Wise Speech by Shahara Godfrey:
So, I am trying to keep this simple so it sounds ambitious, but it’s pretty simple. I am going to talk tonight as to why speech, and I want to use why speech as a frame for the way to awakening for being tender.
Now, we’re there.
There are different interpretations of the five precepts. And for many of you, you know that the five precepts are the ethical guidelines of the foundation to the teachings of the Buddha. Anyone going to the retreat, we start the first night in teaching the precepts. And the precepts are way to help us create a container, a place of refuge, of sanctuary. I just need this beautiful, temple, has all these chance, and all this energy, and always talks, and always people have come through here. This is a place of sanctuary.
So, in that vain, I offer this, we ___ the village is a retreat center in Southern California, and teaches there the followers of ___, and said what they did is that they created their interpretation of the adaptation of the five precepts, but I’m going to focus on the speech.
Aware of the falsehood and deception in the world and of the power of living and speaking the truth. I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generation, in ___ to cultivate the ability to elicit with clarity and the integrity and all I communicate on my words and actions.
Now, when you think of a guideline, when you think of… okay… this is the time we, I’m going to live my life or suggestions on how to do it. And what I appreciate about this version, it feels like in my whole self, in my community, in my values, which is relationships of my ancestors.
So, the ancestors are the energy of those who came before me that I stand upon. In the history that they held we ___ for me to be here. So, it’s very important to me, and very… they’re also my witness, and I witnessed them, and they witnessed me. ___ forth. And them my belief in caring for the earth and my commitment, my only practice of the Dharma, that the future generations, that my actions be a model of something different, and something possible for a new world, or a different world.
So, those ___, everything I do. And then, the vow, which is huge. Anybody made a vow and they kept it? I kind of feel guilty. But if you would raise a ___ like me, you will feel more guilty. (people laughs). Oops. I have to be careful. That is interesting.
So, when I make a commitment or a vow, I’m saying I’m making an effort, an effort to cultivate this practice, to cultivate the ability to listen with clarity and integrity in all I communicate in my words and actions. And in the ___ path, which is another path of guideline for us to follow, why speech is there?
So, before we even speak, we have to think about what we’re going to say. So, before we think about it, we have to take a look back. What is your intention? What is your purpose? So, if you go for intention, okay, you want to say something, what is the purpose of what you have to say? What is the effort that you’re going to bring to what you speak? We haven’t even closed our mouth yet, and then we speak. So, what is the action that’s manifested from the words of what you said, which started with your intention?
Now, if we hold the premise, that in the teachings of the Buddha, the premise is not to cause harm, or there is no harm as much as possible. That’s the frame in which we hold our practice. So, we hold it minding your relationship why speech is ___ path, of why speech with precepts.
So, I have some quotes, stuff, a reference. This one is from ___. This is a very short poem. I think the title is ___. And it’s called—where is that name file? Where are my glasses? Have you seen my ___? Any ___? Nothing is in the lost. It is only misplaced. If we look, we can find it again within kindness.
So, that’s part of ___. If one only use it, the precepts of guidelines of how we think about, how we cultivate our conversations or our intentions behind it, the ___ with kindness. And with this kindness, it entails, keep ___.
So, this is a particular quote from Doctor ___ that I’m really fond that, but I have to put it in the contacts. We know he was a preacher, we know he went to Theologies school, and he’s a doctor.
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