Dear Dharma Friends,
Welcome to this episode of the podcast provided by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated of Australia.
Today, we continue our exploration of the Sutra of the Ten Wholesome Deeds, focusing on the Buddha’s teaching on not slandering.
What is slandering? In simple terms, it is sowing discord, with the core manifestation being the destruction of others’ reputations. If we can truly refrain from slandering and avoid harming others’ images, what five “indestructible” merits will we attain?
First, our body becomes indestructible, free from harm, because we do not damage others’ reputations.
Second, our relationships with kin—encompassing not only family but also friends, colleagues, teachers, and students—become indestructible. By refraining from sowing discord or undermining relationships, the trust between us and those close to us grows stronger, and our connections become increasingly stable.
Third, our faith becomes indestructible. Slandering causes our faith to waver, leading to moments of belief followed by doubt, which is itself a consequence of such speech. However, by abstaining from slandering, our faith becomes steadfast and unshakable. This firm faith, aligned with our inherent nature and causes, is a fundamental ability for practice.
Fourth, our practice of the Dharma becomes indestructible, as our cultivation is firm and enduring. Slandering undermines trust in all good endeavors, causing them to fail, while fostering confidence in misfortune, making it easier to fall into negativity. By refraining from slandering, we naturally cultivate a faith aligned with goodness, a steadfast and indestructible faith that enables us to hear, understand, and practice the Dharma. This makes our path of practice solid, allowing us to cultivate the Buddha’s teachings with stability and achieve results swiftly without giving up halfway. This, too, is a vital ability for practice.
Fifth, we attain indestructible spiritual guides. Many of us lament, “Why can I never meet a true spiritual guide?” This is the karmic consequence of slandering. When we complain, we create new slandering, further ensuring we will struggle to meet genuine guides in the future. Only by refraining from slandering can we encounter true spiritual guides. This is because karma operates accordingly: if we do not destroy others’ reputations, the guides we meet will not harm us. When we blame spiritual guides for being inadequate, we must instead reflect on ourselves, cultivating shame and repentance, as these encounters are summoned by our own karma.
If one is one who is able to turn-towards the Highest Perfect Illumination, one will later at the time one becomes Buddha, gets a holy retinue whichcannot be corrupted by any Mara or heretic.
Dear friends, let us begin with refraining from slandering, guarding our words, and ceasing to harm others’ reputations, thereby laying the most solid foundation for our practice. Thank you all for listening!
