deviant cults

Also called heresy or heterodox doctrine, meaning unrighteous, an unrighteous path, not in accordance with truth, contrary to the true path. In the past, the Buddha left a testament for the monks, listing six types of heretics:

1. “After my passing, many Maras will enter my Dharma, shaving their heads in temples, wearing Buddhist robes, claiming to be disciples of the Buddha, mingling with worldly people, eating meat and drinking alcohol, thus defiling the Buddhist Dharma. This is the first type of heretic.
2. There are also those who bring their wives and children to temples to learn evil magic, to pass it on to their disciples, eating meat and drinking alcohol, and even performing vegetarianism and chanting scriptures for others. This is the second type of heretic.
3. There are also those who have no teacher above and no teacher below, possessed by demons and deluded, their understanding is wrong, yet they consider themselves intelligent, without any cultivation, they claim to have attained enlightenment. Outwardly they act like the Buddha, but inwardly they are deceitful and wicked, deceiving people into following the wrong path, destroying the seed of Buddha’s wisdom. This is the third type of heretic.
4. There are also those who follow the path of righteousness.” 5. There are those who follow worldly affairs, study the Dharma, draw talismans, invoke spirits, drive away demons, and deceive the people. The more evil views there are, the more right views are destroyed. This is the fourth type of heresy.
5. There are also those who follow good and bad deeds, study divination, discuss auspicious and inauspicious events, practice fortune-telling and physiognomy, predict misfortune and fortune, deceive the masses, and destroy the Buddha’s true Dharma. This is the fifth type of heresy.
6. There are also those who meticulously prepare their appearance, with empty stomachs and arrogant hearts; lacking talent but considering themselves skilled, believing themselves to have attained enlightenment before, and believing they have understood the truth after learning a few words. They do not eat oil, salt, tea, fruit, soy sauce, or vinegar; they cling to false appearances, deceiving the unintelligent. They do not need to read scriptures or recite Buddha’s name, nor do they need to do good deeds or practice meditation. They do not uphold the precepts, nor do they need to seek a teacher to learn the Dharma, daring to present this false body as indistinguishable from the Buddha, deceiving the ignorant, and together they enter darkness, severing their roots. “He who destroys the seeds of wisdom, or clings to foolishness and ignorance.
   This is the sixth type of heretic.

These six types are called the Six Heretical Teachers, that is, the demons of Mara, who infiltrated the Dharma in the Age of Decline to destroy the true Dharma.”