If someone slanders us and we try to find a way to refute the slander, we will be asking for trouble. If we think of refuting the slander, we are not according with the Buddha’s teachings. The Buddha did not teach us to refute slander. He taught us to ignore it. Let others do their slandering. We will behave as we usually do.
This is just like someone throwing a punch. If there is no resistance, the fist will fall on emptiness. If someone slanders us and we refute the slander, the situation will develop into a quarrel and then a fight. By remaining silent when being scolded and not striking back when being attacked, we concentrate our minds on cultivation and diligently practice the Buddha’s teachings.
Obviously this is very hard to do. Generally, we cannot tolerate being slandered. But our goal should be to endure what others cannot endure and practice what others cannot practice. In this way, we will progress on our Bodhi path to awakening.
When we reach critical moments in our cultivation, the obstacles we encounter will be grave. We should treat these obstacles as tests: I have progressed this far in my cultivation and need to take this test. With this thinking, we will realize that it is not a bad thing to encounter obstacles.
~ Based on Ven. Master Chin Kung's 2003 lecture series on the Amitabha Sutra