White Tara said:
“One of the negative habits that can develop in spiritual cultivators is the tendency to form self-proclamations about their own merits or achievements. In reality, there is no true merit to be claimed. However, some cultivators may fall into the habit of making exaggerated claims in order to gain recognition or personal gain. When this occurs, it breaks the samaya of speech!”
I asked:
“What is self-proclaimed merit?”
White Tara replied:
“First example - when someone dies, their relatives inform a spiritual cultivator. This person quickly informs the relatives that the soul of their loved one visited the previous night and a bardo deliverance had already been performed. They also claim that the soul has gone to the Pure Land of the Western Paradise. Upon hearing this, the grieving relatives, grateful for this information, give a generous offering to the cultivator out of gratitude and trust them.”
(Actually, the deliverance event never happened at all.)
White Tara continued:
“Second example - a married couple has been long childless, and seeks the help of a spiritual cultivator who gives them a blessing. Miraculously, the couple eventually have a child. The cultivator then declares that they brought the child down from heaven as a gift to the couple. Overwhelmed with tears of gratitude, the parents treat the cultivator like a deity and offer even more generous offerings.”
(Actually, the bearing of a child was just a coincidence!)
White Tara continued:
“Third example - a person became very ill and could not recover even after a long period. This person then spoke to a spiritual cultivator and eventually recovered from the illness. The cultivator then declared that they had journeyed to heavenly realms and brought a celestial doctor to cure the person’s sickness. Now that the person has recovered, it is seen as another instance of great merit.”
(Actually, no visit to the heavenly realm occurred.)
White Tara said:
“Fourth example - a spiritual cultivator predicts that someone will die in six months, and the person becomes filled with fear and seeks assistance. The cultivator promises to provide protection, and miraculously, the person is still alive after six months. The cultivator then takes credit for invoking dharma protectors and guardian deities to constantly safeguard the person.”
(Actually, the prediction and protection from deities were fake.)
White Tara said:
“Fifth example - a spiritual cultivator claims to possess knowledge about the connections of karma between their past, present, and future lives. When approached by others, this cultivator would say, ‘In previous lives, I was your teacher, and you vowed to follow me in every lifetime. Hence, in this life, you continue to follow me.’ As a result, these individuals trust and believe in the cultivator.”
(In fact, the cultivator had no knowledge about their past, present, and future karma.)
White Tara said:
“Sixth example - a spiritual cultivator claims to have visited heaven and hell without actually having done so. The cultivator also claims to have authority over spirits and deities, when in fact, those beings often ridicule them in secret.”
(The cultivator has no spiritual authority at all.)
White Tara said:
“Seventh example - a spiritual cultivator makes these proclamations: a dragon deity emerging from a lake pays homage to the cultivator, buddhas and deities line up to welcome the cultivator at temples, and mountain gods and earth deities make offerings wherever the cultivator travels.”
(False and exaggerated proclamations.)
White Tara said:
“A spiritual cultivator might claim to have attended a meeting with the buddhas to discuss ways to save the earth and help sentient beings. This cultivator may even declare themselves the sole representative of all Buddhist practitioners worldwide.”
(Utter nonsense.)
White Tara said:
“A spiritual cultivator claims that celestial beings in the heavens rely upon this cultivator as a teacher to gods and humans. The rulers of the Netherworld and the officials of hell also listen to and obey this cultivator. This person declares themselves to be unsurpassed and the most worthy in the universe!”
(A fantasy!)
White Tara said:
“There are many spiritual cultivators like this. All of them are listed in the “Highly Confidential Register of Those Fallen into the Three Lower Realms.” By exaggerating and lying, they consistently engage in dishonest speech, which eventually becomes a habit for them. They continually commit transgressions in pursuit of reputation and personal gain. Such conduct only brings them more suffering and prevents their own liberation!”
Such behaviors should be given up!
Abide by the precepts!