3.1. To Be Cultivated and Not To Be Cultivated

[Full title: Reflection of Mind on Language Behaviours (1): To Be Cultivated and Not To Be Cultivated]

Language is seen as outstanding reproduction of mind; it serves as an instrument for the expression of thought. When one speaks, he transfers not only information in a technical sense, but he also conveys his intentions, emotion and thoughts through his speech. It is obviously that there are mental processes that underlie language behaviour. When a person’s mind attaches to greed, hatred, and delusion, his speech inclines to be unwholesome and untrue; whereas one who is going on or directing toward the supramundane path, his mind trends wholesome states and therefore his speech is healthy and accords with the truth.

The Majjhima Nikāya, the second one of the Five Nikāyas, distinguishes two kinds of language behaviour: “Bhikkhus, verbal conduct is two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 114.6). Not to be cultivated is considered as wrong speech, and to be cultivated is seen as right speech.

Wrong speech primarily consists of four types of speech, namely (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 114.6):

1. false speech;
2. malicious speech;
3. harsh speech; and
4. gossip.

What kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it?

Let us consider the following Sutta in the Majjhima Nikāya:

Here someone speaks falsehood: when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relatives’ presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family’s presence, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know’, not knowing, he says, ‘I know’, or knowing, he says, ‘I do not know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I see’, or seeing, he says, ‘I do not see’; in full awareness he speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end.

He speaks maliciously: he repeats elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, or he repeats to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who divides those who are united, a creator of divisions, who enjoys discord, rejoices in discord, delights in discord, a speaker of words that create discord.

He speaks harshly: he utters such words as are rough, hard, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on anger, unconducive to concentration.

He is a gossip: he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is useless, speaks contrary to the Dhamma and the Discipline; at the wrong time he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, immoderate, and unbeneficial.

(Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 114.6)

Once time when the venerable Rāhula, at that time he was just the sevenyear-old novice, had lied just for a joke, the Buddha admonished him by a simile of the water vessel.

Having washed his feet, the Buddha left a little water in the water vessel and asked the venerable Rāhula:

Rāhula, do you see this little water left in the water vessel?–“Yes, venerable sir”–“Even so little, Rāhula, is the recluseship of those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie.”

Then the Blessed One threw away that little remaining water and asked the venerable Rāhula: “Rāhula, do you see that little water that was thrown away?”–“Yes, venerable sir” “Even so, Rāhula, those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie have thrown away their recluseship.”

Then the Blessed One turned the water vessel upside down and asked the venerable Rāhula: “Rāhula, do you see this water vessel turned upside down?”–“Yes, venerable sir”–“Even so, Rāhula, those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie have turned their recluseship upside down.”

Then the Blessed One turned the water vessel right way up again and asked the venerable Rāhula: “Rāhula, do you see this hollow, empty water vessel?”–“Yes, venerable sir”–“Even so hollow and empty, Rāhula, is the recluship of those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie.” (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 61. 3-6)

And in order to awake venerable Rāhula to the dangers of false speech, The Blessed One strongly expresses: “Rāhula, when one is not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie, there is no evil, I say, that one would not do. Therefore, Rāhula, you should train thus: ‘I will not utter a falsehood even as a joke’ (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 61.7).

Such four kinds of verbal misconduct are called wrong speech. They are considered as causes that cause unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it.

Right speech, the third factor of the Noble Eightfold Path, is said to be twofold (see Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 117.18):

1. mundane right speech; and
2. supra-mundane right speech.

And what kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it?

Let us look at the Suttas which mentions the mundane right speech as follows:

Here someone, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech: when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relatives’ presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family’s presence, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know’, not knowing, he says, ‘I do not know’, or knowing, he says, ‘I know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I do not see’, or seeing, he says, ‘I see’; he does not in full awareness speak falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end.

Abandoning malicious speech, he abstains from malicious speech: he does not repeat elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, nor does he repeat to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships, who enjoys concord, rejoices in concord, delights in concord, a speaker of words that promote concord.

Abandoning harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech: he speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and loveable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many.

Abandoning gossip, he abstains from gossip: he speaks at the right time, speaks what is fact, speaks on what is good, speaks on the Dhamma and the Discipline; at the right time he speaks such words as are worth recording, reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 114.6)

Such verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it. This kind of right speech is, however, still affected by taints, partaking of merit, ripening on the side of attachment, and therefore called mundane right speech (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 117.19).

Whereas, in the supramundane right speech, the single factor of right speech exercises the fourfold function of cutting of the tendencies towards the four kinds of wrong speech. This kind of right speech is said to be noble, taintless, and to be a factor of supramundane path. This training is for one whose mind is noble and taintless, who possesses the noble path and is developing the noble path (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 117.20; and The Middle length Discourses of the Buddha, 1109). As in the Dīgha Nikāya, the Sutta Pāsādika ‘Delightful Discourse’, the Buddha himself confirms that “speaks as he acts and acts as he speaks, [hence], why he is called Tathāgata” (Dīgha Nikāya, Sutta number 29).^[1]

When one understands and distinguishes clearly wrong speech as wrong speech and right speech as right speech, he is said to be the one who possesses right view. When one makes an effort to abandon wrong speech and to enter upon right speech, he is said to be possesses right effort. Mindfully he abandons wrong speech, and mindfully he enters upon and abides in right speech: this is his’ right mindfulness. Thus, there are three of the eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path run and circle around right speech that are right view, right effort, and right mindfulness (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 117.21).

In Sutta Sevitabbāsevitabba (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 114), the Buddha teaches not just Verbal conduct is of two kinds, but Bodily conduct is of two kinds, Mental conduct is two of kinds, Inclination of mind is of two kinds, the Acquisition of perception is of two kinds, the Acquisition of vies is of two kinds, and the Acquisition of individuality is of two kind.^[2]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For more details on “why he is called Tathāgata” and other delightful Discourses, see DN, SNo. 29.26-40.

[2]:

For more details, see fully MN, SNo. 114.