..续本文上一页nese Buddhist lineages of being unauthentic. I”d like to ask the accusers: Have you ever read any of the works by Chinese Chan masters or the precious scriptures translated by the Three Great Translators from Tang Dynasty

　　 If not, then your accusation is merely an unfounded slander. On the other hand, there are some who are prejudiced against Tibetan Tantric teaching, claiming it is not genuine Dharma and should not be followed. I urge those people first, to study, contemplate on, and master, the vast ocean of Tibetan Vajrayana scriptures such as Eighteen Tantras from the First Propagation Period. Otherwise, jumping to reckless allegations, without any knowledge of Tantric doctrines, would only be committing sins of maligning Esoteric Dharma. It is therefore crucial in our studies to regard all the transmissions and realizations of Buddhadharma with genuine faith and pure vision. In contrast, if one becomes grossly arrogant for the meager intelligence that one may have in certain areas, or forms attachment to one”s own lineage, or bears resentment and jealousy against those of others”, or exhibits ignorance, or slanders holy teachings and thus commits cardinal crimes, one will end up nowhere else but in the Vajra Hell. Hence one must prudently guard oneself against these behaviors.

　　Uttaratantra Shastra (Treatise on the Sublime Continuum) says:

　　He, who turns to wicked friends and displays aggression against the Buddha, who kills his parents, who kills Arhats, or who creates schism in the society of Sangha, can still find redemption by contemplating on Dharmata; he who holds aversion toward the Dharma, however, is beyond deliverance.

　　Sutra of the Heart of the Sun says:

　　I would rather shatter my body than slander the Dharma.

　　It is said in Moon Lamp Sutra:

　　If someone were to destroy all of the stupas in the Continent of Jambudvipa, and if another were to slander the Dharma, the latter”s crime would be the much more severe;

　　If one were to kill as many Arhats as sand-grains in River Ganges, and if another were to slander the Dharma, the latter”s crime would be the much more severe.

　　Transcendent Wisdom in Eight Thousand Verses says:

　　The five crimes with immediate retribution are not as heinous as that of slandering the Dharma.

　　It is also said:

　　He who slanders the Dharma,

　　In the millions of years to come,

　　Will suffer agony in hell, then

　　Take rebirth in the animal realm, and

　　Be reborn as an evil man,

　　Without the sense faculties intact, and

　　Thus would never hear of The Three Jewels.

　　Many more scripture authorities can be found regarding the offense of slandering the Dharma. Mipham Rinpoche says in his Essential Consistency in the Three Sets of Vows as well:

　　Taking sides between one lineage and another is like a father”s two sons arguing about them having two different origins.

　　All this goes to say, for us Buddhist disciples, that, even if we could not accomplish the great mission of propagating the Dharma and benefiting beings, we should at least avoid intentionally defiling the nectar of Buddhadharma. As Sakya Pandita said:

　　One may lack the ability to spread the Dharma, but one should never denigrate its teaching.

　　It is better not to say anything than to utter words of disrespect. As said in the Jewel Garland: The unwise had better stay quiet. This concurs with what sages often say: When the foolish close their mouth, the Dharma will be free from harm.

　　In summary, Buddhism in China can be categorized as being of eight or ten sects, including Chan(dhyāna) sect, Pure-land sect and Avataṃsaka sect, etc. In Tibet there are eight traditions, including Nyingma and Gelug, with the former further pided into sub-lineages such as Katok, Dzogchen, Palyul, and so on. No matter how they are inpidually identified, they all represent the transcendent and complete wisdom from Sutrayana and Tantrayana, taught by buddhas, such as Shakyamuni and Samantabhadra. These authentic instructions have been faithfully upheld by various lineage masters, and continue to guide many to realization, up to this day. We must not deny the authenticity of one or another, nor arbitrarily accept one and reject another. Je Tsongkhapa said:

　　If one sees through the manifold lineages to their consistent core, one will grasp the pith instructions from all scriptures, and readily embody the Buddha”s real underlying message.

　　Only when we adhere to such an attitude can Buddhism welcome the auspicious future, to which the president of the Buddhist Association of China, Zhao Puchu, has always aspired:

　　May the presence of Dharma endure,

　　Adorning our land with glory and harmony,

　　Offering sentient beings welfare and bliss!

　　Written with reverence at Larung Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, 3 Sept, 1994

《A Brief Discourse on the Non-conflicting Essence of the Manifold Lineages of Buddhism》全文阅读结束。