As a society we constantly confront questions around how we should speak to each other about difficult issues. The Buddhist speech precepts offer a framework for ethical reflection on how we communicate
Speech Precepts, Thought for the day 10.08.18
Last week it was antisemitism in the Labour Party, this week it’s Boris on burqas; and beyond the headlines we live in the era of trolling and no-platforming, of speech codes and angry protests against political correctness. As a society we’re increasingly diverse and interconnected, and constantly confront questions around how we should speak to each other about difficult issues.
At root, this is about ethics. We can think abstractly about the right to free speech and its limits, but for Buddhism its about following through a desire to avoid harming others. Our words have a powerful impact and the Buddhist ethical framework includes four interlocking precepts as guidelines for skilful communication.
The first speech precept is avoiding false speech, meaning not just barefaced lies but the small evasions that turn our experiences into anecdotes and our social media profiles into platforms for self promotion. The positive aspect is making truthfulness a consistent practice and speaking unpopular truths.
But telling the truth only gets you so far. I can criticise my son or encourage him with equal truthfulness, but the effect in each case is very different. So the second precept is abstaining from harsh speech and practising kindly or affectionate speech. This means combining truthfulness with a sympathetic awareness of the person we’re addressing. That’s easier when we see their response, but it’s no less important in settings like social media where the context is stripped away.
The third speech precept is avoiding frivolous speech and communicating in a way that’s meaningful. The fourth is avoiding disharmonious speech and speaking in ways that bring people together. After all, one can believe one’s words are truthful, meant kindly and say something important, but discover nonetheless that they sow disharmony.
My own experience of practising the Buddhist speech precepts is that they turn my interactions into a field of ethical reflection. We call them ‘training principles’ because life is too complex for rules and they approach communication as an art.
An old parable compares the words we send into the world to feat hers thrown into the wind: we can neither recall them nor control their effects. In a world where we interact more with people who we know less, and our words are instantly retweeted and amplified, communication is more important than ever. I believe that learning to communicate more skilfully is a vital ethical challenge for us all.
