.

[bksubhuti]

A Humble Tipitakadhara Sayadaw

I know a Tipitakadhara Sayadaw who is exceptionally humble.
Ironically, I was the one who taught him English, and one of the very first phrases I taught him was:
“Yes, of course!”

I told him to say that whenever someone asked if he could recite something small, like the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha.

He was incredibly intelligent. Once, I gave him a copy of a word-by-word Pāli-English Cakkhupāla story and asked him to read it and summarize it the next day. When the next day came, I asked him about the story — and he began chanting the entire Pāli text.

I asked,

“Did you memorize the whole story?”

He replied,

“Yes, of course.”

I asked again,

“Did you memorize the whole Dhammapada Commentary?”

He smiled and said,

“Yes, of course.”

This level of memorization was not even required for his Tipitakadhara examination.

He had also memorized three books of the Aṅguttara Nikāya. However, those “three books” actually encompass all eleven books across three volumes. He accomplished this while he was still a sāmaṇera, before even ordaining as a full bhikkhu.

A few days later, while I was drinking juice, he approached me, looking concerned, and brought a translator to ensure clear communication. He said,

“When I told you that I had memorized the Aṅguttara Nikāya and the Dhammapada Commentary, that was 25 years ago. There might be some parts I can no longer remember.”

Wow. That just shows how humble — and how truly intelligent — he is.

(Edit).. not sure about the title. He passed the recitation exam. You cannot make more than three mistakes per book. However, as of information from 2022 he was still trying for the written exam which nobody has passed in a long time. Maybe he recently passed.

[Trobinson465]

I feel like those who know the suttas can also get conceited. It doesn’t seem unique to knowing the abhidhamma. Being knowledgeable in anything puts you at risk of an ego trap unless you practice anatta diligently.