also: ぼうほう
slandering Buddhism; denigrating the Dharma
Buddhist term for speaking ill of the Buddha's teachings or the Dharma. Used in doctrinal contexts.
unreasonable demand; impossible thing
Figurative extension from the Buddhist sense; used for an outrageous or impossible request, often in the phrase 謗法を言う.
Asking for something like that is practically an impossible demand.
Slandering the Dharma is considered a grave sin in Buddhism.
Standard kanji spelling for both senses. The reading ほうぼう is more common than ぼうほう.
Alternate reading; less common than ほうぼう.
From Buddhist terminology, literally 'slandering the Dharma'. The figurative sense developed from the idea of something as outrageous as denigrating the Buddha's teachings.