(Note: The karma of abandoning Dharma prevents rebirth in Sukhavati. This is stated in the Sutra.)
HH Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche:
Slandering a great master is an act of abandoning Dharma
If one has committed the act of abandoning Dharma, there is absolutely no
chance for liberation. This is a matter we must be very careful about.
What is the act of abandoning Dharma? Slandering Bodhisattvas is an act of
abandoning Dharma. We do not know where the Bodhisattvas are, therefore we
should be very careful with everyone. There are Bodhisattvas among both the
ordained and laypeople. Even among animals, we cannot be certain whether there
are Bodhisattvas.
Once, this man went to Five-peaked mountain (a holy mountain
sacred to Manjushri). There, he met (an emanation of) Manjushri who instructed him to deliver a
letter to a certain Tashi. In the letter, it was written, “Bodhisattva Tashi,
you have completed your task to benefit beings in this guise. Please return to
Abirati pureland right away.”
This man went to a town in Chengdu (China) and asked around for someone called Tashi.
In the end, someone told him, “There is no-one named Tashi here, but my pig is
called Tashi, I am planning to slaughter Tashi tomorrow.” The letter-bearer
thought that since there was no-one called Tashi around, his next-best option would
be to place the letter beside the pig. The pig opened the letter with its snout
and immediately died upon seeing its contents.
Such Bodhisattvas are present among the animals whether they run on the ground
or fly in the air. Bodhisattvas make aspirations to “become birds or beasts
that rummage in the cities”, they also make aspirations to become famous people
who are acclaimed, or people who are despised and denigrated, or sick people,
or people who teach the Dharma etc. Even among prostitutes and butchers we find
many Bodhisattvas.
Therefore, for this reason, we do not use any degrading nicknames for all
sentient beings, we do not criticize them or pick on their faults. Otherwise,
this could easily become the karma of abandoning Dharma. This is particularly
dangerous.
To slander the Dharma is also abandoning Dharma
If one regards a particular Dharma teaching as inauthentic or misleading, gives
rise to negative views, slander or criticize these Dharma teachings. These are
all acts that create the karma of abandoning Dharma.
For example, some people who listen and contemplate a lot defend their own
lineages/schools/traditions due to their own attachments and generate anger
towards other lineages/schools/traditions, they criticize the viewpoints of the
Later Translation schools (Sarma), or Kagyu school, or Jonang school as being
illogical or wrong - these are all karmas of abandoning Dharma.
People who speak like this are not common among the Tibetan laypeople, but they
are often found among the ordained. However, in the past when there were
altercations between the new translation and old translation schools, their
followers who were laypeople were led to create a great deal of karma of
abandoning Dharma too. Therefore, do not slander any authentic Dharma
lineage/school/tradition.
In the present era, there are many real and fake tertons (treasure-revealers)
and accomplished masters. Ordinary beings are unable to distinguish between the
real and the fake. It is best not to support or attack anyone. One should
remain neutral. Just like it is stated in the Mahayana Ornament of Sutras,
“Mental non-virtue (such as anger) is negative by nature (even) when directed towards a sentient being or an inanimate object that is offensive. Needless to say that it is negative when directed at objects
that are yet to be determined (to be offensive or otherwise). To avoid faults, it is best not take
sides.”
