What Does 'An Icchantika Cuts Off the Roots of Goodness' Mean?

Icchantikas who sever their roots of goodness do not refer to ordinary disbelief in the true mind, the tathāgatagarbha; rather, while disbelieving, they also hurl abusive words, committing extremely grave slander with very bad influence. Those who disbelieve in the tathāgatagarbha constitute the majority, while icchantika sinners are not many—they are only a tiny minority; otherwise, the Avīci hell could not contain them all.

When Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva expounded the Mahāyāna Dharma to five hundred bhikṣus, the bhikṣus, while disbelieving, rose and left, harboring anger in their minds—especially anger toward Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva for expounding the Dharma. This offense is many times greater than harboring anger toward ordinary people, so they descended into hell to undergo suffering. Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva had long foreseen these events. Śāriputra asked Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva: since he knew this outcome, why did he still expound the Mahāyāna Dharma to them? Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva said that although they descended into hell, their roots of goodness had already matured; after arriving in hell, they would know to repent, and with a single thought of remorse, their hellish offenses would be eradicated; they would then ascend to the heavens, and afterward return to the human world to cultivate and study the Mahāyāna Dharma, ultimately attaining the Path. If he had not expounded the Mahāyāna Dharma to them, although they would not have descended into hell, they also would not have planted roots of goodness and merit, and would have had no opportunity to cultivate and study the Mahāyāna and attain the Path.

Therefore, some matters may appear unwholesome and disadvantageous in the short term, but from a long-term perspective, they will bring great benefit. Great bodhisattvas have broad insight and far-reaching vision; they can see long-term benefits, and everything they do can benefit sentient beings. Ordinary people, however, can only see immediate benefits and cannot see far ahead, hence their short-sightedness.

Since Buddhist practitioners are learning from the Buddha, they should read more Buddhist sūtras and learn more about the Buddha's cultivation experiences throughout the three great asaṃkhyeya kalpas, as well as learn more about the cultivation journeys of the great bodhisattvas and the great wise conduct of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. This will have immense guiding significance for one's own cultivation, so that one will not remain in ignorance. What is taught in the Buddhist sūtras is both comprehensive and ultimate, with rich and detailed content; reading them extensively will surely bring profound benefit. It lays a foundation for future generations and also grants the wisdom-eye to discern the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, enabling one to recognize whether each person who transmits the Dharma is a good teacher (kalyāṇamitra) or a false teacher, so as not to be deceived by others, not to stray onto wrong paths, and to attain buddhahood swiftly.