“Śāriputra, Jambudvīpa will be filled with unholy beings who are absorbed in the pursuit of their own livelihoods, who cling to disputes, and who harm both themselves and others. That is why, Śāriputra, the Blessed One Kāśyapa prophesied that excessive gain and honor would cause the teachings of the Thus-Gone Śākyamuni to quickly disappear. Thus, Śāriputra, gain and honor will cause this Dharma-Vinaya to quickly disappear.

“For an analogy, Śāriputra, beggars experience joy and happiness after acquiring a great fortune. Similarly, Śāriputra, in the future, there will be monks like that who serve, venerate, and honor householders. Śāriputra, householders will use their worldly possessions to invite the monks as guests to partake of their material wealth, and since those worldly, material things will give the monks pleasure, they will gradually adopt that lifestyle. Those monks will chase after worldly, material wealth like a poor person who becomes wealthy, yet does not find happiness. Since they are enslaved by material possessions, they will never be satisfied, and they will remain attached to their relatives.

“Although they are ignorant, they will proclaim that they are worthy ones, to convince householders. They will discard the awakening of the buddhas as they try to convince them. This alone will become the sole activity that pleases them, so this is what they will accomplish.

“That is why, Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One has indicated that discourses such as this benefit those foolish beings. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, when monks who transgress their discipline hear discourses such as this spoken by the Thus-Gone One, it will make them lose heart and they will leave. Śāriputra, when those beings consume gifts of faith, they are great thieves. Śāriputra, you should know that those who become unhappy or displeased when they hear this Dharma-Vinaya are especially evil monks. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, Dharma talks on discipline, concentration, insight, or weariness would not upset disciplined monks.

“Śāriputra, three types of monks will become unhappy when they hear a discourse such as this. What are those three? Monks who transgress their discipline, monks with pride, and monks who teach an impure Dharma, by presenting discourses that are not Dharma as if they were Dharma discourses.

“Another group of three will also become unhappy. What are those three? Those who hold the view of a self, those who hold the view of a life force, and those who hold the view of a person. Another group of three will also become unhappy. What are those three? Those who hold the view of the aggregates, those who hold the view of the elements, and those who hold the view of the sense fields.

“Śāriputra, you must understand and realize this. I say this as a loving spiritual friend who seeks your benefit, your welfare, your well-being, your success, and your happiness. Therefore, Śāriputra, listen to my words and train in them carefully! You must pursue and cultivate what is wholesome!

“Śāriputra, there are five circumstances that will bring unhappiness to monks who teach an impure Dharma. What are those five? (1) Not comprehending all the discourses of the Buddha; (2) lacking the instructions related to the discourses; (3) enjoying arguments; (4) claiming that there are contradictions in the discourses, due to a lack of faith in the Dharma teachings; and (5) teaching the Dharma while being motivated by gain and honor. Śāriputra, those five circumstances will bring unhappiness to monks who teach an impure Dharma. Śāriputra, I say that such Dharma teachers are bound for the lower realms rather than nirvāṇa.

“Moreover, Śāriputra, some of the monks here have presented discourses that are not the Dharma as Dharma discourses, and have entered the midst of this retinue. They sit on cushions that have been arranged for them as gifts of faith, and then reveal that they are experts in the teachings of the Lokāyatas. They are fixated on both the discourses of the Buddha and the view of a person. Since they do not understand the teaching of the Buddha, they reject its defining feature: the absence of self. When clever monks ask them to teach in accordance with the discourses, they hesitate and reply, ‘Do not speak to me!’ and claim that there are contradictions in the discourses. Because some discourses contradict others, they discredit them and do not study them. They will read a little bit of something they agree with in a discourse and then teach it as the position of the noble ones. They teach the Dharma out of attachment to their relatives, motivated by gain and honor, and in order to outshine others.

“Śāriputra, any monks sitting here on cushions that have been arranged for them as gifts of faith who reveal that they are experts in the teachings of the Lokāyatas should be asked to get up. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, once they sit on the cushions of the noble ones that have been given as gifts of faith, they should not propound the nirgranthas’ doctrine. If they are unwilling to stand up, such offensive beings do not maintain the Teacher’s teaching. Śāriputra, if they admit to this, then they can listen to the Dharma with the onlookers.

“Śāriputra, I say that such Dharma teachers do not have the heart of a mendicant but the heart of a nirgrantha. After they die, they will head toward the destinies of unholy beings and nirgranthas. Śāriputra, what are the destinies of nirgranthas? They are the destinies of those with wrong views. What are the destinies of those with wrong views? They are the hell realms, the animal realms, and the world of the Lord of Death. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, such will be the destinies of those who teach the Dharma to others although not being trained and learned themselves, those who strive for the lion throne without having manifested the physical signs, and those who strive for the lion throne even though they have fallen into craving.

“Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One knows that this teaching will disappear due to a variety of words, understandings, views, impressions, and opinions. Śāriputra, when such foolish beings hear about things such as nonapprehending, the awakening of the buddhas, ultimate truth, and emptiness in the profound discourses that the Thus-Gone One taught, they will become very scared and fall into a great and frightening abyss.

“For an analogy, Śāriputra, a long time ago, there were five hundred blind people who had reached a town after traveling on the road for a long time. Hungry and thirsty, they set up camp in that town, and they appointed one blind person to look after their camp while the rest went begging.

“Soon after the other blind people had left, Śāriputra, a rogue approached the blind person guarding the camp and asked him, ‘What are you doing here all alone?’

“ ‘I am not alone,’ he replied, ‘there are others with me.’

“ ‘My friend,’ said the rogue, ‘in a certain place, there is food for those who seek food, drink for those who seek drink, and many gifts that are offered, but they are only distributed to those who go there. If you want, I will bring you to that place.’

“The blind man replied, ‘I will go with you!’ Then the rogue simply left him somewhere on the outskirts of town and stole all those blind peoples’ belongings. When the blind beggars returned, the rogue went to meet them and asked, ‘Why don’t we go to a place where a great many things are offered?’

“ ‘Friend,’ they replied, ‘we believe there is no such place.’

“ ‘O wretched ones,’ said the rogue, ‘abandon those negative thoughts and inferior donations. I will lead you there!’ So they put down their donations and followed him. The rogue led them to an abyss surrounding an impenetrable fort and said, ‘The road in this direction is flat and delightful. The great gifts are being given out in this direction.’ As soon as they had set out, he shouted to them, ‘Go straight and receive your great offerings!’ Śāriputra, all those blind people fell into that abyss and thus experienced misfortune and suffering.

“Śāriputra, those blind people who lost their lives for a bite to eat and the greedy rogue who led all those blind people and made them fall into that abyss are just like the monks who will be born in the future and who will delight in and be fooled by the instructions of the Lokāyatas given by evil Māra. They will be utterly deluded about wholesome qualities.

“Śāriputra, there will be monks who will delight in and contemplate language, and their beliefs will be held in high esteem. Because of them, monks who exert themselves in the teachings of the Lokāyatas will give priority to intelligence and eloquence.

“Śāriputra, there will be monks who exert themselves in the words of the Buddha, but they will be completely deluded. As a result, those monks will memorize only two or three discourses of the Buddha and think, ‘I have memorized the words of the Buddha, so I should seek out the teachings of the Lokāyatas for a while and comprehend them.’

“Śāriputra, there will be monks who follow the Lokāyatas and who will delightedly regard those teachings as the highest and most excellent. Such foolish beings will be overpowered by evil Māra, just like the blind people who fell into that abyss. Śāriputra, the ‘blind people’ represent ‘those who are overwhelmed by craving and attachment’ and ‘those who strive for worldly possessions,’ by rejecting the awakening of the buddhas and seeking the words of the nirgranthas. Śāriputra, the ‘rogue’ represents evil Māra, since he leads beings onto mistaken paths.

“Śāriputra, those blind people abandoned the donations they received in town, became enamored with a great donor, and fell into a great abyss when they pursued greater offerings— and that is exactly how it will be for those monks who reject my teachings. They will not be satisfied with ordinary alms, and they will seek out great feasts. Material possessions will lead them to be bound by the wicked one’s noose, evil Māra will push them off the precipice, and those beings with corrupt and degenerate insight will fall into the great Hell of Ceaseless Torment. Then, Śāriputra, the remaining monks teaching an impure Dharma—who have not comprehended all the Buddha’s teachings and have not mastered them themselves—will enter a poorly trained retinue and teach the Dharma to others. At that time—apart from the monks who possess divine vision, the gods, and those who know the minds of others—all humans will have the five faults related to ignorance.

“Such Dharma teachers will doubt themselves, thinking, ‘Why isn’t anyone arguing with me?’ and the torment of immature ordinary beings having difficulty understanding them will remain fixed in their minds. The words and syllables they express through their afflicted eloquence will be confused, the ripening of their evil words will accord with the causes, and they will come to feel regret. When they live among the saṅgha, the fact that it is difficult for immature ordinary beings to understand them will remain in their minds and torment them. Since they do not comprehend the ways of the discourses, they will lack the understanding to actually teach the Dharma to others as they would like, because it is not easy for immature ordinary beings to understand someone who harbors such doubts.

“Without realizing it, they will be Dharma teachers who are tormented because they have an uncertain understanding and are overcome by pride, concerned about insignificant things, and attached to their relatives. They will thus experience the pain of desire, anger, and delusion for a long time. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, even if the ripening of an uncertain Dharma teaching can create an opportunity for good fortune to arise, and that comes to pass, that opportunity will be fleeting. Śāriputra, I perceive the faults of monks who teach an impure Dharma that even monks and gods do not perceive.

“Moreover, Śāriputra, the monks who will teach an impure Dharma will teach the Dharma to others without understanding what the Thus-Gone One has realized and taught. Even while presenting the Thus-Gone One’s teachings on the absence of a being, a life force, a soul, and a person, they will in fact advocate for a self, a being, a life force, and a person. They will insult me, criticize the Dharma, and deprecate the saṅgha. The world with its gods cannot know and understand the ripening of such actions—only the thus-gone ones can. Śāriputra, I perceive the faults of monks who teach an impure Dharma that even monks and gods do not perceive.

“Moreover, Śāriputra, since it is to their benefit that monks who teach an impure Dharma are made aware of how many roots of nonvirtue they incur when they teach such Dharma to others, I will make this clear for you, Śāriputra, with the following analogy.

“Śāriputra, what do you think: are there many sentient beings in Jambudvīpa?”

“Blessed One, there are many! Well-Gone One, there are many!”

The Blessed One then asked, “Śāriputra, if someone were to kill all the sentient beings of Jambudvīpa, how much nonvirtue would accumulate from that root cause?”

“A lot, Blessed One! A lot, Well-Gone One!”

“Śāriputra,” the Blessed One continued, “someone who teaches an impure Dharma to others without understanding the awakening of the buddhas creates much greater roots of nonvirtue than that. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, people who denigrate the awakening of the buddhas in that way disgrace the blessed buddhas of the past, present, and future. Why is that? Śāriputra, the Dharma taught by the thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas who appeared in the past is the fact that all phenomena are empty—they are devoid of a being, a life force, a soul, and a person. Śāriputra, the Dharma taught by the future thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas who will awaken to unsurpassed and perfect buddhahood is the fact that all phenomena are empty—they are devoid of a being, a life force, a soul, and a person. Śāriputra, right now, I and all thus-gone, worthy, perfect buddhas of the eastern, southern, western, northern, and ordinal directions equal to the number of grains of sand in the Ganges River exclusively teach the Dharma that the ultimate reality is emptiness, the absence of a self, the absence of a being, the absence of a life force, the absence of a soul, and the absence of a person.

“Śāriputra, this excellent Dharma taught by the blessed buddhas is the ultimate reality, emptiness. All the qualities of the buddhas manifest naturally. They are insubstantial, without apprehending, empty as opposed to having an intrinsic nature, without cessation, without names or distinguishing marks, empty of inherent characteristics, and free of concepts. Śāriputra, the Thus-Gone One teaches the Dharma of awakening without concepts. Which concepts, Śāriputra? They are the views of a self, a being, a life force, and a person, Śāriputra, all immature ordinary beings have these concepts, and anyone who lacks such concepts does not contemplate any phenomenon.

“Still, some beings will contemplate the fact that all phenomena are empty of inherent characteristics, and that they are devoid of a self, a being, a life force, a soul, and a person. When they contemplate in that way, they will experience great joy. They will not be afraid, scared, or terrified by the fact that the ultimate reality is emptiness. Knowing that the five aggregates are unborn and that the elements and the sense fields are unarisen, they will not entertain thoughts about nirvāṇa, and nirvāṇa will not lead them to entertain thoughts, because nirvāṇa lacks apprehending. They will not think about what brings about peace, what peace is, or where peace is, because there is no apprehending. Śāriputra, the ultimate reality, emptiness, is the acceptance that concords with the truth. Those who possess this acceptance that concords with the truth will not apprehend the ultimate reality as something that has an inherent characteristic. Śāriputra, what is the inherent characteristic related to that acceptance? It is the absence of characteristics.

“Śāriputra, what do you think: is the defining characteristic of acceptance a self, a being, a life force, a soul, or a person?”

“No, Blessed One, it is not.”

“Śāriputra,” continued the Blessed One, “those who possess that understanding are worthy ones. They are the heirs of the Buddha. They are the practitioners of nonabiding concentration. Śāriputra, this teaching of the Buddha lacks concepts and conceptual thought, and it is thus the ultimate gateway to liberation. If a fool were to enter the retinue and teach a wrong view based on his own analysis, saying, ‘These are the words of the Buddha; this is the noble path,’ they would denigrate the past, future, and present blessed buddhas. Such people are evil friends; they are unholy beings and are not virtuous friends. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, when an opposing faction kills a member of our own order, it only affects a single lifetime, but foolish beings who teach an impure Dharma do great harm that will last for trillions of lifetimes. They are deluded about the awakening of the Buddha, they ignite latent types of clinging, and they cause people to engage in them. Those who have any clinging cannot put an end to their pride.

“Śāriputra, this is why monks who teach an impure Dharma generate so much demerit and are evil friends. They denigrate the awakening of the buddhas of the past, future, and present. Śāriputra, someone who teaches an impure Dharma to others creates much greater demerit than someone who kills all the beings in Jambudvīpa, as many beings as there are in a chiliocosm, and, Śāriputra, as many beings as there are in a great trichiliocosm. The same could be said about the sentient beings who belong to this four-continent world and this chiliocosm.

“Śāriputra, leave aside all the sentient beings present in Jambudvīpa and all those who belong to this chiliocosm. Śāriputra, compared to someone who kills all beings in this great trichiliocosm, those who teach an impure Dharma to others create much greater demerit. Why is that? Because, Śāriputra, they denigrate the awakening of the buddhas, they invigorate Māra’s armies, they cause great harm to sentient beings, and they perpetuate delusion for trillions of lifetimes. Since such foolish beings do not liberate others, those who proclaim falsehoods are evil friends of all sentient beings. When such unholy beings enter retinues, they denigrate the Buddha, and they are therefore referred to as great hell beings.

“They cause many beings to adopt wrong views, and they will not enjoy the awakening of the Buddha for a hundred thousand lives. Śāriputra, most of those who hold the view of a person will fall into error. Most of those who hold the view of emptiness will quickly understand all phenomena. Why is that? Because they will quickly abandon those views. Śāriputra, it is better to have one’s tongue cut out with a sharp blade than to enter a retinue or go into the wilderness and teach an impure Dharma even once or twice. Śāriputra, those are the faults of monks who teach an impure Dharma. They will complete the conditions to be reborn in the lower realms.”