To Speak Ill of Monks Is Evil

Buddhism was established from the day monastics came into existence; when the monastic community perishes, Buddhism perishes. This has scriptural basis. All who shave their heads and receive monastic precepts belong to the Three Jewels and serve as representatives of the Dharma, embodying Buddhism. As for how well they represent it, that is an internal matter for monastics and the Sangha; laypeople have no right to interfere.

Monastics are bound and regulated by precepts and karmic causality. Even if they violate precepts, laypeople are not permitted to speak of it. Therefore, the Buddha prohibits laypeople from studying monastic precepts, lest they use the rules to scrutinize monastics' words and deeds, thereby giving rise to arrogance, accusing them, and publicizing their faults. This creates the evil karma of slandering the Three Jewels, and the retribution is fearsome. Monastics are managed by the Sangha, which handles their faults and offenses. Where there is no Sangha, or where the Sangha cannot intervene, Dharma protectors and karmic causality will manage it. But laypeople have no authority to manage monastics and absolutely must not speak of any monastic's faults.

On the Pavarana Day (Day of Mutual Admonition), monastics confess their own precept violations and mutually expose each other's violations and faults; laypeople are not permitted to eavesdrop. If anyone eavesdrops, Dharma protectors will cut off their heads with swords. This is precisely to prevent laypeople from knowing about monastics' precept violations and faults and then criticizing or publicizing them. If laypeople criticize or publicize monastics' faults, whether true or not, it constitutes the evil karma of slander, resulting in rebirth in the three evil destinies or hell upon death. For grave evil karma, the retribution may manifest in this very life as a "flower retribution" without waiting for the afterlife.

Some people only see the shortcomings of monastics—how come they fail to see the worldly benefits that monastics have renounced? Even if monastics frequently violate precepts and often commit evil, could they possibly commit more evil than laypeople? Laypeople daily consume fish and meat, constantly struggle to relinquish greed—comparatively speaking, whose karma is greater? Otherwise, why don't so many who consider themselves pure and lofty renounce the world and take monastic vows? Is renunciation difficult? Not really. It is precisely because they cannot let go of various worldly desires and pleasures; worldly benefits are hard to relinquish. Therefore, they exalt the status of laypeople as superior and great, everywhere criticizing monastics and the Sangha. Since the Sangha is so flawed, why not generate great resolve, renounce worldly desires, and courageously take monastic vows for the sake of Buddhism, sentient beings, and your own long-term path to enlightenment? Wouldn't protecting Buddhism and sentient beings through the monastic form be more beneficial?

During the Buddha's time, Devadatta and the monk Sunaksatra—no matter how much evil they committed—were regulated and managed by the Buddha and the Sangha; others had no right to interfere. If the Buddha couldn't manage them, and the Sangha couldn't manage them, karmic retribution would punish them, sending them to hell while still alive. During the Buddha's time, the group of six monks committed countless evils, yet after the Buddha's parinirvana, they remained monks. When the Buddha entered parinirvana, these six monks drank wine, ate meat, and loudly celebrated his passing. The Buddha helplessly shielded the eyes and ears of gods and humans to prevent them from hearing, but he did not manifest supernatural powers to punish them.

When the Buddha is present, the Buddha is supreme. After the Buddha's parinirvana, the precepts are supreme. Whichever precepts hold greater authority shall be regarded as supreme and honored. Taking the precepts as supreme manifests in two ways: 1) Monastics and laypeople do not live mixed together; those with different precepts do not live mixed together. Even among monastics, those with differing precept levels cannot live mixed together. 2) In walking, standing, sitting, lying down, performing Buddhist ceremonies, or giving alms, precedence is given according to the order of receiving precepts: monastic Bodhisattva precepts precede lay Bodhisattva precepts, and lay Bodhisattva precepts precede the lay five precepts and eight precepts.