The Standard of a Good Bodhisattva

Bodhisattvas must all cultivate the four means of embracing (catvāri-saṃgraha-vastūni): kind speech, working alongside others, benefiting and bringing joy, and practicing together. Only in this way can one have good karmic connections with sentient beings, and whatever one does will go smoothly. If one has no wholesome connections with sentient beings, then one cannot be a good bodhisattva and cannot deliver sentient beings. Even in the secular world, doing things depends on good karmic connections; in the Buddhadharma, wholesome connections are valued even more. Wholesome connections bind everyone together, helping one another, progressing together, benefiting both self and others—only thus can the practice of the bodhisattva path be completed more quickly, and thereby buddhahood be accomplished. Those who deliberately or unintentionally set up obstacles for themselves are people without wisdom; they place stumbling blocks in their own path and set traps for themselves, and in the end they are the ones who suffer loss and meet with dissatisfaction. The wise, in speech and action, always consider the consequences, never harming the interests and reputation of others, never praising themselves while disparaging others. "Do not do unto others what you would not have done to yourself"—this is the most basic way of being a person, let alone becoming a bodhisattva, which requires principles even higher than this. A bodhisattva's mental conduct should always be to give good things to others and take bad things upon oneself; one must absolutely never act in reverse, attributing all the good things to oneself and the bad things to others—that is not the conduct of a bodhisattva.

When issues arise among bodhisattvas, everything should be brought out openly, face to face—words should be spoken directly to one's face. If there are faults, correct them; if not, take it as encouragement. Do not engage in divisive speech behind people's backs, stirring up disputes. Those who gossip easily commit the offense of slander, and the consequences are very bad. Slander based on facts spoken correctly is called "slander with a basis"; slander that is untrue and mistaken is called "slander without a basis"; the lightest is called "speaking of the faults of the fourfold assembly." The fourfold assembly consists of the two groups of laymen and laywomen, and the two groups of monastic men and women; among them, the two monastic groups are also called the Three Jewels, and the Three Jewels are further divided into the worldly Three Jewels and the supramundane Three Jewels. Both speaking of the faults of the fourfold assembly and slander are no light karmic offenses—the retribution is heavy. May all bodhisattvas skillfully guard their verbal karma. When there are matters, speak them out clearly face to face, so that others can promptly correct themselves, with mutual supervision and support.

The karma that all sentient beings most easily create is verbal karma: false speech, divisive speech, frivolous speech, and harsh speech, as well as stirring up disputes, sowing discord, jealousy, and slander—also called false accusation and framing. The precepts impose very strict requirements on verbal karma, because verbal karma is the easiest to create, is created the most, and yet goes unnoticed by people. Therefore, everyone should think before speaking—do not just blurt things out without any regard for anything else.