Final precepts, daily conduct · Verse 32 of 37
Verse 32: Don't speak of others' faults
Verse 32 of The Thirty-Seven Practices of Bodhisattvas, the fourteenth-century Tibetan poem by Gyalse Tokme Zangpo (1295–1369). It belongs to the section on final precepts, daily conduct.
If, driven by disturbing emotions, you speak about the faults of other bodhisattvas, you are actually diminishing yourself. So don't mention the faults of those who have entered the Great Vehicle. This is the way of a bodhisattva.
The practice of all the bodhisattvas is never to speak ill
Of others who have embarked upon the greater vehicle,
For if, under the influence of destructive emotions,
I speak of other bodhisattvas' failings, it is I who am at fault.
You undermine yourself when you react emotionally and
Grumble about the imperfections of other bodhisattvas.
Of the imperfections of those who have entered the Great Way,
Don't say anything — this is the practice of a bodhisattva.
A facilitator's reading across the commentaries
The epistemic humility argument is unanimous — you can't tell who's a bodhisattva, so the safe policy is universal. AB and KS carve out the one exception (single, kind, genuinely helpful correction). Directly relevant to group norms: worth making explicit in session 1's container-setting.
GR Garchen Rinpoche · HHDL H.H. the Dalai Lama · AB Dr. Alexander Berzin · KTGR Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche · KS Khenpo Sodargye · TC Ven. Thubten Chodron · KM Ken McLeod
What the teachers say
Garchen Rinpoche Drikung Kagyu
(Brief.) Never criticize masters, monks, or practitioners — it usually springs from jealousy, and the person hurt is yourself. "We don't really know who is a bodhisattva," so vow never to criticize anyone — and when someone reports another's "evil deeds," don't believe it.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
H.H. the Dalai Lama Gelug
Faultfinding turned anti-sectarian: the founders of all Tibetan traditions had good reasons; practitioners must not take "them and us" views but train in pure perception. Story: the aged First Dalai Lama, saddened by the prophecy of rebirth in Tushita — "I want to be reborn in a worldly existence in order to go on helping others" — true words of a bodhisattva.
Full commentary: 37practices.info (37practices.info serves this as one long page; find the verse by number.)
Dr. Alexander Berzin Gelug
The motivational criterion: criticism fueled by jealousy or anger degrades us; respectful, humble, well-timed constructive suggestions can genuinely help. Even a master's sharp correction flows from compassion — intention, not sharpness, is what counts.
Full commentary: studybuddhism.com
Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche Karma Kagyu
Seven Points of Mind Training: attribute all good qualities to others, all faults to oneself; Patrul Rinpoche's counsel — acknowledge your own deficiency first, then pray for blessings for both parties.
Full commentary: dharmaebooks.org (Free ebook, trans. Suzanne Schefczyk.)
Khenpo Sodargye Nyingma, Larung Gar
"It is hard to tell who is a bodhisattva and who is not" — so criticize no one. Practical: pointing out faults rarely changes people; if it will genuinely help, say it once, pleasantly, and don't repeat it. Deeper ground: pure perception — bodhisattvas may manifest as ordinary people, "wild animals, birds, or dogs." Quote: "An ordinary person cannot assess another ordinary person, only a buddha can."
Full commentary: khenposodargye.org (Free ebook PDF.)
Ven. Thubten Chodron Sravasti Abbey, Gelug
Winter Retreat vv29–37 talk.
Full commentary: thubtenchodron.org
Ken McLeod Shambhala / independent
Talk 11: gossiping about other practitioners' flaws strengthens your own reactivity and delays your own awakening. Tricycle v32 (video/subscriber).
Full commentary: unfetteredmind.org (Tricycle's per-verse written commentary is behind a subscriber paywall.)
Further reading: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, The Heart of Compassion (Shambhala). A purchased book — no text is reproduced here.