This month’s step on the Eightfold Path is Right Speech. And from what I’ve studied so far, the wisdom of Right Speech is going to bring up some powerful (and likely difficult) things as we seek to practice it. But: really good things. Worthwhile things. First, let’s put this step into its broader context. The first two steps, Right View and Right Intention, are considered “wisdom training” while the next three- Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood- are considered “ethics training.”
Our ethics training has two aspects. We want to learn how abstain from what is unwholesome (in this case, wrongful speech) and also become committed to what is wholesome (right speech). So it’s a practice of refraining from saying the wrong thing as much as it is choosing to say the right one.
As you know, we are bombarded by words. We ingest and send out more words now than ever. It’s nearly impossible to get away from the overwhelming wordiness of our daily lives. So it’s not any surprise that much of our words are unskillful, and even unnecessary. Hopefully this month as we practice, we will begin to step back from our words long enough to notice what they’re doing…and whether they need to be said at all.
So what is Right Speech? The tradition teaches that in order to speak well, we must learn to avoid four kinds of speech:
- false speech: anything that is untrue
- slanderous speech: malicious words intended to create division
- harsh speech: verbal abuse, profanity, insults, sarcasm
- idle chatter: gossip, meaningless talk, unnecessary words
I will spend a post expanding on each of them in the days to come. But for now, here’s a simple tool that actually came from an old Victorian poem but is often attributed to Buddha. You may know it as the three gates. Before you say something, allow it to pass through three gates: is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
This weekend, try practicing the three gates as you choose your words.
This post is part of my Eightfold Path project. You will be able to read all my posts on Right Speech here.
