As I was developing my knowledge of the Dharma, I discovered that I had many mistaken understandings. In the end, I realized that many people around me—people who talk about Buddhism, who even call themselves Buddhists—also carried many misconceptions.
These few lines are meant as an attempt to bring some clarification.
Today’s subject: the four non-virtues of speech.
Buddhism rests on three pillars: ethics, concentration, and wisdom.
Ethics is the foundation of everything. We strive constantly to refrain from the 10 non-virtues and to cultivate the 10 virtues. The 4 non-virtues of speech, which we will focus on here, are part of these 10 non-virtues.
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3 concern the body
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4 concern speech
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3 concern the mind
Concerning speech, we find:
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lying
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hurtful words
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divisive words
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idle or frivolous chatter
Lying
We all know what this is, of course! Just thinking about it, we can see Pinocchio’s nose growing endlessly and his cheeks turning red.
Lying means placing a false image over something.
There are, however, some subtleties. We can lie about something we have heard, something we have seen, something perceived through taste, smell, or touch, or something known by the mind. And conversely, we find the four opposite cases (something not heard, not seen, etc.).
For example: you didn’t actually see that last piece of cake hidden in the fridge—the one that tasted so good...
This is the realm of obvious lies: we know we are lying. But there is also the lie that happens without us even realizing it. For instance, we might not be sure we actually heard what we are reporting, yet we repeat it as if it were certain.
And beware! We can also lie by remaining silent—yes indeed! Just as we can lie through a gesture that supports the understanding of a falsehood.
So we can see that lying itself has many different shades and subtleties. Let us now turn to the next one.
Divisive Speech
Here we must be very careful. Divisive words concern two types of individuals targeted by our speech:
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people who get along well, whose relationship is harmonious
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people who already have difficulties communicating, or who are completely hostile toward one another
Everything depends on the words you speak. Are they words of division, or are you speaking the truth? But here’s the subtlety: how do we know that what we call “the truth” is really the truth? This is slippery ground.
It is impossible for us to hold all the cards. We do not live with those people. We do not know everything about their situation. The person who confides in us may not tell us the whole story. And so, when we involve ourselves with words meant to “fix things” but that instead end up planting more discord and disagreement, you can understand why it is wiser not to get involved at all—so as to avoid becoming the cause of separation between a couple, friends, members of the Sangha, and so on.
The karmic consequences of such actions will be even heavier if the outcome leads one of the two people to commit one of the three bodily non-virtues.
Hurtful Speech
This refers to words intended to cause harm to the person who hears them. There is a deliberate will to wound—for example, criticizing someone’s physical appearance, even if what you say is technically true.
Here it does not matter whether the words are true or false (although the impact will of course be worse if they are false). From the moment your words hurt the other person, you are engaging in hurtful speech.
The weight of these words will be all the more serious if they are directed toward parents, friends, a partner, or a spiritual teacher.
Idle or Frivolous Speech
This includes all talk that, in the end, serves no purpose. You know the kind of empty conversations where people discuss someone’s faults… or comment endlessly on disputes between others… In short, all gossip that has neither meaning nor place.
And once again, the impact is magnified when the subjects of this gossip are close to us—friends, a partner, or a spiritual teacher.
Other Factors to Consider
When we speak of non-virtues, we are of course speaking of karma.
Every action produces a result.
In this case, different factors will add weight in order to determine whether the karma is fully accomplished or not, accumulated or not.
But I won’t develop this part here—only within the courses you can follow with me. Perhaps it will become the subject of a dedicated module… or perhaps not.
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