Condemning a Monastic Who Violates Precepts and Receiving Severe Karmic Retribution - The Mahayana Sanghata Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha

The "Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Kṣitigarbha from the Great Collection of Mahayana Sutras" states: The Buddha addressed the Venerable Upāli, saying: "I absolutely do not permit non-Buddhists or laypeople to accuse a bhikshu! Nor do I permit the community of bhikshus themselves to rashly censure and accuse a transgressing bhikshu without following the Dharma; how much less should they expel him? If, without following the Dharma, they rashly censure and accuse a transgressing bhikshu, or even expel him, they incur grave offenses.

Upāli, you should now know that there are ten unrighteous ways of rashly censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu, which incur grave offenses;

all wise people should not accept them. What are the ten?

First, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before the king without the harmony of the Sangha assembly;

Second, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of Brahmins without the harmony of the Sangha assembly;

Third, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of officials without the harmony of the Sangha assembly;

Fourth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of elders and householders without the harmony of the Sangha assembly;

Fifth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of women;

Sixth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of men;

Seventh, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of monastery workers;

Eighth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before an assembly of many bhikshus and bhikshuṇīs;

Ninth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly before those with whom one has longstanding enmity or resentment;

Tenth, censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu rashly while harboring internal anger and hatred. These ten are called unrighteous ways of rashly censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu, which incur grave offenses.

Even if the accusation is based on true facts, it should not be accepted; how much less if it is untrue? Those who accept such accusations also incur grave offenses.

"Furthermore, there are ten unrighteous ways of censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu, which incur grave offenses; wise people should not accept them either. What are the ten?

First, other non-Buddhists censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Second, a white-robed layperson who does not uphold the precepts censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Third, one who has committed an unintermittent offense censuring and accusing a bhikshu; Fourth, one who slanders the true Dharma censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Fifth, one who vilifies the noble sages censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Sixth, one who is insane or mentally disturbed censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Seventh, one who is afflicted by pain and distress censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Eighth, monastery workers of the fourfold assembly censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Ninth, garden keepers censuring and accusing a bhikshu;

Tenth, a bhikshu who has been punished censuring and accusing another bhikshu. These ten unrighteous ways of censuring and accusing a transgressing bhikshu incur grave offenses.

Even if the accusation is based on true facts, it should not be accepted; how much less if it is untrue? Those who accept such accusations also incur grave offenses."

End of the First Section on Unreliable Conduct, Chapter Three of the Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Kṣitigarbha from the Great Collection of Mahayana Sutras, Volume Three.