The UWF Buddhist Lecture Series, Part 8The gift of Dharma excels all other gifts.
—Dhammapada, 354
Lecture Number 8: May 16, 2009
The Noble Eightfold Path: Right Speech
I. Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood make up the sila group, the first group, in the threefold training of sila, samādhi, and pañña.
A. Although its function is purity in speech and action, sila as discipline is not practiced per se, as an end in itself.
B. Sila prepares the mind for samadhi.
C. Samādhi prepares the mind for pañña.
D. Sila, samādhi, and pañña are like the three legs of a tripod which falls to the ground if a single leg gives way.
II. The mind may be compared to a reservoir with two faucets: speech and action.
B. If the reservoir is not properly and regularly maintained, the water inside becomes polluted.
C. If you drink from either faucet, you will get sick.
D. If we keep the faucets turned off, our speech and action will not be polluted.
E. But the reservoir is still polluted.
F. Thus we need to “mind the mind” so that its contents are not polluted.
G. For this we need to meditate regularly.
H. But meditation alone does not put the mind in a state of security.
I. For this we need wisdom, or insight, to keep the mind free from pollution.
III. Right Speech means impeccable speech that reflects inner wisdom, clear vision, the Buddha-nature.
A. Right Speech has four abstentions: abstention from lying, from slander, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter.
B. The factors of Right Speech are worded negatively, but abstention per se is not the goal.
1. Before sowing good seed, it is necessary to prepare the field by removing the weeds.
2. For this reason, the Dhammapada begins negatively with “Not to do any evil” before advising us to do good.
C. The karmic effects of speech may not be as immediate as the karmic effects of action, but the consequences are enormous, good or bad.
1. Speech can harm or heal, start wars or build peace, create harmony or break relationships, encourage ignorance or give wisdom.
2. If we could but tame our tongue, the world would be a far better place to live in.
D. Verbal expression, whether oral or written, is what distinguishes us from animals.
1. Animals ordinarily resort to physical action, humans ordinarily to speech.
2. In the 21st century, the implications of speech have been amplified by the communications revolution (texting, email, the internet, etc).
3. We have improved on the technology but we have not attended equally to the quality or content of the verbal expression.
IV. Non lying.
Herein someone avoids lying and abstains from it. He speaks the truth, is devoted to the truth, reliable, worthy of confidence, not a deceiver of men. Being at a meeting, or amongst people, or in the midst of his relatives, or in a society, or in the king’s court, and called upon and asked as witness to tell what he knows, he answers, if he knows nothing: “I know nothing,” and if he knows, he answers: “I know.” If he has seen nothing, he answers: “I have seen nothing,” and if he has seen, he answers: “I have seen.” Thus, he never knowingly speaks a lie, either for the sake of his own advantage, or for the sake or another person’s advantage, or for the sake of any advantage whatsoever. (Nyanatiloka, The Word of the Buddha, BPS, Ceylon, 48 ff.)
A. The determinative factor in non lying is the intention to deceive.
B. Your speech must be without guile and hidden agendas. As a result, you will not be misconstrued as evasive, deceitful, and manipulative.
C. If you do not lie but speak the truth, you become transparently straight.
D. Non lying may seem like a tall order especially because we live in a world of exaggerated advertisements, political spin doctors, media campaigns, talk shows.
E. Sometimes subtleties of truth are easier to resort to such as shading the truth by saying things that others want to hear.
F. Spin doctors are easy to spot, but our own egotistical advertising campaigns are more difficult to spot.
V. No slander.
He avoids tale-bearing, and abstains from it. What he has heard here, he does not repeat there, so as to cause dissention there; and what he has heard there, he does not repeat here, so as not to cause dissention here. Thus he unites those that are divided; and those that are united, he encourages. Concord gladdens him, he delights and rejoices in concord; and it is concord that he spreads by his words. (Ibid.)
A. The root of slander is aversion, which is a heavy karma.
B. When the slander is false, the slanderer commits another crime of lying which, combined with aversion and slander—and premeditation—almost always inevitably leads to immediate rebirth in one of the three lower realms.
C. Instead of slander which causes dissention, better to speak words that bring about peace and reconciliation. Concord is better than discord.
VI. No harsh speech.
He avoids harsh language, and abstains from it. He speaks such words as are gentle, soothing to the ear, loving, such words as go to the heart, and are courteous, friendly, and agreeable to many. (Ibid.)
A. Like slander, the root of harsh speech is aversion, and the determinative factor behind this transgression is the intention to hurt.
B. Harsh speech assumes several forms: abusive speech, insult, and sarcasm.
1. Abusive speech scolds, reviles, reproves with bitter words.
2. Insult damages another’s character and dignity.
3. Sarcasm twists the outward praise by means of irony.
C. Harsh speech repels, pleasant and courteous speech attracts.
VII. No idle chatter.
He avoids vain talk, and abstains from it. He speaks at the right time, in accordance with facts, speaks what is useful, speaks of the Dharma and the discipline: his speech is like a treasure, uttered at the right moment, accompanied by reason, moderate, and full of sense. (Ibid.)
A. “He is not a wise man just because he talks much.” –Dhammapada, 258
B. “One is not versed in the Dhamma merely because one speaks too much.” –Dhammapada, 259
C. Idle chatter or gossip is pointless talk which lacks depth.
D. It communicates nothing of value except stir up mental defilements in everybody, including oneself.
E. The Buddha advised his monks to “either talk about the Dhamma or keep nobly silent.”
F. Because idle chatter profits no one anywhere, it is wise to avoid it.
G. Abstaining from idle chatter is made imperative in the 21st century, with technological improvements unknown in the days of the Buddha, i.e., newspapers, radio, movies, television, the internet—and their train of gossip columns, hate commentaries where commentators amuse themselves at others’ expense.
H. “Gossip,” according to J. L. Hollard, “is always a personal confession either of malice or imbecility.”
I. “Better than a thousand utterances, comprising useless words, is one single beneficial utterance by hearing which one is calmed.” –Dhammapada, 100.
J. In our next lecture, we shall discuss Right Action and its three abstentions: non stealing, non killing, and no sexual misconduct.
