Why Is Slandering the Three Jewels the Gravest Sin?

All Buddhist scriptures contain the Buddha's true words, and the Buddha does not deceive sentient beings. Many people believe that any casual remark they make about the Three Jewels is insignificant and inconsequential. Yet, the weight of a single word may be immense, often beyond their own awareness. One wholesome thought becomes the cause for ascending to heavenly realms and enjoying bliss, while one unwholesome thought becomes the cause for falling into hell realms. Words and actions concerning the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are especially weighty, unlike words and deeds in worldly matters. If a single word destroys or slanders the Three Jewels, whether truthful or untruthful, it becomes a cause for rebirth in hell.

A single word of discord, known as divisive speech, which disrupts the harmony of the Sangha or sows discord among monastics, among lay practitioners, or between monastics and lay practitioners, is also a cause for rebirth in hell. The mouth creates the most karma. To avoid suffering negative consequences, one should diligently guard one's speech, being cautious to prevent calamities from spilling out of the mouth. Remain silent when there is nothing to say; speak sparingly and kindly when necessary, avoiding the creation of trouble or stirring up conflict where none exists. By maintaining personal purity and leaving no faults behind, one acts wisely. Conversely, those who do otherwise are deeply afflicted by ignorance and vexations.

Slander is divided into baseless slander and slander with basis. "Basis" here refers to evidence or facts. Claiming something exists when it does not, or denying something that does exist, thus distorting the truth, constitutes baseless slander. When the matter is true and the statement corresponds to the facts, it is called slander with basis. Regarding the Three Jewels, both types constitute slander and carry grave offenses. Speaking of the faults or wrongdoings of monastics is a major sin. Even if the matter is true, speaking of it to others, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is an offense. Maliciously spreading such information incurs an even greater sin.

Why is creating negative karma concerning the Three Jewels the gravest? Because the Three Jewels hold the greatest kindness and merit towards sentient beings in the world. They can bring sentient beings liberation, freeing them from suffering and leading them to happiness, making them the supreme field of merit for sentient beings. Creating negative karma within one's own field of merit naturally results in the gravest offenses and the most profound consequences. If one's slander causes sentient beings to lose faith in the Three Jewels, it is tantamount to cutting off their path to liberation. This sin is undoubtedly heavier than any other. In the mundane world, acting maliciously towards someone who has shown one kindness is considered shameful and despised by society. How much more so when acting maliciously within the Dharma towards the Three Jewels, who can bestow the merit of liberation for countless eons? How could the sin be minor?

All who create negative karma do so due to afflictions, stemming from the presence of the ego and its attachments. Greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt arise: greed arises in the mind, and when it is unfulfilled, negative karma is created; hatred arises when things do not accord with one's wishes; constant delusion, ignorance of good and evil, right and wrong, leads to creating negative karma out of ignorance; the blazing ego within the mind, unable to be contained, erupts, overpowering others and creating negative karma; doubt arises in the mind, uncertainty about the causes and effects of good and evil, leading to the creation of negative karma.

All negative karma is created because of the ego; all afflictions arise because of the ego. The ego is the root culprit, preventing the severing of self-view, making escape from the three lower realms impossible, and leading to endless suffering. Therefore, every Buddhist practitioner should resolve firmly to subdue this root culprit, to eliminate this root culprit. Only then can one be freed from suffering and attain happiness, only then can one's mind find peace, and only then can the world find peace. Thus, severing the view of self brings blessings to the world and benefits all sentient beings, yet the greatest beneficiary is oneself. Although there is no longer an "I," it is precisely the absence of "I" that is truly good.