In a sutra it was said that there were ten Bodhisattvas who had exerted themselves in practice for seven years but with no result. Another Bodhisattva Undaunted requested Lord Buddha to explain why these ten Bodhisattvas had no results in their practice. Lord Buddha explained that they were obscured by having slandered a Dharma teacher in a past life.
The result of this act, according to Lord Buddha, is that “As that action ripened, they were born in the hells for ninety thousand years. Then, for five hundred consecutive lifetimes they were born in the human realm as impotent, as barbarians, and into families with wrong views. After that, for six hundred lifetimes they were born blind and mute. Then, for seven hundred lifetimes they went forth and remained ordained for the rest of their lives, but they died without having attained dharaṇi. That is the karmic obscuration veiling these noble sons.”
Further, Lord Buddha advised:
“Noble son, you should therefore trust this and understand it. Having heard this Dharma discourse, you should never speak of a Dharma teacher having flawed discipline (conduct), even if you witness it in person, let alone hear word of it.”
“Noble son, if one person were to pluck out the eyes of all beings, and another were to take a disparaging view of a Dharma teacher, the latter would commit an act of even graver negativity than the former. If one person were to bind all beings in fetters, and another were to turn his back on meeting a Dharma teacher, the unmeritorious act committed by the former would be nowhere near even a hundredth part of the unmeritorious act committed by the latter. It would be nowhere near even a thousandth, or a one hundred thousandth part. No number, fraction, quantity, analogy, or comparison would come close. Why is that? Because whoever denigrates a Dharma teacher denigrates the Buddha. If you wish to honor the Buddha, you should honor a Dharma teacher. If you wish to worship the Buddha, you should worship a Dharma teacher. If you wish to pay homage to the Buddha, you should pay homage to a Dharma teacher."
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