Christian wrote: “One can teach Dhamma or spread Dhamma without being Sotapanna but there is high risk involved that person will be lacking too much understanding and experience to show people the way of practice.”
Here are some things to think about:
1. If only people with magga phala were teaching Dhamma, Buddha Sasana would have long been disappeared.
– Today, only a tiny fraction of even the bhikkhus have magga phala. Even less had been there only 50 years ago and likely for many hundreds of years up to now. However, Buddha Sasana has been maintained by mainly the bhikkhus who faithfully transmitted the Pali Tipitaka over 2500 years: “Preservation of the Buddha Dhamma“.
2. There have always been people (including bhikkhus) who had not comprehended Dhamma. Even at the time of the Buddha this was the case. Devadatta was a prime example.
– Even when Devadatta tried to kill the Buddha, the Buddha did not expel Devadatta from the order of the bhikkhus. Devadatta remained a bhikkhu until death.
– There are many other examples, where bhikkhus were teaching the “wrong Dhamma”. There was Sati bhikkhu who could not understand what is meant by viññāna in the Maha Tanhasankhaya Sutta (MN 38). Another was Yamaka bhikkhu in “Yamaka Sutta (SN 22.85). Once the Buddha could not stop two fractions of bhikkhus who were arguing and decided to leave them and go to Palileyya forest.
-In none of these cases, the Buddha never asked any of those bhikkhus to give up the robes or to stop engaging in their activities, which included delivering discourses. But of course, he explained to them the correct Dhamma.
3. In that latter case, Visaka came to the Buddha and asked how to treat those bhikkhus who were “misbehaving and teaching the wrong Dhamma”. Buddha said that people should listen to all and need to figure out who is teaching the correct Dhamma.
4. There have been long stretches where there have been only a few with magga phala. But Buddha Sasana was maintained. Mainly because the faithful propagation of the Pali Tipitaka.
Regardless of how one explains Dhamma, the text in the Tipitaka remains the same. That is the most important factor.
5. Dhamma that may have veen hidden for long times can be revived by a few or even one person who is a “jati Sotapanna” (like Waharaka Thero).
– Therefore, the most critical is to preserve the Pali Tipitaka. Even if wrong Dhamma is delivered in many cases, there is built-in safety in the Pali Tipitaka. Without that continuity through long periods, where the Dhamma was explained incorrectly, Buddha Sasana would not have persevered.
Of course, it is a good thing that there are more bhikkhus and lay people who are teaching correct Dhamma these days.
