The Fundamental Cause of Committing the Grave Sin of False Speech

The Buddha's teaching on the precept against false speech is aimed mainly at major false speech—untruthful lies about extremely significant matters. Minor false speech is comparatively less serious, a lighter prohibition. Significant matters refer to the actual realization of various transcendental dharmas. On this issue one must absolutely never lie or deceive others; the karmic offense of impersonating a sage or saint is extremely grave. Even impersonating a king would result in beheading and public display, with one's entire clan implicated—how much graver, then, is the offense of impersonating a sage or saint, who far surpasses any worldly king. The sin is greater still, beyond repentance, and one will certainly fall into the evil destinies. Therefore, everyone must be extremely careful and cautious in speech and conduct regarding significant transcendental dharmas. Without one hundred percent certainty, without conclusive evidence, one must never casually spread claims of having realized some transcendental dharma. And no matter who has certified or confirmed it, if it is untrue, one will certainly undergo severe evil retribution. It is hoped that all students of Buddhism will be ever so careful, and not commit the offense of major false speech; once this human body is lost, such an opportunity will be extremely hard to encounter again.

Why do so many people like to proclaim outwardly that they have attained such-and-such dharma, achieved such-and-such fruit? What psychology lies behind this? When examined deeply, it is nothing more than wanting to prove oneself excellent and superior, to surpass others—to be victorious over others, with others all inferior to oneself; or wanting to gain others' reverence, admiration, and respect, wanting others to submit to oneself, wanting to rise above the crowd, and so on, thereby indulging in pride, narcissism, and arrogance. All of this arises from the four marks operating in the mind: there is a self and there are others; the mark of self is fully present, the mark of others is fully present. Such people have not eliminated the self-view (ātma-dṛṣṭi), have not attained any dharma, and thus remain ordinary worldlings replete with self-view. Those who wish to attain the dharma of the sages must deeply investigate their own minds, dig out the "I" within their hearts, and then break through it and eliminate it, not letting that "I" come out again to confuse and disturb oneself, adding affliction, delusive karma, and suffering to oneself.