a propos our conversation about appreciative communication on the internet, i remembered this today, by the buddha:
when admonishing someone, keep these six considerations in mind:
- is my heart free of malice towards this person?
- have i been guilty of this offence myself?
- do i speak at the right time?
- is this the truth?
- do i speak gently?
- am i concerned with profit to myself?
along the same lines, 19th century indian guru sai baba had these thoughts on mindful speech:
before you say anything, consider these questions:
- is it true?
- is it kind?
- is it necessary?
- will it improve on the silence?
i find the last one the most challenging, especially as a blogger.
is what i say better than silence?
(this post appears in the carnival of struggling bumbling newbies)
While #4 is hard as a blogger, it’s even harder as a commenter.
I find your posts better than silence more often than not.
I can’t forward your stuff to my wife, though, because her proofreader’s brain can’t get past the all lower case. Oops, is that an admonishment? Did I meet the six criteria? Maybe. I think so.
Silence is better than chocolate. Chocolate is better than most diets. Most diets are better than eating nothing at all. Eating nothing at all is better than eating a lot and working hard. Working hard and saying nothing and eating properly is better than doing nothing. Doing nothing is better than babbling.
I truely am mad comme tout, n’est-ce pas?
Hey! HEY!
The comments! It works!
* Does a little Hercule Poirot dance *
Huurah for you!
I love the Sai Baba quote, Isabella.
Many blessings,
CG
CG Walters’s last blog post..Truth is But a Resting Place