Lots of people tell me it’s unspiritual to be concerned about Fake Buddha Quotes. The Buddha, surely, would not be troubled by such things? Surely he, as a really cool, chill guy, would just shrug it off?
From the scriptures we have it seems he wouldn’t. He was very concerned about being misquoted. It was a cause of disharmony, and would lead to the “disappearance of the true Dharma [teaching].” Misquote enough, and peoples’ understanding of the teachings drifts and warps, until what they’re doing can’t take them to enlightenment.
And so we get passages such as the following:
Mendicants, these five things lead to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching. What five?
1. It’s when the mendicants memorize discourses that they learned incorrectly, with misplaced words and phrases. When the words and phrases are misplaced, the meaning is misinterpreted. This is the first thing that leads to the decline and disappearance of the true teaching.
2. Furthermore, the mendicants are hard to admonish, having qualities that make them hard to admonish. They’re impatient, and don’t take instruction respectfully. This is the second thing …
Here the quotes aren’t even entirely fabricated, but are just altered in ways that change the meanings. The second of the five points, which I haven’t included in full, relates to that, because people get attached to these distorted quotations, and then refuse to change their minds. Eventually, and this is point number 5, the community splits, refusing to practice with each other, and the monks “abuse, insult, block, and reject each other.”
The discourse I’m quoting offers a more positive account of what happens when the teachings are preserved with the words and meanings intact. The first two points are:
… the mendicants memorize discourses that have been learned correctly, with well placed words and phrases. When the words and phrases are well organized, the meaning is correctly interpreted. This is the first thing that leads to the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.
Furthermore, the mendicants are easy to admonish, having qualities that make them easy to admonish. They’re patient, and take instruction respectfully. This is the second thing …
These things lead to point number 5:
Furthermore, the Saṅgha lives comfortably, in harmony, appreciating each other, without quarreling, with one recitation. When the Saṅgha is in harmony, they don’t abuse, insult, block, or reject each other. This inspires confidence in those without it, and increases confidence in those who have it.
And this culminates in “the continuation, persistence, and enduring of the true teaching.”
To be Buddha, being accurately quoted was crucially important. I can only presume that the image some people have of the Buddha as some kind of chill stoner dude comes from their imaginations. It certainly doesn’t come from the Buddha of the early scriptures, who was strict and very, very critical when necessary.
please don’t ever stop talking about Fake Buddha quotes! your site is invaluable. thank you.
Thank you, Susan! I’ve slowed down, mainly due to being on social media so rarely that I hardly ever come across new ones, but I haven’t stopped.
“I can only presume that the image some people have of the Buddha as some kind of chill stoner dude comes from their imaginations.”
That kind of people should be reminded that the Buddha recommended not to drink or smoke, or taking any intoxicants even to laypeople as the bare minimum not to be reborn in a realm lower than the human.