The Wise Use of Speech
by Master Lee Feng San Shifu
Translated by Sophia Lui
Edited by Ric Meyers
There is a saying — “Words are like arrows. Once we shoot them, there’s no going back.” There is also another ancient saying - “Idle chatter is not conducive to spiritual development; excessive talk brings harm.” Even Mohammed said, “Do not talk about your friends, or even about your enemies, behind their backs — pointing out their shortcomings. If, however, the consequence of remaining silent brings harm, then one should say what ought to be said.”
Sometimes silence is golden, but, at other times, silence is cowardice. It is not good to remain silent if it makes people wonder about us or what is going on with us. It is not good to remain silent because we are unwilling to express ourselves or are afraid others will not understand our actions. Instead, we should say what needs to be said, and not say things which should not be said. Do not speak about things which you do not understand. But if we do understand them we should not remain silent.
My father taught me, “If we talk about things which should not be said, we commit an indiscretion. However, if we do not speak up when we are supposed to, we fail in our duty.” Do not always be teetering at the edge of either one or the other, never finding our balance. The important thing is, we must know what we are supposed to do.
Many people get together, not knowing what they are supposed to do for the day. They seem happiest only at the beginning of each month when they receive their pay. Toward the end of the month, when they have spent most of their money, this happy feeling diminishes and they seem to just muddle along. This is something we need to be conscious of and reflect on constantly.
Regardless of what we set out to do we must consider: are my actions and words helpful to those around me? And if these people have been helped, will this, in turn, be helpful to all members of society? Will this be helpful to all humanity? And, if it is indeed helpful, will the effect last long? These are questions which we need to think about and remind ourselves. If we can be truly guided by our innate sense of right and wrong, our actions will be appropriate naturally.
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Words of wisdom by Lee Feng San Shifu: In saying what should not be said, we commit an indiscretion. In remaining silent about that which should have been spoken, we fail in our duties.
