Right Speech

A part of the 8 Noble truths of Buddhism - Right Speech. Lao Tzu said "knowing others is intelligence, but knowing yourself is true wisdom" so we begin to examine our lives in this meditation looking at our speech. Various quotes are included from Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian traditions.

Transcript

Being mindful for me is about having lovely relaxation,

Meditation sessions and being really in the present moment.

But it is also being mindful of myself,

My thoughts,

My behaviours,

The way I do life.

I regularly examine my life to see if it is right.

The eight noble paths to Buddhism I believe are good and wholesome ways of living and living mindfully and so I attempt to follow them.

These ways are beneficial for the individual but also for society.

I believe that everything I do or say affects someone else so if I am careful in these areas in my life,

I am taking care of not only those close to me but everyone.

For example,

If I model to my children,

My husband,

My friends,

My work colleagues,

That it is okay to steal,

Then I create a culture around me that says that this is okay,

It is not such a bad thing,

It is normal.

And so it is true for the opposite,

For the good things in life.

Today's session is going to be looking at right speech and I am sure we have all had experience of wrong speech in our lives,

Unkind words spoken to us or about us,

Words that might have been spoken to us years ago as a child but yet still affect us in some way,

Even after all this time.

So today we are going to use this session to be mindful about our words.

This is a short story.

The ruler of a prosperous kingdom sends for one of his messengers.

When he arrives the king tells him to go out and find the worst thing in the entire world and bring it back within a few days.

The messenger departs and returns days later,

Empty handed.

Puzzled,

The king asks,

What have you discovered?

I don't see anything.

The messenger says,

Right here your majesty and sticks out his tongue.

Bewildered,

The king asks the young man to explain.

The messenger says,

My tongue is the worst thing in the world.

My tongue can do many horrible things.

My tongue speaks evil and tells lies.

I can overindulge with my tongue which leaves me feeling tired and sick and I can say things that hurt other people.

Therefore my tongue is the worst thing in the world.

Pleased,

The king then commands the messenger to go out and find him the best thing in the entire world.

The messenger leaves hurriedly and once again he comes back days later with nothing in his hands.

Where is it,

The king shouts out.

Again the messenger sticks out his tongue.

Show me,

The king says,

How can that be?

The messenger replies,

My tongue is the best thing in the world.

My tongue is a messenger of love.

Only with my tongue can I express the overwhelming beauty of poetry.

My tongue teaches me refinement in tastes and guides me to choose foods that will nourish my body.

My tongue is therefore the best thing in the world because it allows me to chant the name of God.

The king is well satisfied and he appoints the messenger to become foremost among his personal advisors.

I invite you now to close your eyes.

Allow your body to soften and relax.

The first part of right speech in Buddhism is to abstain from lying.

Aristotle says,

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom,

Therefore let us know ourselves.

Ask yourself,

Do I tell lies?

Maybe you don't tell obvious lies but what about little white lies or exaggerating?

Here are some quotes on lying.

Lying is one of the quickest words to ruin a beautiful relationship.

A lie is like a painkiller.

It gives temporary relief but has side effects later.

It is better to be slapped with the truth than kissed with a lie.

No more lies,

No more pretense.

Tell your neighbor the truth.

We are all connected to each other after all.

When you lie to others,

You lie to yourself.

You now say to yourself,

May I always speak the truth?

And allow those words to become your own intention.

The second part of right speech is abstaining from divisive speech.

This can be classed as backbiting or deliberately speaking bad about another person.

The words know thyself were carved into the temple of Apollo in Greece.

So let us know ourselves and be mindful of our lives.

Ask yourself,

Do I speak bad about others or speak maliciously or divisively?

Some quotes about divisive speech.

The tongue has the power of life and death.

The stakes are high.

Your words can either speak life or your words can speak death.

Our tongues can build others up or they can tear them down.

The next time you are in a conversation about another person,

Maybe ask yourself,

Is this just my opinion or my perspective?

Is what I am about to say true?

And this is not just referring to our spoken words,

But what we text,

Write or email or what we choose to post on social media.

Our words have power.

And now say to yourself,

May I choose to speak only words of life?

And allow these words to become your own intention.

The third part of right speech is abstaining from harsh or abusive speech.

A quote from the Buddhist writing says,

Abandoning abusive speech,

He speaks words that are soothing to the ear,

That are affectionate and that go to the heart,

That are polite,

Appealing and pleasing to people at large.

Lao Tzu,

A Chinese philosopher said,

Knowing others is intelligence,

But knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Therefore,

Let us become wise and know ourselves.

Ask yourself,

Are my words soothing,

Affectionate,

Polite,

Appealing and pleasing to people?

Do I speak unkindly to people even in jest?

Am I sarcastic?

Do I provoke anger?

Do I joke at others expense?

Am I loud and arrogant?

Am I a know-it-all?

Do I swear and shout?

Am I abusive?

Am I unkind?

Do I get into arguments?

Do I upset people with my words?

And now say these words to yourself.

May I use words to promote harmony and understand another?

May I use words to reduce anger and allow those words to become your own intention?

Andy said,

Speak only if it improves the silence.

And the final part of right speech is to abstain from idle chatter or gossip.

Like a ripple on a pond,

Our words go out far and wide.

Socrates says,

The unexamined life is not worth living.

Therefore,

Let us examine our words.

Ask yourself,

Do I think before I speak?

Are the words I speak necessary?

Are they truth?

Do I speak impulsively or idle chatter?

Do I gossip to gain friendship or popularity?

Does it make me look good?

Some quotes about gossip.

Without wood,

A fire goes out.

Without gossip,

A conflict ceases.

Never engage in gossip.

It kills your soul and wounds another's heart.

The Jewish proverb says,

What you don't see with your eyes,

Don't witness with your mouth.

Gossip dies when it hits a wise person's ears.

So say to yourself,

May I place a guard over my mouth and become wise?

And allow those words to become your own intention.

Think now about how you speak to yourself.

How is yourself talk?

Is this right speech?

You will make mistakes,

So are you gentle and kind to yourself?

Maybe spend a day listening to yourself,

You're torn,

Your words to yourself.

And say these words,

May I be gentle,

Kind and patient towards myself?

And allow those words to become your own intention.

And finally,

Be aware of the words you speak over your own life.

If your words have power of life and death,

Then what are you speaking into your future?

Imagine the words you speak will go into your future,

Will frame your future and will have the power to attract whatever you speak.

For example,

If you say things like,

I'm so unlucky,

Bad things are always happening to me,

I never have any money,

I never will.

Maybe you are sending these things into your future.

You are walking into your words,

So be careful with them.

Speak only positive and speak only life.

Become aware of yourself now in your space.

Become aware of the sounds outside of your room and inside your room.

Become aware of the cooler air around the nostrils on the inhale and the touch of any clothing against your skin.

Have a picture of yourself in your space right now.

And when you are ready,

Slowly and carefully open your eyes.

Thank you.

Reviews

Superb 🌟 Thank you very much for these helpful suggestions.

Thank you Mandy, for me this was the first one in your Right series that I've listened to. You know I love your series!
Is there a particular order to this series? I'm not sure because they're not numbered 😊
Thank you! 🌱

Beautiful questions to probe thought and reflection

Thank you Mandy for this inspiring meditation and teachings! 🙏🏻 Namaste.

💛🙏💛🙏💛🙏💛🙏💛

Great wise speech meditation/talk. Thank you so much!

Thank you. So much wisdom to act on. Beautiful meditation to make the world kinder and more compassionate. It starts and ends with each of us.