[Shakyamuni admonished his followers on how they should react to outside criticism or praise of the Three Treasures]:

“O brothers, you must not be disappointed or angry or harbor ill will against others who slander the Buddha, the Law, and the Order, for if you do, you will lose the calm that enables you to judge rationally whether what the person has to say is true or false.

“In instances of slander, you must remain cool so that you can distinguish between truth and error and be able to say, ‘For this reason, what he says is different from the truth. In this point he fails to reach the truth. We are not as he says we are.’

“Similarly, you must not be quick to rejoice and be glad when an outsider praises the Three Treasures, for if you become carried away with being lauded, you will lose the calm that enables you to judge rationally whether the praise is true or erroneous. In cases of praise, too, you must remain cool so that you can judge facts as facts and can say, ‘For this reason, what he says is a fact. In this point he has reached the truth. We do have the characteristics he attributes to us.’

“In many instances, praise of an outsider is directed toward trivial, superficial aspects and not to the basic doctrines of Buddhism. Therefore, since they do not praise the things that are truly praiseworthy, you must not rejoice or be elated by what people speaking in this way have to say.” (Page 131)