RIGHT SPEECH
Refraining from False Speech
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False speech is unhealthy.
Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech,
one dwells refraining from false speech, is a truth-speaker, one to be
relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One
does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends or for
another’s ends or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices
thus: “Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech.”
(MN 8)
Such speech as you know to be true, correct, and beneficial, and which
is welcome and agreeable to others—know the time to use such speech. (MN
58)
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Of course it is
important to refrain from false speech, but even right speech is to be
wielded carefully. Generally it is appropriate to speak when what you
are saying is beneficial—that is, when it is helping people emerge from
what is unhealthy and become established on a healthy course. But even
in this case there is something to be said for knowing when to speak up
and when to remain silent.
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As you pay
attention to your own speech patterns, notice if you ever find yourself
praising people or telling them what they want to hear as a way of
seeking favor. It is good to say things that please people, especially
when it is true and beneficial, but you should still take care not to do
so frivolously. The basic message here is just to take care to speak
skillfully, even when you have positive things to say.
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Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
One week from today: Refraining from Malicious Speech
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