Episode 162 – The Six Points of Mindful Speech

In this episode, I’d like to focus on meditation in action, and particularly on speech  •  in Buddhism there is a tremendous respect for the spoken word  •  speech is powerful; it can be beneficial, and it also can be harmful  •  because speech plays such a large role in our lives, it is an excellent basis for meditation in action, for cultivating our mindfulness and awareness  •  so I’d like to introduce what are called the six points of mindful speech — six things to pay attention to when you are speaking  •  the first point is precision, which is based on enunciation and speaking clearly  •  it is quite kind to do this, for it makes it easier for others to understand us  •  the second point is simplicity; this includes choosing your words well, as well as noticing if you’re talking just to be talking  •  the third point is pacing; being mindful that you are not speaking to too fast or too slow  •  the fourth point is silence; sometimes the most important communication we can make is to bite our tongue and not say what we’re thinking  •  the fifth point is really listening to what others are saying; it’s learning to pay attention to the nuances and the subtleties  •  the sixth point is making it a practice to pay attention to your own speech and your speech patterns  •  all of these points are based on cultivating a quality of mind that is gentle and true and precise and open.