Published Saturday, 22 December 2018
As a beautiful flower;
with a delightful fragrance is pleasing,
so is wise and lovely speech
when matched with right action.Dhammapada v.52
When we speak and act in ways that are honest, we give a gift to the world. When we speak and act in ways that are dishonest, we contribute to confusion. The assumption that ‘everybody lies’ is nothing short of a tragedy. To say we will do something and not act accordingly creates distrust; as the Buddha put it in the previous Dhammapada verse 51, ‘ … a beautiful flower without fragrance is disappointing...’. To make a difference in the world does not require that we be exceptionally wealthy or influential. What is required is that we match kind speech with right action. This is worth remembering if we want to help.