My dear friends,

The eleventh precept under the sixth point in Geshe Chekawa's Mind Training in Seven Points is:

As Gelek Rimpoche has said⁽¹⁾,

Indeed, harsh and hurtful speech is one of the four unskillful actions (akusala-kamma) of speech. Let us examine the causes of this unskillful action; its effects on our spiritual development on the Bodhisattva path; and its antidotes.

Causes of Harsh and Hurtful Speech

• Anger: When anger takes hold of our mind, it manifests as harsh words intended to hurt others. Anger clouds our judgment and propels us to lash out.
• Pride: Pride leads us to speak harshly as a way to assert superiority over others, belittling them to elevate ourselves.
• Jealousy: Jealousy can cause us to speak unkindly in an attempt to undermine those we perceive as threats or rivals.
• Lack of Mindfulness: Without mindfulness, we react impulsively, often saying things we later regret.
• Lack of Empathy: A failure to empathize with others prevents us from recognizing the impact of our words on their feelings.

Hindrances to Progress on the Bodhisattva Path

• Damage to Relationships: It harms our relationships with others, creating barriers to connection and trust, which are essential for practicing compassion and love.
• Karma Accumulation: Engaging in hurtful speech generates negative karma, which can obstruct our spiritual progress and lead to suffering.
• Disturbance of Inner Peace: Harsh speech disturbs our inner peace and mental stability, making it difficult to cultivate the calm and clear mind necessary for meditation and wisdom.
• Contradiction to Compassion: The Bodhisattva path is founded on developing boundless compassion. Harsh speech directly contradicts this fundamental principle.

Antidotes to Harsh and Hurtful Speech

• Mindfulness and Awareness: Cultivating mindfulness helps us become aware of our emotions and the impulse to speak harshly. It creates a pause between feeling and reacting, allowing us to choose our words more carefully.
• Patience and Forbearance: Practicing patience, especially in the face of provocation, helps us respond calmly instead of reacting with harsh words.
• Empathy and Compassion: Developing empathy allows us to understand the impact of our words on others. Compassion encourages us to speak kindly, aiming to alleviate rather than cause suffering.
• Right Speech Practice: Engaging in the practice of right speech, one of the elements of the Noble Eightfold Path, involves speaking truthfully, harmoniously, gently, and meaningfully.
• Self-Reflection: Regular self-reflection on our speech patterns can help us identify and change harmful habits. Reflecting on the consequences of our words encourages us to speak more skillfully.
• Loving-Kindness (Metta) Meditation: Regularly practicing loving-kindness meditation helps cultivate a loving attitude towards all beings, naturally reducing the inclination to speak harshly.

By understanding the causes of harsh and hurtful speech, recognizing its detrimental effects on our spiritual path, and diligently applying these antidotes, we can transform our speech into a tool for cultivating harmony, compassion, and wisdom, aligning our actions with the principles of the Bodhisattva path.