Episode 1210 – What Comes of Praise For or Slander of the Buddha
>> Those who harbor unwholesome and evil thoughts in their minds are committing slander against the Buddha. Since the Buddha had eliminated all delusions of ignorance until there were none remaining, by slandering or praising Him, they therefore receive either great positive or negative retributions. The offense of slandering those who uphold this sutra is even greater.
>> If these good men and good women, after I enter Parinirvana, are able to privately explain to one person even just one sentence of the Lotus Sutra….
>> Then you should know that these people are emissaries of the Tathagata, who are dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.
>> Medicine King, if an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome, remains in the presence of the Buddha for one kalpa and constantly slanders Him, his offense is still considered to be slight.
>> Those who slander or praise the Buddha obtain gains or losses for themselves. Since the Buddha has eliminated all delusions and is unwavering before slander or praise, this causes no harm to the Buddha. The offenses or blessings of praising or slandering the Buddha are truly considerable, yet the harm or benefit falls to the one who acted. Therefore, it says “slight.” Praising those who uphold this sutra also benefits oneself, it does not benefit the Buddha. Slandering those who uphold this sutra also damages oneself. By slandering or praising those who uphold this sutra, one’s offenses or blessings are even more significant.
>> Medicine King: The Buddha, in order to carefully explain how the offense of slandering sages is greater than that of slandering a Buddha, first explained that the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra are many. Then, He revealed that the offenses of slandering the sutra are very severe.
>> Should an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome: Though one may be evil, one’s mind may not always be unwholesome. Suppose now there is an evil person with an unwholesome mind who slanders the Buddha to His face.
>> So, “Those with an unwholesome mind are driven by deviant views. In pursuit of recognition and advantage, they despise noble beings and sages, and constantly slander the Buddha. Among unwholesome offenses, there are none greater than these.”
>> In the presence of the Buddha for one kalpa: This person had gone through long kalpas for many lifetimes until presently encountering the Buddha in this world and appearing before Him.
>> If he constantly slanders the Buddha, his offense is still considered to be slight: If one constantly harbors evil thoughts and slanders the Buddha to His face, his offense is indeed not slight. Saying that it is still considered slight is to show that the retribution for slandering those who uphold the sutra is extremely severe.
>> His offense is still considered to be slight: The Buddha had eliminated all delusion, treating friends and foes equally. Evil cannot intimidate Him, so how could this hinder Him? This neither harms nor benefits the Buddha, so it says “considered to be slight.”
“Those who harbor unwholesome and evil thoughts in their minds are committing slander against the Buddha.
Since the Buddha had eliminated all delusions of ignorance
until there were none remaining,
by slandering or praising Him,
they therefore receive either great positive or negative retributions. The offense of slandering those who uphold this sutra
is even greater.”
Be mindful in listening, mindful in trying to understand. Ordinary people did not believe in the Buddha. In addition, their minds were unwholesome. Harboring thoughts of evil, they thought of every way possible to slander the Buddha. Slandering someone means to disparage them. Not knowing the truth of matters, they merely disparage for the sake of disparaging. This is called slander. Some listen to what others say, then begin spreading it themselves. Not knowing its truth or falsity, they merely repeat what others say. By passing it on like this, they disparage the Buddha-Dharma.
They did not believe. Without even hearing His message, they simply followed others in the way they slandered the Buddha. But, when it came to the Buddha, He had already long since “eliminated all delusions of ignorance.” The Buddha had cultivated Himself to a point where all human dust-like delusions of ignorance, had been long since swept away. His mind was already pure and undefiled. So, since He was totally without thoughts of delusion or ignorance, what was there in the world that could possibly harm the Buddha? It was of no concern to the Buddha.
But, “by slandering or praising Him, they therefore receive either great positive or negative retributions.” For the Buddha, your praise of Him did not add anything for Him. If you disparaged Him, He was not diminished in any way, for His virtue was already one with the universe. For Him, it was neither a gain nor a loss. This was how it was for the Buddha. However, an unenlightened mind may harbor unwholesome thoughts. It may harbor evil intent. To intentionally slander the Buddha like this is a great transgression. There are also those who believed in the Buddha, who greatly respected the Buddha, who praised the Buddha, who practiced according to its teachings. Their merit and virtue was very great.
So, it says, “The offense of slandering those who uphold this sutra is even greater [than slandering the Buddha Himself].” If you slander the Buddha, it does not really affect Him, but from the viewpoint of someone who is trying to uphold this sutra, if the one who upholds the sutra is slandered, and he only has just formed aspirations to listen to the Dharma, if you disparage someone like this, you will make it hard for him. Even if he is determined in spiritual ambition, if he hears someone disparaging him, his mind may retreat. He may be determined at the outset, but if he is disparaged by people like this, his determined spiritual ambition may fade. Furthermore, if those who have formed aspirations, who listen to the Dharma, who teach and spread the Dharma are disparaged like this, then others who originally may have been ready to accept it, upon hearing disparagement like this, may naturally come to feel, “Though the Buddha-Dharma you teach is great, others have different opinions regarding it.” In this way their confidence will retreat.
When an ordinary person’s confidence is destroyed like this, it affects his spiritual ambitions, making it impossible for the Buddha-Dharma to circulate in the world. So it says that disparaging the Buddha-Dharma, slandering the Buddha-Dharma, is severe negative karma indeed! In fact, it does not affect the Buddha, but it does harm those who are trying to spread the Dharma and uphold the sutra. Then, for the Dharma to circulate in the world, there will be severe and difficult obstacles. It causes the Buddha-Dharma to gradually disappear from the world.
We should know that as Buddhist practitioners, we must be determined. No matter what we hear, or how we may be slandered, we should have determined confidence to continue to persevere. Although an ordinary person may be influenced, those upholding the sutra and spreading the Dharma should be confident in themselves. We should be like the Buddha and rid ourselves of ignorance, not be concerned with right or wrong or with gain or loss. Then we naturally will not be influenced by slander like this. For those whose spiritual aspirations are not yet firmly set, even those who uphold the sutra and spread the Dharma may be influenced. Those who listen to the Dharma, who have only just formed aspirations may be especially influenced. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be determined.
This is like the many who listen to the sutra now. On my last trip around Taiwan, there were many who told me, “Thank you Master! After hearing your lectures on the sutra, our minds have become very determined. We can get rid of many of our mind’s afflictions. We can understand so many things. Thank you Master! Our state of mind after listening to the Buddha-Dharma is different.” I joyfully asked them, “Do you really listen every day? Yes we do!” All answered in unison by saying, “Yes, we always listen every day.”
As I went south to Pingtung and Kaohsiung, everywhere I went, I saw people taking notes every day so that the Dharma would not leak away. I felt their spiritual determination. Sometimes they are slandered or disparaged by those who do not understand the principles, by those who do not know the true from the false. They merely spread what others say. They do not understand the Buddha-Dharma, so they slander it. Whether they do this intentionally or because they do not understand, it may not affect those already determined in their spiritual ambitions. But for those not yet determined, or who have only just formed aspirations, it will inevitably affect them. If it continues like this, then the Buddha-Dharma will truly be harmed. If you are determined in your will to practice, then it will not affect you. Being determined in our practice is our way of spreading the Buddha-Dharma. This depends on our minds on our firm spiritual aspirations.
See how those who are determined in practice, who are determined to benefit others, will go near or far to help them. Many days ago, it should have been back in June (2016), Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines went to the island of Bohol to hold a free clinic. In Bohol, (back in 2013,) one week before the arrival of Typhoon Haiyen, there was an earthquake. It was a large and destructive earthquake that leveled most of the island of Bohol. Even the churches there were all leveled. Tzu Chi volunteers in the Philippines, after waiting until the roads were passable and for planes to be able to arrive, arrived there almost nearly 10 days later. They arrived 10 days after the disaster happened.
Upon seeing that land and seeing those people, so pitiable and in so much pain, the hearts of those volunteers went out to them and they began distributing aid relief. However, as soon as they had begun, the city of Tacloban was nearly wiped out by Typhoon Haiyan. Originally, they had planned to focus all of their efforts upon Bohol; people had first been sent there and when they returned they reported what they saw. But then Typhoon Haiyan occurred, so the efforts of many were needed. Thus they quickly gathered together in Tacloban to open up the rescue efforts.
Similarly, the strength of Tzu Chi volunteers from all over the world was also focused in that place, in Leyte Province, in the city of Tacloban. So, much of our strength was sent there. Those who cared for the people of Bohol continued caring for them. They left a small contingent there to lead those who remained on Bohol.
Similarly, we sent a small portion of our prefab houses and classrooms there, but our strength there was weaker. Most of our strength was focused in Leyte Province, in Tacloban and in the city of Ormoc. This is because those cities were larger. They were larger cities with bigger populations, and the destruction there was the same. It was mostly in Tacloban and Ormoc that the typhoon had wreaked the most destruction, so we were urgently needed there.
Bohol Island is smaller, with a smaller population. During the earthquake, there were houses that collapsed there, so it was a great disaster there too, but because the population is smaller, we distributed less of our strength there. Nevertheless, we have been there for a long time, working closely with the people. To get from Manila to Bohol, after the flight there, there is still a long journey by car, so it is not easy getting there, but until now we have not stopped.
Knowing there have been many disasters and that the transportation there is inconvenient, they began holding free clinics. This year they held another large-scale clinic. Some people there lived in very rural areas. When our free clinic team arrived with lots of medical equipment, they borrowed the local cultural center that was located inside the city to hold their clinic there. However, as they were setting up, they suddenly discovered that behind the center, there was a group of people already there were making their beds on the ground and sleeping there.
They made some inquiries, and it turned out that this group had come from a village in a mountain region almost several hundred kilometers away. To carry their belongings, they had rented a truck together and walked down behind it from the mountain until they had come to that village. Arriving with the truck they had rented together had been difficult, and had taken many hours, and they had to walk, and pass the night there. Some among them could not see and there were others who were sick, sick with many different illnesses. So, they had arrived there and were waiting there like that.
When the doctors arrived, and the Tzu Chi volunteers arrived, their hearts went out to them! How could there be so many who could not see among them? Upon examination, it turned out they had cataracts. This is a simple [operation]! This is a common [ailment] that in Taiwan can be fixed with a simple operation. Since they did not have any doctors or money there, they delayed until they had become totally blind. This time, the free clinic team from Manila helped so many of those among that large group. There were several hundred who were saved.
That large group of people was determined to uphold the Bodhisattva-path. They are Bodhisattvas of the Tzu Chi organization. For many years, they remain steady and unaffected. Even when they are praised, their minds always remain steady. Or, if they are ever disparaged, still their minds never waver. The only thing they know is that there are suffering people who need their strength and their help. Every time they go to help others, there are so many who are helped. It is with this in mind that they never allow their minds to become influenced by either praise or slander. Neither do they allow any other power to influence their minds. For a long time now, they have been going to such faraway places, whether by airplane, by boat or by car, and it is never easy. This is their great, direct Bodhi-path and as far as they are concerned, they will never let anything influence it. This is the Bodhisattva-path!
Others intentionally slander it with ill intent, but for those who are upon the Path, it will not affect them. They just practice the Bodhisattva-path as usual. With this kind of Buddha-Dharma, they can be very stable as they benefit the world. Many suffering people can be saved. So, as Buddhist practitioners, we must be determined in our spiritual ambitions so that we can benefit other people. We should never be concerned with gain or loss, but be just like the Buddha who totally eliminated all of His dust-like delusions and ignorance. No matter how He was disparaged, He never let it affect Him. As Buddhist practitioners, this is what we should learn from the Buddha, so that likewise, no matter how we are disparaged, we will not be affected by it. We can uphold our steady and determined love as we help other people, while never worrying about gain or loss. This is what it means to take the Dharma to heart, to practice the Bodhi-path. Then naturally, we will not deviate. So, we should be very mindful.
The previous sutra states that,
If these good men and good women, after I enter Parinirvana, are able to privately explain to one person even just one sentence of the Lotus Sutra….
After the Buddha had entered Parinirvana, there would be people like this who, for even just a few people, or for even just a single person, could teach them privately, one on one. They would not do it in a public space, but just a few individuals or even to a single individual. These people found joy upon hearing the Lotus Sutra and thus they teach the Lotus Sutra to a few people. After the Buddha had entered Parinirvana, if there were any good men or women like this, who could earnestly uphold the sutra, even if just a single verse or phrase of it, who could faithfully accept it and put it into practice, and who were willing, for even just a few people, or for even just a single individual, to teach the Lotus Sutra in this way, then their merits and virtues will be great.
The text again says,
Then you should know that these people are emissaries of the Tathagata, who are dispatched by the Tathagata to carry out His work. This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.
These were good men and women who, whether they were monastics or lay people, after hearing the Lotus Sutra, would joyfully accept and uphold it. Not only would they accept and uphold it, they similarly would teach it to others, in order to pass on the Dharma. Even if [they were to teach] just a few people, or if they were to teach many people, people like these would be emissaries of the Tathagata, those who were dispatched by the Tathagata. For instance, when the Buddha was alive. He would call upon Sariputra, Subhuti or Purna Maitrayani-putra, telling them, “You are needed in such and such place. Go and transform the people there.” The Buddha even told Ananda, “Go Ananda! That poor woman has affinities with you. It is you who should go to transform her.” He was the emissary of the Tathagata, dispatched by the Tathagata. This was when the Buddha was in the world.
If, after the Buddha entered Parinirvana, people continued to spread the Buddha’s teachings throughout the world, then they would be doing the Tathagata’s work. They would be emissaries of the Tathagata, as if dispatched by the Tathagata. We are those who carry out the Tathagata’s work, who’ve shouldered the Tathagata’s family business, who are doing the work of the Tathagata. Anyone who comes to the world while journeying upon True Suchness is called a Tathagata.
So, “This is to say nothing of those who teach widely among people.” If teaching a single person or a few people is considered carrying out the Tathagata’s work, then how much more so for those who teach and spread the Dharma before larger assemblies; they are even greater emissaries of the Tathagata who have been dispatched by the Tathagata. They come to the world to practice the Dharma of True Suchness, so they too are emissaries of the Tathagata.
The following section again says,
Medicine King, if an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome, remains in the presence of the Buddha for one kalpa and constantly slanders Him, his offense is still considered to be slight.
When the Buddha was in the world, there were also people who would disparage Him. They would not only slander Him behind His back, but they would even come right in front of Him to revile and curse Him. There were those like this too! In the Buddha’s time, there were those in society too who tried to obstruct the Buddha, who came to revile and curse Him, who even tried to kill the Buddha. This is like the Buddha’s disciple Devadatta. He was like this. Furthermore, there were many non-Buddhist sects that also flourished during the Buddha’s time. They were quite powerful and tried to destroy the Buddha-Dharma as the Buddha-Dharma began to take root there.
The Buddha was originally a prince. As a prince who had engaged in spiritual practice, who had become enlightened and who used His wisdom to influence others, there were naturally many who believed in and respected the Buddha. This greatly threatened those other religions, so He was slandered, was hurt and was pressured through a variety of methods. Even while in the world, the Buddha encountered many unfavorable circumstances like this.
So, in this sutra, the Buddha says, “Medicine King, if an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome, remains for one kalpa….” One kalpa is a very long time. Over a very long time, while a Buddha is in the world or even after that Buddha has entered Parinirvana, if anyone “constantly slandered Him, his offense would still be considered slight.”
We just said that the Buddha Himself was never harmed. It didn’t affect Him either way. This is because the Buddha Himself understood the principles very well. Even if people slandered Him, it never influenced the Buddha at all. So, this did not matter to the Buddha, for there was no one the Buddha could not forgive. The Buddha always forgave sentient beings. Lifetime after lifetime, He came to the world to deliver and transform them whether they were good or evil. For good sentient beings, He helped them understand the principles. For evil sentient beings, He helped them abandon creating evil karma so they would not suffer in the Three Evil Destinies. This was the Buddha’s goal in coming to the world.
So, when an evil person would revile the Buddha, it was as if he were throwing dust into the wind; it would never reach the Buddha. It was as if they were throwing sand at the Buddha but they were throwing it against the wind. How could that sand ever reach the Buddha’s body? It could not. Because the Buddha never accepted the various influences of those other people, He was always able to forgive them. This is why it says, “His offense would still be considered slight.” The Buddha could never hate anyone, never become angry or retaliate. He was ever-forgiving, was able to step back to see the bigger picture. This is what we should be learning.
So, “those who slander or praise the Buddha” only “obtain gains or losses for themselves.” The only ones who suffered losses were those doing the slandering, the ones slandering the Buddha-Dharma, inciting quarrels and spreading rumors. The losses were theirs, not the Buddha’s. It never ever influenced the Buddha. This is because. “The Buddha had eliminated all delusions.” He had no real afflictions over loss or gain, so He remained unmoved in the face of slander. No matter what happens, it “causes no harm to the Buddha.” It never harmed the Buddha.
Those who slander or praise the Buddha obtain gains or losses for themselves. Since the Buddha has eliminated all delusions and is unwavering before slander or praise, this causes no harm to the Buddha. The offenses or blessings of praising or slandering the Buddha are truly considerable, yet the harm or benefit falls to the one who acted. Therefore, it says “slight.” Praising those who uphold this sutra also benefits oneself, it does not benefit the Buddha. Slandering those who uphold this sutra also damages oneself. By slandering or praising those who uphold this sutra, one’s offenses or blessings are even more significant.
So, “The offenses or blessings of praising or slandering the Buddha are truly considerable.” Only the person who slanders or praises the Buddha is affected by the resulting offenses or blessings. If you slander the Buddha, then this is an offense. It means that your mind harbors unwholesomeness, that you are harboring evil thoughts, and evil thoughts are what destroy the principles. If we destroy the principles, then the world will be without principles. The world will be in chaos. So, this is a very severe offense. Of course, if we praise the Buddha, help everyone hear the Buddha-Dharma and know the Buddha is the Great Enlightened One, the Great Compassionate One, they begin to understand that having faith in the Buddha can increase blessings and wisdom. If everyone willingly listens to the Buddha-Dharma and comes to understand the principles, the world will naturally be harmonious. It will be extremely harmonious. This is what will happen in the world; the world will then become harmonious.
The consequences of harming or praising the Buddha fall upon the person harming or praising. Their transgressions or blessings will be severe. Are we ourselves praising, or are we harming? Whether we benefit or suffer harm [depends upon] whether we praise or harm the Buddha with a wholesome or an evil mind. A wholesome mind brings blessings, while an evil mind brings transgression. So, for the Buddha Himself it is slight but for sentient beings it is severe. The transgressions and blessings can be significant.
“Praising those who uphold this sutra.” Praising those who uphold this sutra “only benefits oneself.” It is not as if by your praising the Buddha you increase the Buddha’s blessings in any way. You do not. The Buddha attained His own blessings, through His own spiritual practice. It is not like He only gains blessings by your praising Him. No, He cultivates His own blessings. When you praise the Buddha, you naturally influence a lot of people so that they come to believe in the Buddha, so that they come to learn from the Buddha. The merit and virtue from this is your own; it has nothing to do with the Buddha.
It may help the Buddha-Dharma to flourish, but it does not affect the Buddha Himself. It makes no difference to the Buddha. So, “Slandering those who uphold this sutra only damages oneself.” By destroying the Buddha-Dharma, by destroying it with evil intent, others who do not understand follow suit in condemning it. If this happens, it will cause damage. “By slandering or praising those who uphold this sutra, one’s offenses or blessings are even more severe.” If you disparage or praise those who are upholding this sutra, your transgressions or blessings will be great. If we praise those who uphold the sutra, it will make them joyful. Then, in their faith in the Buddha, in their learning from the Buddha, in their spreading and teaching of the Dharma, they will gain confidence. They will be even more mindful while they are out in the world spreading the Buddha-Dharma. The Buddha-Dharma will then flourish in the world. By praising them like this, we too are gaining blessings.
If we disparage them, it will diminish their confidence. They may encounter all kinds of obstacles and they may stop spreading the Dharma to the benefit of sentient beings. Then the Buddha-Dharma may gradually disappear in the world. If this happens, those who disparage will also have [bad] karma. Their negative karma will be severe, even more severe than from slandering the Buddha Himself. Because when you slander the Buddha, He will always forgive you but when you slander someone who upholds the sutra, then naturally it will influence them. The Buddha-Dharma will be greatly influenced. So, we must be very careful not to harm those who spread the Dharma.
So, the Buddha said, “Medicine King.” Again He called to Medicine King. He did this to carefully call everyone to attention. This is why He again called out to Medicine King.
Medicine King: The Buddha, in order to carefully explain how the offense of slandering sages is greater than that of slandering a Buddha, first explained that the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra are many. Then, He revealed that the offenses of slandering the sutra are very severe.
The Buddha’s compassion was such that. He carefully explained how those who slander anyone upholding the sutras create negative karma. The Buddha then went on to explain “the offense of slandering sages.” Sages uphold the sutras, they spread the Buddha-Dharma. Slandering them is an even greater transgression than reviling the Buddha. Because above, we had already explained before how, “the merits and virtues of upholding the sutra are many.” Now below it will tell of the extreme negative retribution that comes from slandering the sutras. This is what it will speak of in the following passage(s).
So, “Should an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome.”
Should an evil person, whose mind is unwholesome: Though one may be evil, one’s mind may not always be unwholesome. Suppose now there is an evil person with an unwholesome mind who slanders the Buddha to His face.
“Though one may be evil.” A person may [sometimes] be evil, but his “mind may not always be unwholesome.” When this evil person hears [the Buddha-Dharma], they may say they take no joy in listening to it, and then they begin to slander it. This is saying that people like this are not originally evil. They may ordinarily do good deeds and may normally be good people, but not all good people have necessarily become willing to have faith in the Buddha. They may not want to believe, but they are still good people. They are just not ready to believe. They may even hinder those in their families, or hinder their friends from believing in the Buddha-Dharma.
There are those like this in the world, more than few. Can you call them evil people? No, they are just ordinary. They are also good people, but when it comes to the Buddha-Dharma, they do not want to believe in it. They are somehow always ill-disposed towards the Buddha-Dharma. With people like these, their “minds may not always be unwholesome.” Their minds are not always unwholesome, but this is the way they are when it comes to the Buddha-Dharma.
But now it says, “Suppose there is now an evil person with an unwholesome mind who slanders the Buddha to His face.” When someone like this sees the Buddha, it brings him no joy. This is just like that poor old woman. She knew the suffering of her own poverty, yet she took no joy upon seeing the Buddha. However, seeing Ananda filled her with respect. This was her karma. Without the right affinities, people will want to disparage others. They give rise to evil thoughts, not good ones. They have no good intentions and sometimes even revile the Buddha to His face.
So, “Those with an unwholesome mind are driven by deviant views. In pursuit of recognition and advantage, they despise noble beings and sages, and constantly slander the Buddha. Among unwholesome offenses, there are none greater than these.”
So, “Those with an unwholesome mind are driven by deviant views. In pursuit of recognition and advantage, they despise noble beings and sages, and constantly slander the Buddha. Among unwholesome offenses, there are none greater than these.”
People like these, the ill-intentioned, give rise to deviant perspectives when it comes to the Buddha-Dharma. Then their minds become driven by them, become obsessed with them. It is not that they are bad people, they are just prejudiced toward the Buddha-Dharma, perhaps driven and biased toward recognition and advantage. Because the convictions they hold are different from our own, they continually wish to elevate what they believe above all others, so they wish to suppress the Buddha-Dharma and this is why they slander it. So, “in pursuit of recognition and advantage” and wishing to elevate themselves for their own sake, this of course is what they do. Others will say, “I know all about the Dharma. What I have to say about it is correct. You don’t know what you’re talking about.” There are people like this as well! If people on the same path engage in mutual criticism amongst themselves like this, then what of criticism from non-Buddhist sects? It is always about recognition and advantage. “Pursue” means to move in the direction of. Their direction is of recognition and advantage.
So, they “despise noble beings and sages.” They look down upon noble beings and sages, and “constantly slander the Buddha.” They criticize the Buddha-Dharma and constantly slander the Buddha. “Among unwholesome offenses, there are none greater than these.” They are ill-intentioned toward the Buddha-Dharma, only thinking to themselves, “Your teachings are wrong; only mine are right.” This is also how slander arises. Some are of different religions, while others have no faith at all. Others, like us, are upon the same path, yet, biased toward their [own views], they of course disparage others. There are all kinds of attitudes. Thus, we must be very mindful so that our minds not become biased.
“In the presence of the Buddha for one kalpa.”
In the presence of the Buddha for one kalpa: This person had gone through long kalpas for many lifetimes until presently encountering the Buddha in this world and appearing before Him.
A kalpa represents a long measure of time, a long time spent in the presence of a Buddha. A kalpa is so long it means that they will pass through many lifetimes like this; continually damaging the Buddha-Dharma, continually slandering the Buddha-Dharma. If they will disparage a Buddha to His face even while He is in the world, they do the same after a Buddha enters Parinirvana. They will disparage Him as well. Similarly, even after He has passed after the Buddha is gone, they will slander Him. If they will disparage a Buddha while the Buddha is in the world, then how much more so after He enters Parinirvana. They will slander Him then as well.
So, “If he constantly slanders the Buddha, his offense is still considered to be slight.”
If he constantly slanders the Buddha, his offense is still considered to be slight: If one constantly harbors evil thoughts and slanders the Buddha to His face, his offense is indeed not slight. Saying that it is still considered slight is to show that the retribution for slandering those who uphold the sutra is extremely severe.
The Buddha was always very forgiving. In the Lotus Sutra, He even bestowed predictions upon Devadatta. Evidently, no matter how he harmed Him, or how he reviled Him, as far as the Buddha was concerned, it had no influence on Him. So, it says, “his offense is still considered to be slight.”
“If one constantly harbors evil thoughts and slanders the Buddha to His face, his offense is indeed not slight.” The offense in fact is not slight, but as far as the Buddha is concerned it does not really matter to Him; it does not affect Him. Hence, “His offense is still considered to be slight.” However, in all honesty, it is not slight. Slandering the Buddha and the Dharma is the same as destroying the Buddha-Dharma in the world. This creates chaos in this world. This is not slight, but an extremely serious transgression.
“Saying that it is still considered slight is comparing it to the retribution for slandering those who uphold the sutra, [which] is extremely severe.” To the Buddha it is slight. To those who spread the Dharma and uphold the sutra, it is severe. This harms ordinary people. It injures them severely, so it is not a slight transgression. It is only slight to the Buddha, for the Buddha always forgives people. But if done to those who uphold the sutra, it can make them lose their spiritual aspirations.
“His offense is still considered to be slight.”
His offense is still considered to be slight: The Buddha had eliminated all delusion, treating friends and foes equally. Evil cannot intimidate Him, so how could this hinder Him? This neither harms nor benefits the Buddha, so it says “considered to be slight.”
“The Buddha had eliminated all delusion, treating friends and foes equally.” To Him there were no foes or friends. Everyone on earth was just like one family, so the Buddha never quarreled with anyone. “Evil cannot intimidate Him.” Evil can never oppress the Buddha, “So, how could this hinder Him?” It cannot hinder the Buddha. It does not harm the Buddha, just as if you praise the Buddha, it does not really benefit Him. However, disparaging others is truly a severe transgression, just as praising upholders of the Buddha-Dharma truly brings infinite merit and virtue. This is in regard to ordinary people.
In summary, the Dharma is in the world. We hope the world will always have the Buddha-Dharma. The principles are in the world and the world is eternally bound by them. When people’s minds are purified, then society will become harmonious and the world will be without disasters. As Buddhist practitioners, we should always be mindful not to harbor unwholesome thoughts or ill-will, or to ever malign the Buddha-Dharma. Disparaging the Buddha-Dharma influences those who are learning the Buddha’s Way and are forming aspirations, making it impossible for the Buddha-Dharma to remain in the world forever. This creates very severe negative karma. So, everyone let us always be mindful!