3.3. The Wholesome Courses of Speech

[Full title: Reflection of Mind on Language Behaviours (3): The Wholesome Courses of Speech]

The Sutta Kakacūpama ‘The simile of the Saw’ (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 21.11) describes five unwholesome courses of speech (vāca) that one should not use to address to other and five wholesome courses of speech that one should establish in him and should use to address to other.

The five unwholesome courses of speech are as follows:

1. untimely speech,
2. untrue speech,
3. harsh speech,
4. speech connected with harm,
5. speech spoken with inner hate.

And the five wholesome courses of speech, on the contrary, comprises of:

1. timely speech,
2. true speech,
3. gentle speech,
4. speech connected with good,
5. speech spoken with a mind of loving-kindness.

Both the wholesome and unwholesome are described by the Buddha in the Sutta Kakacūpama ‘The simile of the Saw’ as follows:

Bhikkhus, there are these five courses of speech that others may use when they address you: their speech may be timely or untimely, true or untrue, gentle or harsh, connected with good or with harm, spoken with a mind of loving-kindness or with inner hate. When others address you, their speech may be timely or untimely; when others address you, their speech may be true or untrue; when others address you, their speech may be gentle or harsh; when others address you, their speech may be connected with good or with harm; when others address you, their speech may be spoken with a mind of loving-kindness or with inner hate. Herein, bhikkhus, you should train thus: ‘Our minds will remain unaffected, and we shall utter no evil words; we shall abide compassionate for their welfare, with a mind of loving-kindness, without inner hate. We shall abide pervading that person with a mind imbued with loving-kindness, and starting with him, we shall abide pervading the all-encompassing world with a mind imbued with lovingkindness, abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill will’. That is how you should train, bhikkhus. (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 21.11)

And in the Sutta Abhayarājakumāra ‘To Prince Abhaya’ (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 58), the Blessed One claims that there are six kinds of speech which to it he either utters or does not utter.

The followings are six kinds of speech:

i. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be untrue, incorrect and unbeneficial, and which is also unwelcome and disagreeable to others: such speech the Tathāgata does not utter.

ii. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be true and correct but unbeneficial, and which is also unwelcome and disagreeable to others: such speech the Tathāgata does not utter.

iii. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct and beneficial but which is unwelcome and disagreeable to others: the Tathāgata knows the time to use such speech.

iv. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be untrue, incorrect and unbeneficial, but which is welcome and agreeable to others: such speech the Tathāgata does not utter.

v. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be true and correct but unbeneficial, and which is welcome and agreeable to others: such speech the Tathāgata does not utter.

vi. Such speech as the Tathāgata knows to be true, correct and beneficial, and which is welcome and agreeable to others: the Tathāgata knows the time to use such speech.

(Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 58.8)

Explaining about the reason of these above six kinds of speech, the Buddha expresses that all for his compassion for beings (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 58.8). It is for that reason the Blessed One sometimes does not hesitate to admonish bhikkhus when he sees that it is really necessary and brings benefits and welfares to them.

In the Cātumā Sutta ‘At Cātumā’ (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 67), for example, when five hundred bhikkhus who were new students of the venerable Sāriputta and the venerable Mahā Moggallāna greeted each other loudly and noisily, the Buddha asked the venerable Ānanda:

“Ānanda, who are these loud noisy people? One would think they were fishermen hawking fish (kevaṭṭā maññe macchavilope)”

(Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 67.3.

The Blessed One often reminds bhikkhus when gathering together should do two things: either hold discussion on the Dhamma or maintain noble silence (ariya tuṇhībhāva). The noble silence here is pointed out by Majjhima Commentary as twofold: either abiding in the second jhāna or attending to their basic meditation subject in the case they cannot attain and abide in the second jhāna (Majjhima Nikāya, Sutta number 26.4; and The Middle length Discourses of the Buddha, n. 298).