40. Negative Actions of the Speech
Longchen Nyingtik Meditation 40
The Beginning
Take refuge and arouse bodhichitta.
The Main Part
Meditate: On account of telling lies, you are always falsely accused and swindled by others in this life.
On account of sowing discord, your family members and associates are on bad terms with each other. Even if you sincerely mean to help others, you are regarded as an opponent instead.
On account of using harsh words, you become an easy target of verbal attacks and insults; all you hear are unpleasant words, and worse, everything you say provokes arguments.
On account of indulging in worthless chatter, what you say carries no weight, is confusing, and is accepted by none. Even if you are full of good intention, what others hear is an entirely different matter.
Having committed these negative actions, you are bound to fall into the lower realms and suffer. Even if you manage to obtain a human body afterwards, you’ll meet many hostile situations. Therefore, resolve: I must cast off the four negative actions of speech.
The Ending
Dedicate all the merit of your practice to all sentient beings.
Reminder
Some Dharma friends and other volunteers seem to get upset easily. They are neurotic about being slandered, cheated, or insulted by others, akin to feeling criticized by the whole world. Frankly, this kind of touchiness is not justified. Instead, when hearing unpleasant utterances, they should recognize that such an experience is the effect of negative speech they themselves committed in the past.
In today’s social interactions, even dining out for a meal with friends provides plenty of opportunity to commit the four negative actions of speech. How meaningful is it? I really admire masters of the past who were most scrupulous as to what not to say, without any pretense. They are unlike some practitioners who, even ostentatiously wearing a sign of “In Observance of Silence” on their chests, still talk nonstop. What a joke!
