Episode 198 - The Five Gatekeepers of Speech
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Release Date: 09/24/2024
Episode 198 - The Five Gatekeepers of Speech
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
The Buddha, in his gentle wisdom, offered us a path to mindful speech through what he called "The Five Gatekeepers of Speech." These gatekeepers stand like sentinels, reminding us to pause before we speak. We ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it beneficial? Is it necessary? Is it the right time? Our speech, whether it lands on another's heart or drifts unnoticed through the air, always leaves its karmic mark on us. If we are kind to others with our speech, we create causes for our own happiness. When we are unkind to others, we create suffering for ourselves. Words are the most...
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Episode 197 - Metta Practice
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Episode 196 - Making mindful choices
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Episode 195 - Feel before you act
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Episode 194 - Enjoying without attachment
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Episode 193: Compassion as antidote to anger
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
For the average person, Moments of anger are inevitable. They can flare up in response to various triggers, from personal frustrations to global injustices. However, according to the Buddha's teachings, there is a powerful antidote to this destructive emotion: compassion. In Buddhism, compassion is revered as a guiding light, illuminating the path towards healing and awakening. At the heart of Buddhist philosophy lies the understanding of interconnectedness. Understanding interconnectedness leads to an awareness that everything we do as an individual affects the rest of humanity....
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Episode 192 - Solving Anger with Dharma
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
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Important Announcement
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Virtual Classes with JoAnn Fox start this Saturday, March 2nd! You can enroll any time! What: An ongoing study program to practice the entire path of Buddhism. Join us at any point! When: Saturdays 10 am EST Why: People often have to study Buddhism in a piecemeal fashion. JoAnn participated in a virtual teacher training program for over ten years that presented the whole path of Buddhism. This systematic approach makes the path very clear. It makes it much easier to practice and creates deeper inner change. JoAnn wants others to have the...
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Episode 191 - Got problems? Buddha has solutions.
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
Renunciation is the determination to be free from our own cycle of suffering and dissatisfaction. Renunciation is a state of mind, like patience, compassion, or contentment. Much like these virtuous states of mind, developing renunciation leads us to deeper and deeper levels of inner peace. In this episode, we explore how renunciation directs our focus toward spiritual development, creates happiness, and how we can develop this state of mind. Normally, we're always looking for something...something to ease discomfort, abate dissatisfaction or boredom, or give us pleasure. If we're...
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Episode 190 - Renunciation: This is the way
Buddhism for Everyone with JoAnn Fox
In today's episode, we explore the profound concept of renunciation in Buddhism. True renunciation isn't about abandoning pleasure but transforming our relationship with it. Join us as we unravel the complexities of renunciation and explore a path to genuine contentment. Renunciation is the wish to break free from the cycle of suffering (samsara) by overcoming our deeply ingrained mental habits of ignorance and attachment. We begin by realizing the futility of expecting lasting satisfaction from transient phenomena (material things, people, opinions, expectations of others, etc.) ...
info_outlineThe Buddha, in his gentle wisdom, offered us a path to mindful speech through what he called "The Five Gatekeepers of Speech." These gatekeepers stand like sentinels, reminding us to pause before we speak. We ask ourselves:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it beneficial?
Is it necessary?
Is it the right time?
Our speech, whether it lands on another's heart or drifts unnoticed through the air, always leaves its karmic mark on us. If we are kind to others with our speech, we create causes for our own happiness. When we are unkind to others, we create suffering for ourselves.
Words are the most powerful tool we carry, shaping not only the world around us but also the spirit within us. With every sentence, we build up or break down—not just others but ourselves. This power is so profound because we wield it constantly. Each time we speak, we either sow seeds of healing or harm. And those words linger. Even when forgotten by others, their echoes remain within us, shaping our character--shaping our future.
Beautiful speech
Beautiful mind
Beautiful world
The Buddha taught us to tend to our speech mindfully, as one would a garden. The mind, planted with our words, will grow the fruits we eventually consume. So, let us speak with intention, knowing that every word has the power to uplift or diminish, and in the end, each of us must live among the gardens we plant.
Whoever speaks
What is true, informative, and not harsh,
Who gives offense to no one,
I call a brahmin.
--Buddha, The Dhammapada (Verse 408)
The Five Gatekeepers of Speech
Buddha taught that we should check that our speech passes through these five gates before we speak:
Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it beneficial?
Is it necessary?
Is it the right time?
The Four Downfalls of Speech
Lying
Divisive speech
Harsh speech
Idle gossip
References and Links
Buddha.The Dhammapada. Translated by Gil Fronsdale. (Kindle). Shambala, Boston and London, 2011.
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