The Reasons Why Slandering the True Dharma Prevents Rebirth and Liberation

The Eighteenth Vow of the Infinite Life Sūtra (the conditions for rebirth in the land of bliss): "When I attain buddhahood, if sentient beings of the ten directions, with sincere mind, faith, and joy, wish to be born in my land and recite my name even ten times, and yet are not born there, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. Except for those who commit the five rebellious acts or slander the correct Dharma."

The five rebellious acts are: shedding the blood of a Buddha, killing an arhat, breaking up the harmonious Saṅgha, killing one's father, and killing one's mother. The correct Dharma refers to the correct dharma teachings that can liberate sentient beings, including both Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna teachings.

Why can those who commit the five grave rebellious acts not be reborn in the land of bliss, and even fail to attain the fruits of realization, fail to see the mind, and fail to attain liberation? Why can those who slander the correct Dharma not attain the fruits of realization, not see the mind, and not attain liberation?

First, let us discuss shedding the blood of a Buddha. Because the Buddha's karmic seeds have been completely purified, He cannot attract any evil karma or adverse conditions, and has no evil retribution whatsoever. Therefore no sentient being can kill a Buddha, nor can any harm come to a Buddha, causing blood to flow from His physical body. Why then is there still the notion of "shedding the blood of a Buddha"? The Buddha's bloodline is the Dharma lineage, the transmission of the Buddha's teachings. Shedding the blood of a Buddha means causing the Dharma lineage to be lost and cut off, so that it cannot be transmitted normally. The Buddha's teachings can enable sentient beings to escape birth-and-death and attain liberation; shedding the blood of a Buddha is therefore extremely grave. The retribution for this evil karma is the karma of the Avīci hell. Those who commit such evil karma cannot attain liberation and cannot escape the suffering of birth-and-death.

An arhat is a liberated sage who has exhausted all afflictions. Because of his virtue of liberation, humans and gods should all make offerings to him; this is called "one worthy of offerings" (arhat). The liberation realization of bodhisattvas at the eighth bhūmi and above is equivalent to that of a great arhat of the fourth fruit; the liberation realization of bodhisattvas from the first to the seventh bhūmi is equivalent to that of a sage of the third fruit, who retains a trace of delusive karma, does not take up the fruit of liberation, and does not enter the correct position of liberation, so as to ensure they do not enter nirvāṇa without remainder. The retribution for respecting and making offerings to an arhat is the elimination of afflictions, the attainment of liberation, and release from birth-and-death. Conversely, killing an arhat means one cannot be liberated from afflictions, cannot attain liberation, and cannot escape birth-and-death; all paths of liberation that could lead one out of the suffering of birth-and-death are completely blocked. Therefore such a person cannot be reborn in the land of bliss, cannot attain the fruits of realization, and cannot see the mind and realize its nature.

The harmonious Saṅgha: "Saṅgha" is the Sanskrit word Saṃgha, fully called "saṅgha," referring to male Buddhist practitioners who have left home to cultivate. It means "assembly," "community," or "fellowship"; in a broad sense it also includes female practitioners, and male and female monastics are collectively called monks and nuns. A saṅgha is a religious organization formed by a group of four or more renunciant practitioners who rely on the Buddha's Dharma. Without the status and qualification of renunciation, one does not belong to the monks and nuns; no matter how many such people there are, they do not constitute such a community. As for the noble saṅgha (in the ultimate sense), it must consist of monks who have genuinely attained the fruits of realization and genuinely seen the mind and realized its nature. Those who falsely attain realization and falsely see the mind through the conscious mind still belong to ordinary monks; when the conscious mind is not operating, what is fully revealed is the inherent nature of the manas, which has not attained realization or seen the mind, and such a person will inevitably undergo birth-and-death according to the views and afflictions of the manas.

"Harmonious" means dwelling together in accordance with the principle of the six harmonies and respects. The six harmonies and respects are: harmony in views through shared understanding, harmony in precepts through shared practice, harmony in body through dwelling together, harmony in speech through absence of contention, harmony in mind through shared joy, and harmony in benefits through equal sharing. If opinions and viewpoints are not consistent, there is no harmony; if none observe the three refuges and five precepts, the eight precepts, the bhikṣu precepts, the bhikṣuṇī precepts, and the bodhisattva precepts, and the precepts they cultivate are inconsistent and do not conform to what the Buddha established, there is no harmony; if their physical bodies cannot dwell in a common place but are scattered in dwellings in all directions—east, west, south, and north—there is no harmony; if they quarrel with one another internally, hurl insults at each other, attack and undermine one another, with endless disputes and conflicts, there is even less harmony; if they feel uncomfortable whenever they meet, feeling vexed and displeased inside, with much estrangement between them, there is no harmony; if benefits among the members are not equally shared—no matter what kind of benefit—with one side only making sacrifices and giving without return, and the other side only taking and possessing, there is likewise no harmony. If any one of these is violated, it cannot constitute a harmonious Saṅgha.

A truly harmonious Saṅgha can, on behalf of the Buddha, transmit the correct Dharma throughout the ages and rescue sentient beings from the raging sea of birth-and-death. To destroy it is to destroy the vessel that ferries sentient beings across birth-and-death; the retribution is that one cannot attain liberation and escape the suffering of birth-and-death, and therefore cannot be reborn in the land of bliss, cannot attain the fruits of realization, and cannot see the mind. A disharmonious saṅgha does not carry this fault; a disharmonious saṅgha brings afflictions and bitter fruits to sentient beings, adding afflictions upon afflictions, adding bondage and shackles, making the suffering of birth-and-death even more severe.

Parents give us this physical body; with this body we can encounter the correct Dharma and study and cultivate it, and have the opportunity to attain liberation and escape birth-and-death forever. Therefore the kindness of parents is as heavy as a mountain; even being ground to pieces could hardly repay the kindness of parents for giving birth to and raising us. If sentient beings not only fail to make offerings to them but instead kill them, the offense of killing one's father and mother is incomparably heavy; after death one falls into the Avīci hell without liberation. Therefore those who kill their father and mother cannot be reborn in the land of bliss, cannot attain the fruits of realization, and cannot see the mind.

The correct Buddha-Dharma, when sentient beings rely on it to study and cultivate, is the cause of liberation, enabling them to attain liberation and end birth-and-death. If one slanders these dharma teachings, it means one does not have faith in the correct Dharma. If faith is insufficient, how can one study and cultivate? If one cannot study and cultivate, how can one attain liberation? The Dharma is like a vessel for crossing the sea of birth-and-death; if the vessel is destroyed, by what can sentient beings cross the sea of birth-and-death? Slandering the correct Dharma means not only that one oneself lacks faith, but also that one prevents others from having faith and accepting it. The offense is extremely grave; one will certainly be unable to escape birth-and-death and attain liberation, and therefore cannot be reborn in the land of bliss, cannot attain the fruits of realization, and cannot see the mind.

The teachings that can liberate sentient beings include the Hīnayāna Four Noble Truths and the twelve links of dependent origination, and also include the Mahāyāna tathāgatagarbha series of teachings, such as prajñā, the vaipulya teachings, and Yogācāra—the theories of the five, sixth, seventh, and eighth consciousnesses—as well as the three untainted studies of precepts, meditation (samādhi), and wisdom. The Four Noble Truths and the twelve links of dependent origination enable sentient beings to attain small liberation, but not permanent and ultimate liberation; the Mahāyāna tathāgatagarbha teachings can enable sentient beings to attain permanent, true, and ultimate liberation. The teachings of the seventh consciousness, the manas, can guarantee sentient beings small liberation as well as great liberation, even ultimate liberation. All liberation, whatever its degree, lies in the liberation of the manas. If the manas is not liberated, it is all false liberation: afflictions cannot be eliminated, birth-and-death cannot be ended, the sea of suffering cannot be escaped, and one cannot attain the cool tranquility of nirvāṇa.

Those who commit the five rebellious acts are extremely few, while those who slander the correct Dharma are increasing in number, seen everywhere, and this is the common situation. Therefore I advise everyone: since your meditative concentration and wisdom are insufficient and your realization is inadequate, you should be cautious in speech and conduct at all times and in all places. When you are not qualified to act as a judge, silently cultivate yourself. Even if for now you cannot attain the fruits of realization or see the mind, and lack the seed-wisdom of Yogācāra, you should still be a wise person in the world, not inviting disasters and troubles for yourself, and not setting up roadblocks on your own path to liberation.