Creating the conditions for the dharma to flourish

This time I would like to talk about a nice and light topic…slander! As some of you may know, “Slander of the Dharma” is a term that appears in many Buddhist sūtras as well as in Nichiren Shōnin’s writings. Unfortunately the term “slander” is sometimes bandied about by people with little understanding of what it means as a way of dominating others based on ego, arrogance, and a strong sense of self-righteousness.

In actual fact, the concept of “slander” in Buddhism asks us to look closely at causes which block spiritual progress, good and the discovery or revelation of truth not only in society, but in our own lives. 

The literal meaning of the word "slander", is to defame someone or something - to say something untrue and negative about them. Based on this you might assume that to “slander the Dharma” (hōbō 謗法) simply means speaking ill of the Buddha’s teachings. But in fact the Buddhist term “slander” doesn’t only refer to using words to criticise or speak ill of the Dharma, but is also used to describe any action that denies or works against the correct teachings of the Buddha.

In order to understand the meaning of the term, I’d like to look at a passage from the Lotus Sūtra. Did you know, one of the most thorough explanations of slander in all of the Buddha’s teachings is found in the Lotus Sūtra, Chapter III, “A Parable”? 

Towards the end of the chapter, there are various negative causes listed which are said to work against the correct teachings of the Buddha. There, the Buddha warns Śāriputra not to expound this [the Lotus] Sūtra to people who are arrogant, idle, who think the self exists, who have little wisdom, who are attached to the five desires, are not able to understand it, do not believe it, scowl, doubt it, slander it, despise practitioners of it, hate them, look at them with jealousy and harbour enmity towards them (Murano, p.82-83).

The Fourteen Sins of Slandering the Dharma

The fourteen negative causes contained in this passage of the sūtra were classified as the fourteen “sins” of slander by Myōraku Daishi during the T’ang Dynasty in his work “Hokke Mongu-ki”.

These fourteen sins of slandering the Dharma (jūshi-hibō 十四誹謗) are very famous, and Nichiren Shōnin not only mentions them in several of his writings, but there is even a letter written by him called “The Fourteen Slanders”, named after them.

The fourteen sins are:

1. Arrogance. (“Those who are arrogant”)
2. Negligence.  (“And idle”)
3. Reckoning in terms of “I”.  (“Who think that the self exists”)
4. Shallow perception. (“Of little wisdom”)
5. Attachment to the five desires.  (“Attached to the five desires”)
6. Being unable to understand.  (“Not be able to understand it”)
7. Not believing. (“Do not believe”)
8. Scowling with knitted brows. (“Scowl at this sutra”)
9. Harbouring doubts.  (“Doubt it”)
10. Slandering. (“Slander this sutra”)
11. Despising. (“Despises [the practitioner]”)
12. Hating.  (“Hates him”)
13. Envying.  (“Looks at him with jealousy”)
14. Harbouring grudges. (“Harbours enmity against him”)

*Note: The order in which these fourteen appear in Murano’s translation is consistent with the original Chinese except in the case of number 5 and number 6, where his English rendering reverses their order, with number 6 appearing before number 5.

All of these fourteen different states of mind and actions prevent the true teaching of the Buddha from spreading in the world and within our own lives. There is one ecurious aspect to this passage though…when you first read this passage, you might initially be confused by the Buddha telling Śāriputra not to expound the Lotus Sūtra to people. After all, shouldn’t the Buddha’s teaching be made available to everyone? The true significance of this passage, when looked at more deeply, does not carry the message that we should refuse to deal with such people or write them off, but that we should help them fix these 14 sins or types of mind before preaching the Lotus Sūtra to them. The reason is that with these fourteen states of mind present in someone’s mind, preaching the Lotus Sūtra to them is likely to have little positive impact, and may actually have an unfavourable effect, leading them to reject it and move further away from the truth. In order for progress to be made, for good to flourish, and truth to be given the opportunity to be considered honestly, these fourteen things must be cleared away. Simply put, a person’s mind has to be ready to receive the Lotus Sūtra properly before it is given; equally, our own mind has to be open to receiving the Buddha’s teachings for them to have the conditions to grow.

Let’s look at each of the Fourteen Slanders found in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sūtra in more detail to see what each one means:

1. Arrogance (“Those who are arrogant”)

First of all, to be “arrogant” means to think that you understand, even though you actually don’t really understand; to stick to a wrong idea and be unwilling to change it. With this kind of mindset, some disciples of the Buddha didn't understand the preciousness of the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, and having already listened to the Buddha’s previous expedient teachings and devoted themselves to those teachings, they mistakenly believed only they were true. Just before the Buddha started teaching, 5,000 people stood up and walked out. They thought that there was nothing better than the teachings they had already mastered, and therefore ended up rejecting the true teachings of the Buddha.

2. Negligence (“And idle”)

The word “idle” has a surface meaning akin to being lazy or inactive, but on a deeper level, the word “idle” here in the Lotus Sutra doesn't mean that you are just lazy and do nothing, but more precisely that you are neglecting or “idle” with regard to what is important. It signifies using our minds and bodies for things we don't need, meaning we don't devote ourselves to what is important, and the result is an idleness with regards to Buddhist practice. Humans are never happy doing nothing. We all have a considerable desire to move or take action, but we often turn our minds to things we don't need, and focus on things that are unimportant or even useless. Power or energy is needed to do anything. When our energy is placed elsewhere, we can’t put much effort into pursuing what is good and right. In other words, if the mind is turned in the wrong direction, the result will be negligence of what is important. Throughout our lives we should reflect on and focus on what is truly important.

3. Reckoning in terms of “I” (“Who think that the self exists”)

Thirdly, the phrase “thinking that the self exists” refers to thinking in terms of “I”, and “me”; that is, considering things mainly from the standpoint of your own convenience. Human beings cannot live on their own, so we must help each other, support each other, and make the world better. However, we sometimes tend to think only about ourselves and do only what is convenient or beneficial for ourselves in our present situation. When this happens, we will naturally move away from the right teachings and the right path. 

Therefore, people thinking exclusively about things in terms of what is in their own interest or to their own personal advantage eventually hinders the spread of what is correct in the world.

4. Shallow perception (“Of little wisdom”)

Fourth, being “of little wisdom” means learning the teachings, and knowing only the surface level of the teachings, thinking that you have truly been able to know or obtain their spirit. This is something that we must remind ourselves of again and again: The teachings of the Buddha are extremely profound in meaning, so even if you think you understand them, there will always still be something you do not yet understand. You have to think about them more deeply. After thinking ever more deeply, the feelings or spirit of the Buddha can be obtained. If we take only a surface-level understanding to be sufficient, then the correct spirit of the Buddha can never be grasped, so it is also impossible to become devoted to the correct teaching or truth. Therefore, being content with a shallow understanding also stops the spread of correct teaching in the world, and its flowering in our minds.

5. Attachment to the five desires (“Attached to the five desires”)

Fifth, being “deeply attachment to the five desires” is to be obsessed with one's “thirsts” or “cravings”. The desires being referred to here are the so-called worldly desires, such as the desire for money, or fame. If you are obsessed with such desires, you will have little energy to give attention to thinking about what is right or wrong. Since you are focused on just trying to somehow satisfy your desires, thoughts of ​​deeply studying what is real or true naturally become few and far between. Therefore, when greed arises in our minds and the mind of society at large, the zeal needed to devote oneself to the correct teaching wanes, and the spread of the correct and good is naturally hindered.

6. Being unable to understand (“Not be able to understand it”)

The sixth sin, “not being able to understand” has more nuance to it than first appears. It refers to the inability to listen to a teaching and grasp the important points of that teaching. We can all understand a teaching to a certain extent by listening to it, but if we can’t grasp the central point, the trunk, but instead grab onto the branches and leaves, our hands are not free to understand or really know the true teaching in what we’ve heard - in the end, although it looks like we have heard the teaching and understand, the result is not much different from not knowing at all. If we become entangled in the branches and leaves, thinking that they are important, and build our own faith from there, that faith will be different from the spirit of the Buddha. Basically, we miss the point by not being able to understand. Therefore, incomprehension of the main point due to focusing on the peripheral is a hindrance to the spread of the truth.

7. Not believing (“Do not believe”)

Seventh is “not believing”. Even though we may hear a teaching and agree with it intellectually, it is often difficult to really take it into our lives and place our trust or faith in it. And even though we may believe in something in the present moment, it cannot be said that we truly believe in it deeply if we only think that way temporarily. As the saying goes, the Dharma is “easy to receive, difficult to keep”. Therefore, “not believing” can be interpreted as meaning your belief or faith cannot be maintained or is not continuous. When nurturing our faith, there may be obstacles, challenges and in some cases persecution. Answers to our doubts may not present themselves immediately. However, our faith needs some resilience in order that we can continue on the path until such a time that the answers reveal themselves. We must be able to endure persecution and difficulty. Without that determination, it is impossible to carry on believing. If our faith cannot be continued, the correct teaching will not spread to the world after all, so this "disbelief" will also have a harmful effect on the Buddha's teachings which we have received.

8. Scowling with knitted brows (“Scowl at this sutra”)

Eighth, a “scowler” is a person who hates the correct teaching spreading in the world, and blocks it not only in their minds, but shows their hatred on their face. This is said to be a great sin. Why? The reason is there are not many truly bad people in the world, and not so many truly good people. The vast majority of ordinary people exist somewhere in between good and bad, and are in the middle concerning most things. But, if there is a “scowler” next to the person who wants to spread the right teachings, it is natural for people to be deterred by that person. This behaviour - hatred expressed in a visible manner - can influence people greatly and potentially lead many people to move away from the correct teaching. If there is someone who asks you about Buddhism only so they can find holes in it, catch you out or trip you up, in other words, to find ammunition, it may be better to change the subject and talk about something else.

9. Harbouring doubts (“Doubt it”)

Ninth, “doubting” means to be unreasonably suspicious of the actions and teachings of a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, or any other person of virtue in the world today. Human beings often want to be equal, but we should be very careful to remember or be open to the idea that there may be some superior people in the world who can help us, and there are also many deep truths and lessons to be learned that we should realise we don’t yet know, and want to know. If there are many people with shallow understanding who guess or assume everything based on their own limited wisdom and discernment, their limited experience, etc., and think that other people can only do what they do, they will never make progress in life. Don’t write anyone off as being stupid or not having anything to share. If there are many people who do this, the Buddha's teachings and good will never be practised in the world.

10. Slandering (“Slander this sutra”)

The tenth sin of slandering the Dharma, itself termed “slander” means slander in the sense which we normally associate with it: “libel”, ie. to defame the right teaching with words. Just like scowling with knitted brows, this is a great hindrance to the spread of the Dharma. If the number of people who slander the truth increases, the words of the slander will naturally move the world, so even if there is a momentum to spread the correct teaching, that momentum can easily be interrupted and discouraged. This can have consequences. Loud voices spreading misinformation, mistruths and “fake news” can easily colour the opinions and views of many people.

11. Despising (“Despises [the practitioner]”)

Eleventh is “despising”. This is when we despise goodness. Even if we’re not capable of doing much good ourselves, we should at least respect other people doing good things, try to emulate their good actions, and gradually become more motivated to become closer to them. However, the person who has the mindset of disrespecting or despising goodness will never be able to turn towards the good. Also, if you disrespect goodness and tell people that it is boring, insignificant, or a waste of time, other people will not be enthusiastic about doing good, so it is important not to disrespect it. If we do so, it hinders the dissemination and practice of good.

12. Hating (“Hates him”)

The twelfth is to “hate” those practising good. This is not only to despise or disrespect good, but is a little deeper and means that because you can't do good things yourself, you actually hate other people doing good things and reject them. Sometimes, if you are an ordinary person, you will feel oppressed by and despise those who can do what you cannot do, and your thinking will be distorted. You will hate those who do can do such things. By hating them you will make an enemy of them preventing you from doing any good yourself.

13. Envying (“Looks at him with jealousy”)

In the thirteenth, we envy or “look with jealousy” at goodness. With this type of mind, just seeing others doing good things, and gaining peace in their hearts or being respected by others makes us jealous. The cause of this is that we don’t believe we can do good things ourselves. We end up always trying to find flaws in people doing good, or trying to damage their credibility. The harm of envy is also terrifying.

14. Harbouring a grudge (“Harbours enmity against him”)

Finally the fourteenth sin is, “harbouring enmity”. This is the worst sin because all those who do good are excluded or denied as much as possible, designated as enemies, meaning eventually you will not be able to do good things cannot be done in your “world”, and you will hinder good things happening in the world at large. Because good and bad are incompatible, the more enthusiastically you make bad causes, the more likely you are to hate goodness and to make those doing good your enemies. Resentment of any good, that is, making an enemy of good, is the greatest sin. From there, it is very difficult to change direction and perform good yourself.

The main reason good does not occur

In this way, it can be said that these are great sins because all of these fourteen states of mind or behaviours interfere with the spread of the correct teachings of the Buddha. In the Lotus Sūtra it is said that someone who commits such sins will fall into infinite hell, and will receive negative karma for a long time in the future, in other words they will end up travelling away from enlightenment and towards suffering, away from the development of good and progress towards truth, going backwards - towards evil and ignorance. In order to understand the true mind of the Buddha, we must eliminate these fourteen attitudes and behaviours. 

Additionally, while it may at first seem like this teaching only relates to Buddhism, or that “slander of the Dharma” is a very alien concept in our society today, the denial of truth and going against what is true and good is a common occurrence in the world - it can happen in the company you work for, in families, in local neighbourhoods, in countries and the world at large. Thinking in that way, the fact that there are "slanders" and there is "slander of the Dharma" or truth and goodness is not a hypothetical thing, or a thing of the past, and we should be aware that this teaching applies to each of us and to society today. When we carefully consider fields other than Buddhism, we can see that when things aren't right, and good and progress are not happening, then one of the fourteen sins we’ve just looked at is almost always the cause. In fact, when we think about cases where society is going backwards, deteriorating, or has stopped progressing, one of these fourteen is always the cause, and the cause is manifest within the people.

That is why it is so important to check our own minds for signs of these 14 attitudes and behaviours. All of us should therefore think about our own “slander”, and reflect on these fourteen things. When we look at our own individual lives and see a lack of progress on our own spiritual path, one of these fourteen states is inevitably in our hearts. Only when we have addressed these attitudes and behaviours can the Dharma flourish for us personally, and for those around us. 

Please take time to chew over this teaching so that you can digest it properly. Reading it once is not enough. Even though the word “slander” may seem very negative, this is an amazing teaching showing us practical ways to create the conditions necessary to nurture good and progress in our own lives and society at large. 

May it bring us clarity and open up the way forward along the path for us all.