Right Speech – ☕️

In the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta, the Buddha preaches that individuals should not engage in harsh speech. However, in the Abhaya Sutta, he preaches that individuals could engage in speech that is “true, beneficial but unendearing and disagreeable to others”. This suggests that the preaching in the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta contradicts the preaching in the Abhaya Sutta. In this post, I argue that the preaching in the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta does not contradict the preaching in the Abhaya Sutta. In particular, the contradiction arises from an enthymeme whose suppresed premise contradicts the Abhaya Sutta itself.

In the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta, the Buddha said that individuals should not engage in harsh speech. Because Right Speech requires “abstaining from abusive speech”, it is not possible for an individual to practise Right Speech and speak with the intention to hurt others’ feelings (i.e., harsh speech; Thanissaro Bhikkhu, 1999).

However, in the Abhaya Sutta, the Buddha suggests that individuals could engage in harsh speech. Because an individual could engage in speech that is “factual, true, beneficial but unendearing and disagreeable to others”, it is possible for an individual to practise Right Speech and speak with the intention to hurt others’ feelings (i.e., harsh speech).

The conclusion in the preceeding paragraph is based on an enthymeme with the following suppressed premise: if an individual engages in speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others”, then he speaks with the intention to hurt others’ feelings. Because it is possible to practise Right Speech and engage in speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others”, it is possible to practise Right Speech and speak with the intention to hurt others’ feelings (i.e., harsh speech).

However, the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta suggests that it is not necessary that if an individual engages in speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others”, then he speaks with the intention to hurt others’ feelings. Through the use of an analogy, the Buddha suggests that it is possible for an individual to engage in speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others”, but speak with the intention to heal others’ feelings (i.e., comforting speech).

[T]he Blessed One said to the prince, “What do you think, prince: If this young boy, through your own negligence or that of the nurse, were to take a stick or a piece of gravel into its mouth, what would you do?”

“I would take it out, lord. If I couldn’t get it out right away, then holding its head in my left hand and crooking a finger of my right, I would take it out, even if it meant drawing blood. Why is that? Because I have sympathy for the young boy.” (MN 58)

From the preceeding analogy, if taking the stick or the piece of gravel out “even if it meant drawing blood” is analogous to speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others” and “have sympathy for the young boy” is analogous to “the intention to heal others’ feelings”, then the fact that it is possible for an individual to take the stick or the piece of gravel out “even if it meant drawing blood”, and “have sympathy for the young boy” implies that it is possible for an individual to engage in speech that is “unendearing and disagreeable to others”, but speak with the intention to heal others’ feelings (i.e., comforting speech).

Therefore, the preaching in the Magga-Vibhanga Sutta does not contradict the preaching in the Abhaya Sutta. Instead, the contradiction arises from an enthymeme whose suppresed premise contradicts the Abhaya Sutta itself.

Notes. The Magga-Vibhanga Sutta is a sutta (discourse) in the Magga-Samyutta. The Magga-Samyutta is a samyutta (chapter) in the Maha Vagga. The Maha Vagga is a vagga (section) in the Samyutta Nikaya. The Samyutta Nikaya is a nikaya (collection) in the Sutta Pitaka. The Sutta Pitaka is a pitaka (basket) in the Tipitaka. The Tipitaka is the Pali Canon which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism.

The Abhaya Sutta is a sutta (discourse) in the Majjhima Nikaya. The Majjhima Nikaya is a nikaya (collection) in the Sutta Pitaka. The Sutta Pitaka is a pitaka (basket) in the Tipitaka. The Tipitaka is the Pali Canon which form the doctrinal foundation of Theravada Buddhism.