Lying? What is "Right Speech"?

Ven. Thanissaro (trans.), ATI; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ellie Askew (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

In Buddhism's Five Precepts, right speech is much more than just "not lying."

Right speech is the third limb of the [Ennobling or] Noble Eightfold Path. It belongs to the virtue division of the path.

The definition

"What is right speech? Abstaining from lying, divisive speech, abusive speech, and idle chatter is called right speech" (SN 45.8).

Five keys to right speech

"Meditators, a statement endowed with five factors is well spoken, not ill-spoken. It is blameless and unfaulted by wise people. What are the five? 

"It is spoken at the right time. It is spoken truthfully. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of goodwill" (AN 5.198).

The danger in lying

Lying is like cutting one's mouth with sharp swords (Thai Chinese Vegetarian Festival).

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"For the person who transgresses in one thing, I tell you, there is no misdeed that is not to be done. What is that one thing? This is it: telling a deliberate lie."

 

"The person who lies, who transgress in this one thing, transcending concern for the world beyond:  There is no harm one might not do" (Iti 25).

• [What is "lying"? Technically, there are two factors to lying, according to the Buddhist Monastic Code. They are intention and effort. (1) There is an intention to misrepresent the truth and (2) an effort to make another individual know what one wants to communicate based on that aim. “The aim [cetana] to misrepresent the truth fulfills this factor regardless of what one’s motives are. Thus...outrageous lies meant as jokes — to amuse rather than to deceive — would fall under this rule...”]
  

Speak only words that do no harm

"One should speak only that word by which one would not torment oneself nor harm others. That word is indeed well spoken.

"One should speak only pleasant words, words which are acceptable [to others]. What one speaks without bringing harm to others is pleasant" (Thag 21).

Self-purification through well chosen speech

"How is one made pure in four ways by verbal action?

"In one case a certain person, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech. When one has been called to a meeting, a council, a gathering of one's own relatives, one's guild, or of rulers, if one is asked as a witness, 'Good person, come and tell what you know.' If one does not know, one says, 'I don't know.' If one does know, one says, 'I know.' 

"If one hasn't seen, one says, 'I haven't seen.' If one has seen, one says, 'I have seen.' Thus one does not consciously tell a lie for one's own sake, for the sake of another, or for the sake of any reward. Abandoning false speech, one abstains from false speech. One speaks the truth, holds to the truth, is firm, reliable, no deceiver of the world.

"Abandoning divisive speech one abstains from divisive speech. What one has heard here one does not tell there to divide those people from these people here. What one has heard there one does not tell here to divide these people from those people there. Thus reconciling those who have been divided or cementing those who are united, one loves concord, delights in concord, enjoys concord, speaks things that create concord.

"Abandoning abusive speech, one abstains from abusive speech. One speaks words that are soothing to the ear, that are affectionate, that go straight to the heart, that are polite, appealing and pleasing to people at large.

"Abandoning idle chatter, one abstains from idle chatter. One speaks in season, speaks what is factual, what is in accordance with the goal [of nirvana], the Dharma [Doctrine], and the Discipline. One speaks words worth treasuring, seasonable, reasonable, circumscribed, connected with the goal.

"This is how one is made pure in four ways by verbal action" (AN 10.176).

Its relation to the other factors of the path

"How is right view the forerunner? One discerns wrong speech as wrong speech, and right speech as right speech. And what is wrong speech? Lying, divisive tale-bearing, abusive speech, and idle chatter. 

This is wrong speech... "One attempts to abandon wrong speech and to enter onto right speech: This is one's right effort. One is mindful to abandon wrong speech and to enter and remain in right speech: This is one's right mindfulness. Thus these three qualities — right view, right effort, and right mindfulness — run and circle around right speech" (MN 117).

The criteria for deciding what is worth saying

1. 

   The Buddha, teaching mudra
   

   "In the case of words that the Tathagata [the Buddha] knows to be untrue, unfactual, unbeneficial [or unconnected to the goal], unendearing, and disagreeable to others, one does not say them.
2. "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be true, factual, unbeneficial, unendearing, and disagreeable to others, he does not say them.
3. "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be true, factual, beneficial, but unendearing and disagreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.
4. "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be untrue, unfactual, unbeneficial, but endearing and agreeable to others, he does not say them.
5. "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be rue, factual, unbeneficial, but endearing and agreeable to others, he does not say them.
6. "In the case of words that the Tathagata knows to be true, factual, beneficial, and endearing and agreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them. Why is that? It is because the Tathagata has sympathy for living beings" (MN 58).

Speak only the speech that neither torments self nor does harm to others. That speech is truly well spoken. Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech when it brings no harm to others is pleasant (Sn 3.3).

Reflect on speech, before, during, and after speaking

[The Buddha once spoke to his son, Ven. Rahula saying:] "Whenever you want to perform a verbal act, you should reflect on it: 'This verbal act I want to perform, would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful verbal act, with painful consequences, painful results?'

"If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both, it would be an unskillful verbal act with painful consequences, painful results, then any verbal act of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do.

 

"But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction...it would be a skillful verbal action with happy consequences, happy results, then any verbal act of that sort is fit for you to do.

"While you are performing a verbal act, you should reflect on it: 'This verbal act I am doing, is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Is it an unskillful verbal act, with painful consequences, painful results?'

 

"If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both... you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not... you may continue with it.

"Having performed a verbal act, you should reflect on it... If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both, it was an unskillful verbal act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a wise companion in the supreme [monastic] life. Having confessed it... you should exercise restraint in the future.

"But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful verbal action with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities" (MN 61). More