Right Speech
You will likely recall that the last
of the Four Noble Truths points to
the path leading to the cessation of suffering – the Noble Eightfold Path. You might also recall that the three “steps”
along that Path referred to as right speech, right action, and right livelihood
pertain to moral conduct, whereas the
others pertain to either wisdom or meditation, as the case may be. Implicit,
then, within the practice of Buddhism, is the understanding that the cessation
of “our” suffering is only possible within the context of our relationship with
“others” and the world. One simple way to think of how these steps of the Path might link together is to consider
how difficult it is to act morally
without at least a little bit of wisdom
guiding our behavior. Likewise, it is difficult to settle deeply into meditation when our life is fraught with
conflict due to the improper nature of our conduct. Furthermore, without the
ability to settle deeply into the stillness of meditation our ability to discern true wisdom is impaired. The “steps” of the Path all impact each other in ways such as this.
Of these three components of moral conduct, right speech is perhaps the most subtle and difficult to master.
The oft-repeated aphorism about the pen being mightier than the sword resonates
with us for a reason. We intuitively grasp the fact that wounds of the flesh, though
painful and debilitating, often heal more quickly than wounds of the psyche, which
might leave emotional scars that last a lifetime. We must also grasp that our
words, or the lack thereof, have the power to save a person’s life or sentence
them to death, to put food in the mouths of children or leave them to go hungry,
to prevent pain from being inflicted or perpetuate the dynamics of abuse. In
that regard our mouths, our pens, and the keystrokes with which we project our
minds out into cyberspace have the potential to do great deeds or inflict great
harm.
How are we to decide, then, what
constitutes right speech? This very
topic is expounded upon in one of the Middle
Length Discourses of the Buddha – the Abhaya
Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 58). According
to the Abhaya Sutta, there are four
criteria to consider when deciding whether and how to speak: Is what I am about
to say truthful? Is it beneficial? Is it timely? Will the
hearer welcome it? According to this teaching, one should always speak truthful
and timely words that are beneficial to the world. However, though
it is always worthy of consideration, speech need not always be welcome
to the hearer. Sometimes difficult things need to be said, regardless of how
they might be received. But even when difficult words need to be spoken, they can
still be spoken with a spirit of goodwill (e.g. The Patimokkha, as quoted in Right Speech). The specific inclusion of goodwill strikes me as a bit redundant
in that a desire to be of benefit to the world would seem to presuppose such a spirit.
On the other hand, I suppose we can also believe that we are benefitting the
world by taking other people down a notch or two, can’t we? Thus, it seems
appropriate to let that fifth criteria hover in the back of our mind – just in
case.
I bet I know what you’re thinking.
You’re wondering, aren’t you, whether there’s any room in right speech for “the little white lie” – the falsehood uttered for
the sake of the greater good? In fact, something akin to “the little white lie”
does surface in the Lotus Sutra – a later
teaching that enjoys varying levels of esteem depending upon whether you lean
in favor of the Mahayana or the Theravada tradition. In the Lotus Sutra, Shariputra (he of the Heart Sutra) realizes that what the
Buddha has just taught does not quite coincide with what his earlier teachings
convey. In response, the Buddha tells a story – which I will shorten
considerably – of a man whose children are playing in a house that is about to
be consumed by a great fire. The man knows that the children are engrossed in
their play and will not heed his cries for them to go outside at once. Instead
he tells them that there is a cart full of their favorite toys outside the
front gate waiting for them (Watson, 1993, pp. 55-62).
From the Mahayana viewpoint, this metaphor relates to the Buddha’s use of skillful means in order to save all
beings by providing teachings that are appropriate to the hearer, even if those
teachings might appear to convey a lesser truth to someone else. It seems then
that this example of right speech
encompasses most or all of the aforementioned criteria depending upon your
point of view. It is beneficial, timely, welcome, and
delivered with goodwill. The truthfulness of the metaphor, on the other hand, depends upon your point of view. In worldly terms, a “white lie” is
indeed an untruth, but one delivered for the sake of some overarching good. In
the realm of ultimate truth, however,
the Buddha’s teachings and the means used are considered to be truth –
truth that manifests differently depending upon circumstances. I’m reminded of
a quote by one of the great physicists exploring the, then, strange new world
of quantum mechanics:
[There are] two
sorts of truth: profound truths recognized by the fact that the opposite is
also a profound truth, in contrast to trivialities where opposites are
obviously absurd. (Niels Bohr via Wikiquote)
I will let the reader decide for
herself or himself just how often such an example of right speech might be applicable in everyday life for those of us
who are not so skillful (or intelligent) as the Buddha (or Bohr)!
Let me end this discussion here for
the time being. In my next post I’ll explore how we might use these criteria
for right speech to evaluate some of the discussion that has taken place in the
media these days. In the meantime, I hope you experience all of the joys that right
speech may impart and none of the sorrows that tainted words can unleash.
References
Nanamoli
Thera (2005). Right speech: Samma vaca.
(Translated from the Pali by Nanamoli Thera and edited by Access to Insight.)
Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013,
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/
Thanissaro
Bhikkhu (1997). Abhaya sutta: To Prince Abhaya (MN 58). (Translated from the Pali
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.) Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.058.than.html
Watson, B.
(1993). The Lotus Sutra (tr. Watson, B.). Columbia University Press, New York.
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2014 by Mark Frank
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