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26 EASTERN HORIZON | TEACHINGS

Religious traditions regard speech as enormously first, and then, examining the circumstances which
powerful. In the 3,000 year old Hindu Vedas, sacred provoked it, she would realize for the first time that she
speech is regarded as a primal creative force, while had been betraying her integrity. Stress may be as much
the Christian gospel of St. John opens with, “In the a question of a compromise of values as it is a matter of
beginning was the word.” These texts imply that the external time pressure and fear of failure.
power of speech is awesome. And so it is. A hateful
outburst can hurt and harm; kind words can heal and Once the toxic costs of unethical behavior are
help. In fact, kind words offer much and cost little. recognized, life is never quite the same. After all, who
Not surprisingly, skillful speech is regarded as a key wants to continue hurting themselves once they see
component of ethical living, and ethical living is a key this is exactly what they are doing? For thousands of
component of spiritual practice. years the great religions have warned about the cost of
unethical living, and now we see that these costs are not
When properly understood, ethics is not self-sacrifice only spiritual, but also psychological and physical.
but rather enlightened self-interest. Ethical living helps,
heals and creates happiness, not only for others, but for In light of this, it is no wonder the great religions urge
ourselves also. It is truly a win-win practice, and a key us to choose our words with care and compassion,
element of that practice is skillful speech. and to say only what is true and helpful. Buddhists
call it “right speech.” Right speech requires sensitivity
One would think our words, so fleeting and both to other people and to our own motives and
unsubstantial, would be easy to change. In practice, it is emotions. Only then can we see what is both true to our
quite a challenge. Most of us have grown careless with experience and also likely to be helpful.
our speech: sometimes saying what people want to hear Right speech is a skill, and like all skills it improves
rather than what is true, spouting little lies to protect with practice. Practiced over time, it becomes
our egos, big lies to protect our little lies. All too quickly increasingly effortless and produces a growing sense
this becomes a vicious cycle that harms us in ways we of peace. Gradually it becomes apparent that Jesus was
don’t even recognize. In her wonderful book Kitchen not exaggerating when he claimed that, “The truth will
Table Wisdom, the physician Rachel Remen tells the make you free.” According to the Buddha, those people
following story of the costs of unethical speech. who master right speech

A woman with heart disease had suffered frequent chest Offend no one,
pain from her disease. Over the years she modified Yet they speak the truth.
her diet, learned to meditate, and had been successful Their words are clear,
in controlling most of her pain. Yet some of her pain But never harsh.
had been resistant to her efforts. Paying very careful They do not take offense,
attention to this, she had been shocked to notice that And they do not give it.
she experienced pain when she was about to do or
say something that lacked integrity that really wasn’t Exercises in skillful speech
true to her values. These were usually small things I have found no better nor more succinct summary
like not telling her husband something that he did of skillful speech than the words of the Buddha who
not seem to want to hear, or stretching her values a recommended, “say only what is true and helpful.” This
bit in order to go along with others. Times when she is the essential guideline for practicing skillful speech.
allowed who she really was to become invisible. Even So with this guideline in mind, here are two powerful
more surprising, sometimes she would know this was exercises that put it into practice.
happening but sometimes the chest pain would come