Both Fearing and Not Fearing Ill Repute Are Shelter for Sentient Beings

Original text from the Sixty-First Volume of the Sutra on the Mindfulness of the True Dharma: Such evil persons, bhikshus, should not be associated with at all. Why? Associating with such people causes one to lose the way of a bhikshu. People in the world think thus: 'Such a bhikshu, associating with such a person, must be following the same path.' Associating closely and traveling together with such a person gives rise to such thoughts in all people. Therefore, a bhikshu should fear a bad reputation and should not tread even a single step on the same path as such a person engaged in impure actions.
Explanation: Why does the Buddha require bhikshus to avoid evil people and fear a bad reputation? Because bhikshus are ordained monastics, representing the Three Jewels, and are the refuge for sentient beings. If a bhikshu associates with evil people, their reputation suffers, they will be despised by sentient beings, causing sentient beings to not revere the Three Jewels, not respect and trust the Three Jewels, and even to slander the Three Jewels and create evil karma. Therefore, the Buddha instructs bhikshus to avoid all such evil people mentioned above, to avoid being implicated, acquiring a bad reputation, and incurring the ridicule and disdain of sentient beings. Hence, all actions of a bhikshu should conform to the precepts and norms. If one aims to liberate sentient beings, one should also find ways to avoid misunderstandings from other sentient beings. If there are misunderstandings or matters that cannot be clearly explained, one should avoid letting others know. This is like adults handling affairs; if a child's intelligence simply cannot comprehend it, then one should avoid it and not let the child know. Sentient beings are like children; what can be done? They will understand when they mature.
As for Bodhisattvas who seek to liberate sentient beings, if such evil people have ripened karmic conditions and need to be liberated, then skillful means and appropriate methods must be employed, striving to avoid misunderstandings and slander from sentient beings. Matters like these cannot be handled harmoniously by those lacking wisdom; only those with great wisdom can accomplish them, because sentient beings are afflicted with various defilements and ignorance, making them difficult to deal with. If the karmic conditions of evil people are not yet ripe, then avoid them if possible and attend to more important matters. With limited energy, one should make choices, selecting what brings the greatest benefit as a wise decision.
The Buddha requires bhikshus to fear a bad reputation, but instructs lay Bodhisattvas not to fear a bad reputation. Both are for the protection of sentient beings, merely differing in their approach to handling problems. However, although Bodhisattvas do not fear a bad reputation, they must still make wise choices. One cannot say that because they do not fear a bad reputation, they care about nothing, disregarding the interests of sentient beings and Buddhism, causing Buddhism to bear a bad name, leading many sentient beings to ridicule and despise the Three Jewels, creating various evil karma. Therefore, those who propagate the Dharma must be pure in body and mind, have few afflictions, be selfless and egoless, prioritize the overall situation of Buddhism, prioritize the benefit of sentient beings, and guide sentient beings back to the right path with pure actions of body, speech, and mind. They must not defile sentient beings or add to their afflictions, turning the liberation of sentient beings into harming them.
Lay practitioners practicing the Bodhisattva path should liberate those they can liberate as much as possible and influence those receptive to wholesome dharmas as much as possible. As long as they remain vigilant against being assimilated or negatively influenced, this is of immense benefit! The Buddha forbids bhikshus from openly associating or working alongside evil people for fear of being misunderstood, ridiculed, and despised by sentient beings, leading them to slander the Three Jewels. Because the identity of an ordained monastic is special, representing the Three Jewels and being the refuge for sentient beings, they must not provoke ridicule or slander from sentient beings. If a bhikshu lacks strong self-control, has not yet attained liberation, and the mind is unsettled, they should indeed stay far away from evil people and evil deeds to avoid being influenced and assimilated.
Those whose afflictions have not been severed, whether ordained or lay, are easily influenced by evil. Even after awakening, if one is not careful, they can still be negatively influenced. Maintaining concentration, vigilance, and wisdom makes one less susceptible to influence. Truly being completely free from influence is only at the Buddha stage. Bodhisattvas of the eighth ground and above experience extremely subtle influence, while those from the first to seventh grounds experience slightly more. Bodhisattvas below the first ground cannot avoid being influenced because they have not severed the root of afflictions; ordinary beings need not even be mentioned. Therefore, a person in a pure group can be influenced towards purity, while in a defiled group, the mind unconsciously becomes defiled along with it; this is unavoidable. I too fear influence; from childhood until now, I have also been influenced. Therefore, I strenuously avoid people with heavy afflictions; even if not influenced, it requires effort to refuse and resist, leading to mutual unpleasantness. After severing afflictions, Bodhisattvas are influenced only by minor, branch-like defilements. After studying Buddhism, they shake these off quickly, as they do not affect the root. Wrongdoings are resolved through repentance without consequence, and the karmic retribution is light.