The Crime of Stealing from the World-Honored One the Title of Lord of the Saha World

In Buddhism, if someone steps forward and declares: I am the Dharma Master (equivalent to the head of the teaching) of Buddhism in the Saha world; everything in Buddhism is decided by me alone—who may teach the Dharma and who may not is up to me; only those I permit may teach, and those I do not permit may not teach. If anyone dares to teach the Dharma on their own, they shall be charged with one of two crimes: one is the crime of teaching false Dharma, and the other is the crime of stealing the Dharma. Moreover, those I allow to teach the Dharma (all of them from my inner circle) must not teach beyond the scope I have prescribed; they must not go beyond what I have taught, and may only teach at a lower level—otherwise they commit a violation, an act of disrespecting the teacher's precepts. Then, does this person's conduct constitute theft?

This person's conduct is no ordinary theft—it is grand larceny, the greatest theft in the world, with nothing surpassing it. First, they have stolen the position of teaching-head from the World-Honored One, directly stripping the World-Honored One of His leadership and authority over the Saha world, and usurping the Buddha's supreme dominion over Buddhism as a whole. Such a crime of theft cannot be repented; even repentance cannot purify it.

Second, this person has stolen the monks' right to propagate the Dharma, directly interfering with and obstructing the Dharma-transmission work of the monastic community, obstructing the monks' guidance and edification of sentient beings, disrupting the great undertaking of the Three Jewels in properly leading and embracing sentient beings, and hindering the growth of Buddhist talent. At the same time, it causes sentient beings to lose their affinity with the Three Jewels, and thus to lose the opportunity to cultivate and attain liberation. This karmic offense is also extremely grave.

Furthermore, unreasonably restricting others from teaching the Dharma obstructs the fulfillment of others' great bodhisattva vows, limits the development of their bodhisattva work, and at the same time severs the affinity between sentient beings with karmic connections and those teachers. Sentient beings' cultivation is hindered, and their progress on the Path cannot continue to grow. This offense is of incomparable magnitude.

If ten people emerged in Buddhism, all vying for the position of Dharma Master, wouldn't the very lid of heaven be pried open? Could Buddhism even continue to exist? Among the patriarchs throughout the kalpas and generations, including the bodhisattvas who have attained the bhūmis, which one ever harbored the slightest deviant thought or had the audacity to fantasize about the position of Dharma Master? The Dharma Master of the Saha world is Śākyamuni Buddha alone; no other Buddha may come to serve as Dharma Master, but can only assist Śākyamuni Buddha. Which disciple or bodhisattva of the Buddha has the audacity, the deviant intent, the virtue and capability to contend for the position of Dharma Master? What kind of person would dare to fight the Buddha for it? If such a person were to appear in Buddhism, how could the grand vows made by all sentient beings to liberate all sentient beings ever be fulfilled?

Yet in Buddhism today there truly is such a person—a lay practitioner who actually dares to silence all monastic monks and forbid them from teaching the Dharma; whenever a monastic comes out to teach, they go and sabotage it, either charging them with the crime of a false teacher teaching false Dharma or with the crime of stealing the Dharma—one or the other, without exception. What kind of person could commit such a vile act? For thirty years they have been scheming how to replace the monastic Saṅgha with their self-proclaimed lay sangha, driving the monastic Saṅgha out of the ranks of the Three Jewels, with their lay group occupying that position. What kind of conduct is this? When a monk was teaching the Dharma in the lecture hall of his own monastery, they gathered a crowd and stormed into the hall, dragged the teaching monk down from the podium, and prevented the teaching. What kind of conduct is this? What evil retribution will they incur? This is stealing the Sangha Jewel's right to propagate the Dharma and benefit sentient beings—and it is theft by forcible seizure, the gravest form of robbery. The evil retribution is naturally also the heaviest among the crimes of robbery and theft.