RIGHT SPEECH
Refraining from Malicious Speech
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Malicious speech is
unhealthy. Refraining from malicious speech is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning malicious speech, one refrains from malicious speech. One
does not repeat there what one has heard here to the detriment of these,
or repeat here what he has heard there to the detriment of those. One
unites those who are divided, is a promoter of friendships, and speaks
words that promote concord. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak
maliciously, but I shall abstain from malicious speech.” (MN 8)
Disputes occur when a person is angry and revengeful. Such a person
dwells disrespectful and undeferential towards others, causing harm and
unhappiness for many. If you see any such root of a dispute either in
yourself or externally, you should strive to abandon it. And if you do
not see any such root of dispute either in yourself or externally, you
should practice in such a way that it does not erupt in the future. (MN
104)
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Anger is
considered in Buddhist thought to be an unhealthy emotion. It may be
justified, and it may even be effective, but indulging anger always
comes at a cost. It harms you as much as or more than the person to whom
it is directed. One famous Buddhist image is of a person who tries to
hurt someone with a burning torch while facing into the wind and ends up
burning himself even more. Something similar happens when we exact
revenge, another unhealthy state.
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Learn to
recognize anger when it arises in your mind and to discern the many ways
it can damage yourself and others. Is anger really necessary in this
situation, and is it helpful? It is hard to see how destructive anger is
as we get caught up in it in the moment and swept away. But if we can
manage to pause and examine carefully what is going on, the danger and
harmfulness of anger can become apparent.
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Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Verbal Action
One week from today: Refraining from Harsh Speech
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