The Sin of Stealing the Merit, Fame, and Rank of Sages

Claiming realization without having realized it constitutes grave false speech, and it also involves the offense of stealing, because in essence one has not realized any dharma at all. Without having attained any fruit of realization or awakened to the true mind, one claims to be a stream-enterer, once-returner, or non-returner; clearly having not genuinely awakened to the true mind, one claims to be a bodhisattva of the abode stage, the practice stage, or the dedication stage, or even a bodhisattva of the first or second bhūmi. Taking for oneself the titles and the merits and benefits that belong to true bodhisattvas—this is grand theft. What is stolen is too extraordinary, and the offense is especially grave. Yet many people ignore this matter, not knowing how extremely serious its nature is. They never deign to examine or check whether they possess the merits, qualities, and mental disposition of sages and saints, yet they appropriate the titles and fruits of the sages and saints for themselves, thereby deceiving the world and stealing their names, confounding what people see and hear, destroying sentient beings' faith in the sages and saints, betraying sentient beings' trust, and dragging down the qualities of the sages and saints to the level of ordinary worldlings.

Deceiving the world and stealing names also includes this: clearly not being the foremost, yet insisting that one is the foremost—that is theft, stealing the reputation and merits of the foremost rank, along with the benefits that follow; not being the second, yet insisting on being the second—this likewise steals the reputation, merits, and benefits of the second rank. Whatever you have, say that you have it; whatever you do not have, say truthfully that you do not have it. Do not speak in a perverse or inverted way; to speak in an inverted way is theft.

When some people see what belongs to others, a thought arises in their minds: "How wonderful it would be if that were mine." The moment they think this, the mind of stealing has appeared—placing what belongs to others upon one's own mind is the mind of stealing. Only the act has not yet occurred, so the offense of stealing is not complete. Some people know that another's reputation is good and think: "I will make use of it." At that moment the mind of stealing has appeared; once the exploitation is actually carried out, the precept against stealing has been violated. For example, if you do something or say something in my name, and I do not know of it—and had I known, I would not have consented—yet you do it anyway, that is theft.