The Bodhisattva Vows

Root Vow #1 - Praising Oneself and Denigrating Others

We continue in cyclic existence because we act in accordance with the belief in an inherently existent self, imbued with certain unchanging qualities.  We believe that acting on behalf of that self will make us happy.  There are many things that help to reinforce this view on an inherently existent self, but few more powerful than glorifying our own qualities or having someone else call them into question.  So, observing this vow helps both ourselves and those around us to keep from falling into this trap.

Does this mean we can never acknowledge our positive acts and also never call out the negative aspects of others' actions?  No, of course not.  This is not a gag order.  It isn't even Mom's old "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all."  What really makes the action a downfall with respect to the vow is the motivation behind the action.