Yogi: From young, I like to be praised and dislike being criticized. Now, I know this is wrong attitude. What can I do about it?

Sayadaw: Remember the definition of right attitude? Right attitude is non-greed, non-aversion and non-delusion. So, when you like being acknowledged by others, that’s greed; it is wrong attitude. When you dislike being criticized by others, it is aversion and wrong attitude.

Your wrong attitude comes from wrong view. The center of your universe is you and you are identified with you – that’s wrong view. When you’re identified with yourself, you like it when people say good things about this you and you don’t like it when people say anything bad about this you.

When everything arises from you, identification is present. The more wisdom there is, the less we’re carried away when somebody praises us and we won’t be so upset when we’re criticized.

There is also no need to judge these minds, the mind that likes praise and the mind that dislikes criticism are just unskillful qualities of mind that are manifesting. It is good that we’re recognizing them and if there is judgment, we also want to recognize that.

It’s a constant stepping away from our experience so that we can remember to observe it instead of becoming identified with the experience and judging it.

The ‘I’ is not so involved every time we step away from the experience; there is less identification. Then, more observations can happen and eventually more understanding arises.