SN8:5 Well Spoken
- DG BB TBW © Translated from the Pali by Bhikkhu Bodhi. (More copyright information)
1At Sāvatthī. [n.507] The entire sutta is at Sn III, 3 (pp. 78–79). There the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus thus: "Bhikkhus!"
"Venerable sir!" those bhikkhus replied. The Blessed One said this:
2"Bhikkhus, when speech possesses four factors, then it is well spoken, not badly spoken, and it is blameless, not blameworthy among the wise. What four? Here, bhikkhus, a bhikkhu speaks only what is well spoken, not what is badly spoken. He speaks only on the Dhamma, not on non-Dhamma. sn.i.189 He speaks only what is pleasant, not what is unpleasant. He speaks only what is true, not what is false. When speech possesses these four factors, it is well spoken, not badly spoken, and it is blameless, not blameworthy among the wise." [n.508] The Buddha’s statement seems partly redundant by making well spoken (subhasita) one among four factors of well-spoken speech. Spk proposes a solution by first defining well-spoken speech in the wider sense as speech that brings benefit, and by then correlating the four factors of well-spoken speech with the four aspects of right speech—being truthful, conducive to harmony, gentle, and meaningful. Well-spoken speech in the narrower sense is identified with speech that promotes harmony. At AN III 243,27–244,6 well-spoken speech is defined by way of five different factors all external to itself: it is spoken at the proper time, is truthful, gently stated, beneficial, and spoken with a mind of lovingkindness.
This is what the Blessed One said. Having said this, the Fortunate One, the Teacher, further said this:
3v.726 "What is well spoken, the good say, is foremost;
Second, speak Dhamma, not non-Dhamma;
Third, speak what is pleasant, not unpleasant;
Fourth, speak the truth, not falsehood."
4Then the Venerable Vangisa rose from his seat, arranged his upper robe over one shoulder, and, raising his joined hands in reverential salutation towards the Blessed One, said to him: "An inspiration has come to me, Blessed One! An inspiration has come to me, Fortunate One!" [n.509] See n. 227.
The Blessed One said: "Then express your inspiration, Vangisa."
Then the Venerable Vangisa extolled the Blessed One to his face with suitable verses:
5v.727 "One should utter only such speech
By which one does not afflict oneself
Nor cause harm to others:
Such speech is truly well spoken.
6v.728 "One should utter only pleasant speech,
Speech that is gladly welcomed.
When it brings them nothing evil
What one speaks is pleasant to others.
7v.729 "Truth, indeed, is deathless speech:
This is an ancient principle.
The goal and the Dhamma, the good say,
Are established upon truth.
[n.510] Spk: "‘Truth, indeed, is deathless speech’ (saccaṁ ve amata vaca) means that the Buddha’s speech is similar to the Deathless because of its goodness (sadhubhavena, Be; or its sweetness, if we read sadubhavena with Se and Ee); or it is deathless because it is a condition for attaining Nibbāna the Deathless." The former explanation indicates that the text is playing upon the two meanings of amata, "deathless" (= Nibbāna) and "ambrosia," in Vedic mythology the drink of the immortal gods.
Spk remarks on pādas cd: "Being established in truth they were established in the goal (or the good) of oneself and others; being established in the goal (the good), they were established in the Dhamma. Or else, sacca is to be taken as an adjective (= true) qualifying the goal and the Dhamma."
Spk's explanation presupposes that the three nouns—sacce, atthe, and dhamme—are proper locatives and ahu an aorist of honti (= ahū). Based on the work of Lüders, Norman suggests (at EV I, n. to 1229) that atthe and dhamme were originally nominatives in an Eastern dialect that had the nominative singular in -e, and were then mistaken for locatives in the process of "translation" into Pali. I follow Norman in my rendering of the line. In the BHS version (Uv 8:14) the translation went in the opposite direction: into satyaṁ as a nominative and arthe and dharme as locatives.
8v.730 "The secure speech which the Buddha utters
For the attainment of Nibbāna,
For making an end to suffering
Is truly the foremost speech."
[n.511] Spk-pṭ: "Since the Buddha speaks for the sake of security (khemaya), his speech is ‘secure,’ as it is the cause for the arising of security. Thus it is the foremost speech."
1Sāvatthinidānaṁ. Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi: "bhikkhavo"ti.
"Bhadante"ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:
2"Catūhi, bhikkhave, aṅgehi samannāgatā vācā subhāsitā hoti, no dubbhāsitā; anavajjā ca ananuvajjā ca viññūnaṁ. Katamehi catūhi? Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu subhāsitaṁyeva bhāsati no dubbhāsitaṁ, dhammaṁyeva bhāsati no adhammaṁ, piyaṁyeva bhāsati no appiyaṁ, saccaṁyeva bhāsati no alikaṁ. Imehi kho, bhikkhave, catūhi aṅgehi samannāgatā vācā subhāsitā hoti, no dubbhāsitā, anavajjā ca ananuvajjā ca viññūnan"ti.
Idamavoca bhagavā. Idaṁ vatvāna sugato athāparaṁ etadavoca satthā:
3"Subhāsitaṁ uttamamāhu santo,
Dhammaṁ bhaṇe nādhammaṁ taṁ dutiyaṁ;
Piyaṁ bhaṇe nāppiyaṁ taṁ tatiyaṁ,
Saccaṁ bhaṇe nālikaṁ taṁ catutthan"ti.
4Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso uṭṭhāyāsanā ekaṁsaṁ uttarāsaṅgaṁ karitvā yena bhagavā tenañjaliṁ paṇāmetvā bhagavantaṁ etadavoca: "paṭibhāti maṁ, bhagavā, paṭibhāti maṁ, sugatā"ti.
"Paṭibhātu taṁ, vaṅgīsā"ti bhagavā avoca.
Atha kho āyasmā vaṅgīso bhagavantaṁ sammukhā sāruppāhi gāthāhi abhitthavi:
5"Tameva vācaṁ bhāseyya,
yāyattānaṁ na tāpaye;
Pare ca na vihiṁseyya,
sā ve vācā subhāsitā.
6Piyavācaṁva bhāseyya,
yā vācā paṭinanditā;
Yaṁ anādāya pāpāni,
paresaṁ bhāsate piyaṁ.
7Saccaṁ ve amatā vācā,
esa dhammo sanantano;
Sacce atthe ca dhamme ca,
āhu santo patiṭṭhitā.
8Yaṁ buddho bhāsate vācaṁ,
khemaṁ nibbānapattiyā;
Dukkhassantakiriyāya,
sā ve vācānamuttamā"ti.