What Constitutes Slandering the Dharma?

In the Saṃyukta Āgama, it is recorded that a non-Buddhist or a certain householder inquired about the Dharma from one of the World-Honored One's disciples. After the disciple answered, he thought: "Does this response of mine accord with the World-Honored One's teachings? Could it contradict or slander him?" So the disciple went to consult the World-Honored One, saying: "Venerable One, a non-Buddhist asked me about the Dharma, and I answered thus. Did I slander you?" The World-Honored One replied: "Your answer was correct; you did not slander me." From this, we should understand that any speech or expression that does not accord with the facts constitutes slander. If a disciple conveys the Dharma in a way that does not align with the Buddha's intent or contradicts the Buddha, it is slander against the Buddha. If the Buddha states that a certain teaching is thus, and a disciple says it is not thus, this is slander against the Buddha and also against the Dharma. Merely uttering "no" to the Buddha's teachings constitutes slander against the Buddha and the Dharma.

Slandering the Sangha is similarly straightforward. Slandering the Sangha is further divided into slandering ordinary monastic disciples and slandering accomplished monastic disciples (bhikṣus) and Bodhisattva disciples. The karmic offense of the former is relatively lighter, while that of the latter is exceedingly grave, with consequences that are inconceivable. Simply denying the Supramundane Sangha by saying "no," "it is not," or "it is wrong," when the facts are otherwise, establishes the offense of slander. Sentient beings often disregard this, thinking that denying others is no fault, and casually utter "wrong" or "not so." Yet this is not merely a matter of fault but of karmic offense. Matters involving fundamental principles often constitute hell-worthy offenses, and in future lives, one will suffer the immense retribution for slandering the Supramundane Sangha. When one truly experiences this retribution in a future life, one often remains unaware of why such suffering has befallen them. Thus, they endure retribution in confusion and create more karmic offenses in confusion—such is the foolish ignorance of sentient beings.