Sixteen: Why Slandering the Three Jewels Constitutes the Gravest Offense

The Buddhist sutras contain the Buddha's true words; the Buddha does not deceive sentient beings. Many people believe their casual remarks are inconsequential, yet the weight of a single word may be immense, often beyond their own awareness. One wholesome thought becomes the cause for rebirth in heavenly realms to enjoy bliss; one unwholesome thought becomes the cause for falling into the Avīci hell. Words and actions concerning the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (the Three Jewels) carry especially grave significance, unlike words and deeds within worldly matters. If a single word destroys or slanders the Three Jewels, whether factual or not, it constitutes a cause for hell. A single word causing discord, known as divisive speech, which disrupts the harmony of the Sangha or the harmonious relationships among monastics, among lay practitioners, or between monastics and lay practitioners, is also a cause for hell. The mouth creates the most karma. To avoid suffering the consequences of evil deeds, one should diligently guard the karma of speech, taking care to prevent calamity from issuing forth from the mouth. Remain silent when there is nothing to say; speak sparingly and kindly when necessary, avoiding unnecessary trouble or stirring up disputes. This is the way to maintain personal purity, leaving no faults behind, and is the conduct of the wise and intelligent. Conversely, it is the way of those deeply afflicted by foolishness and vexations.

Slander is divided into baseless slander and substantiated slander. "Root" here means evidence or facts. Claiming something exists when it does not, or denying something that does exist, thus distorting the truth, constitutes baseless slander. When the matter is true and the statement is factual, it is called substantiated slander. Regarding the Three Jewels, both types constitute slander and carry grave offenses. Speaking of the faults and evils of monastics is a major sin. Even if the facts are true, speaking of them to others, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is sinful. Maliciously spreading such faults incurs even greater sin.

Why is the karma created against the Three Jewels the heaviest? Because the Three Jewels hold the greatest kindness and merit towards sentient beings in the world. They can bring sentient beings liberation, enabling them to leave suffering and attain happiness; they are the supreme field of merit for sentient beings. Committing evil deeds within one's own field of merit naturally results in the gravest offense and the greatest impact. If one's slander causes sentient beings to lose faith in the Three Jewels, it is tantamount to severing their path to liberation. This sin is certainly heavier than any other.

In the mundane world, harming those who have shown one kindness is despised and scorned by society. How much more so, then, within the Dharma, when harming the Three Jewels, who can bring oneself immeasurable eons of liberating merit—how could the sin be small?

All who commit evil deeds do so due to afflictions, stemming from the mindset of self-centeredness and disregard for others. Greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt arise: greed within the mind, leading to evil deeds when desires are unmet; hatred within the mind, arising when things do not go one's way; constant delusion, ignorance of good and evil, right and wrong, benefit and harm, leading to evil deeds out of ignorance; an intense sense of self that cannot be suppressed, erupting to overwhelm others and commit evil; doubt within the mind, uncertainty about the cause and effect of good and evil, leading to evil deeds.

All evil karma is created because of the self; all afflictions arise because of the self. The self is the root source of sin. Without eradicating the view of self, one revolves among the three wretched destinies, unable to avoid the three evil paths, suffering endless misery. Therefore, every Buddhist practitioner should resolve with great determination to subdue this root source of sin and ultimately eliminate it. Only then can one leave suffering and attain happiness, find peace and tranquility within one's own mind, and bring peace to the world. Thus, eradicating the view of self benefits the world and blesses sentient beings, but the greatest beneficiary is oneself. Although there is no longer a "self," it is precisely the absence of self that is truly good.