Chua Duoc Su

Lying is a precept for Buddhists. When entering the Buddhist path, to become a Buddhist, you need to take the three refuges and the five precepts. The Three Refuges are taking refuge in the Buddha, taking refuge in the Dharma, and taking refuge in the Sangha. Five precepts of which the fourth precept is not to lie.

In life, you see that when someone says even a single word, everyone who hears it likes, loves, sympathizes, trusts, and also listens and follows. There are also people who open their mouths to speak, no matter how much they talk, no one believes, no one wants to hear, and no one likes. There are people who, when speaking, often bring comfort and coolness to the listener's soul, making the listener feel like they have just drunk a stream of cool water. There are also people who, when speaking, make the listener uncomfortable and frustrated. Therefore, words are very important, having a great influence on the daily lives of all of us. So the Buddha taught you to practice oral karma so as not to cause evil karma, that is, to speak in the right way to avoid bad karma caused by words, that is, to practice good things about oral karma.

Thus, verbal karma is karma caused by words, beneficial or harmful effects, good or bad can happen immediately, and can also have consequences for the future or for the next life. Oral karma can be good karma if what is said causes good consequences by benefiting others or the community. Oral karma can be evil if the words cause bad consequences that harm others or harm the community.

Good or bad verbal karma can be caused by the content of the speech, the tone of voice, and possibly by the attitude when speaking. The content of speech not in accordance with the Dharma causes bad karma. Each speech karma itself is also expressed in many different forms such as Attitude and facial expressions when speaking as if angry, such as speaking with a gruff voice... Those things depend on the motivation, and the speaker's purpose, depending on the circumstances, time, and conditions of speaking.

It can be seen that if you feel that life is full of suffering, not happy, and not peaceful, then you need to adjust your words, making them both easy to hear and cute. Because you also want to hear such cute and easy words. Or, you need to adjust the sound and voice so that it is just enough to hear, so as not to disturb others around in need of quiet, for the soul to be purified, or to rest, comfortable. Therefore, if you want peace and happiness, you must eliminate false speech, the fourth precept is not to lie. Not lying in a broad sense includes:

- Not telling the truth,

- Do not speak a two-way tongue,

- Do not speak maliciously and

- Don't talk nonsense.

In the narrow sense, it is just lying, that is, speaking not true to the truth.

The topic of this writing is The Retribution of the Two-Way Tongue, so you try to learn about the serious and minor sins of the evil karma of two-way speech.

The two-way tongue speech, flippant speech, speech at this time is this, but at other times, that is different. Telling lies, taking wrong as right, taking right as wrong. People of this type often bring the story of one person to another, denigrate others, provoke, ridicule, scorn, and cause aversion so that the two sides come to discord, conflict, and hatred towards each other. They also say flippantly, first saying this, then saying that in order to change black and white and benefit them. People who speak two-way tongues, one word they say can break other people's family happiness and can make everyone, doubt each other. Those are ambiguous words, putting things more or less, right says wrong, wrong says right, yes says no, otherwise says yes.

In life, there are people who often create heavy verbal karma. They talk like spitting blood, gossiping about the world, inciting the east, looking for the west, inciting everyone. People who slander, say two-way tongues are often distrusted, despised, and shunned by people.

People who say two-way tongues often have a mind that is not pure, like to quarrel, like to harm others with a malicious mind, possibly for the sake of self-interest and also because of hatred for something unsolvable. Spoken speakers, two-way tongue talk can be caused by many different reasons:

1- Two-way tongue talk because of greed.

It is a case of having the intention to take over something, so you put a bad story about this person and then tell it to others in order to divide them to get your purpose. There is a story in the Dhammapada that says:

In the time of the Buddha Kasyapa, there were two Venerables living in harmony in a Monastery in a certain village. The adults are sixty years old, the young are fifty years old. The younger venerable usually carries the robe and bowl for the elder and follows him, fulfilling all his duties like a minor servant. They are like two brothers with the same parents, they live in peace and harmony.

One day, a teacher came to the place where two venerable monks were staying to teach the Dharma. Both Venerables treated the guest monk and said:

- Venerable, please teach us the Dharma.

This teacher taught the Buddha Dharma to both of them, and they were very happy. The next day, the two Venerables brought guests into the village for alms. Returning to the vihara, after eating, they asked again:

- Venerable brother, please continue to teach yesterday's dharma.

When entering the village for alms, the two monks asked the teacher to preach the Dharma to the people. After listening, the Buddhist invited the teacher to come tomorrow. Just like that, they went for alms around the neighboring villages, and the two monks also took the teacher to visit familiar houses.

The Professor thought to himself:

- These two teachers are very gentle. I will find a way to get them to leave this place and I will take possession of this monastery. So that afternoon, the Teacher came to take care of the elderly Venerable and said:

- Venerable, I have something to tell you.

The old monk said:

- Please keep talking.

The Teacher hesitated and then said:

- What I say is harmful.

Having said this, the Teacher silently walked away to the place where the young venerable did the same. On the second day, he also acted in the same way, on the third day the teacher went to the elder monk and said:

- Sir, I have something to say, but I dare not say it in front of you.

Elder Venerable pressed:

- It's okay, just say it.

The Teacher asked:

- But, do that little venerable have anything to do with you?

Elder Venerable said:

- What did he say? We are like brothers and sisters, one receives what the other receives, I have never seen him guilty.

The Professor pretended to be surprised:

- Really?

Elder Venerable:

- Really?

The Lecturer:

- Venerable, this is what the young Venerable said to me: Sir, you are of a noble lineage, but this old Venerable is not, if you intend to have a relationship with him, and think that he is loyal and amiable, beware. That young venerable has been repeating this to me since the day I arrived.

After hearing this, the elder Venerable felt extremely angry, his heart was broken like a broken ceramic jar. The Teacher went to the young Master and said the same thing as above, and the young Venerable also felt as broken as his brother. Usually, the two of them often go for alms together, but that day the young Venerable entered the village alone, ahead of his brother, and stopped at the place of the meal, the older Venerable came later.

When he saw his brother, the young Venerable thought to himself:

- Should I bring His robe or not? No, I don't bring it.

But then think:

- Drill! I have never behaved like this, I cannot fail to do so.

And softening his heart, the young Venerable went to the older Venerable:

- Venerable sir, give me the bowl and robe.

The elder Venerable refused:

- Go away, liar. You are not worthy to carry my robe.

As he spoke, he waved his hand contemptuously. Hearing this, the young venerable also said:

- Yes, I also think I don't need to bring your bowl.

Elder Venerable:

- Hey, do you think I miss this monastery?

The young Venerable also said:

- I don't need to stay at the monastery either. Your Vihara, you stay

After saying that, the young Venerable took his bowl and robe and left. The elderly Venerable also left, and instead of going together as usual, now one goes to the East, the other to the West. The guest teacher said to them:

- Stop doing that.

Two Elders said:

- Well, Venerable stay.

And the guest lecturer stayed as the owner of the monastery. The next day, when the visiting teacher went to a neighboring village, the people asked:

- Your Excellency, where are the others?

The guest lecturer replied:

- Don't ask me. The two monks got into a fight and left the monastery yesterday. I tried my best to dissuade it, but it didn't work.

Hearing this, some foolish people believed at once, but the wise said to each other:

- During our stay here, we do not see the two Venerables at odds with each other. If the other two venerable were afraid to leave, it would be because the new Master came here to do something.

And they are very sad. Regarding the two Venerables, both are insecure. The elder Venerable thought to himself:

- Oh! It's true that the little boy was very wrong when he saw the customer he told the customer not to contact me.

And the young Venerable also thought so. Both were frustrated and unable to read sutras or meditate. A year passed, and coincidentally both of them went to a Western monastery to practice and received the same room. Just as the elderly Venerable entered the room and sat on the bed, the younger Venerable also arrived. Seeing each other, they couldn't hold back their tears. The young teacher thought:

- Should I say it or not? The story of hearing the guest lecturer say that the Brother spoke ill of me, is not believable.

And then the young Venerable came to greet the Elder, saying:

- Venerable Sir, during the time when I carried my bowl and robe with you, did you see any shortcomings in my thoughts, words, and actions?

The elder Venerable replied:

- No, I don't see it.

Young Venerable:

"Then why did you tell the guest monk not to have anything to do with me?"

Elder Ton Gi:

"Brother, I don't say that, but on the contrary, I hear you say that about me.

Young Venerable:

"Sir, I never said that either.

At that time, they both realized that the visiting monk said this only because he wanted to divide the brothers and also take over the monastery, and they both admitted their fault together. After a year of insecurity, now the two have reconciled with each other. And the two Venerables returned to the old monastery to invite the talkative teacher out of the monastery.

When the guest lecturer saw the two monks returning, he rushed to the front to take the robes and bowls. But the two Elders looked at the visiting Teacher and said:

- You don't deserve to be in this monastery anymore.

Not daring to linger for a moment, the visiting professor immediately left the monastery. After his death, a certain guest lecturer fell into the Abhi Hell, during the time between the two Buddhas being punished in Hell, and now in the body of a huge demon, the body is nearly a mile tall, the body but pig head, in the mouth grew a tail full of worms squirming very miserable. So in the Dhammapada 281, the Buddha said:

- Words are careful,

Mindful protection,

The body does not do evil,

Keep the three pure karma,

Acquire the teachings of the saints.

2- Whispering or Two-Way Tongue Talk due to malice because of hatred

These things often happen, in cases where the speaker has a grudge against someone in mind, but does not directly harm that person but uses others to harm. They make up bad stories for that person and then tell them to the other person so that the two people can misunderstand each other, incite the two sides to contradict each other, leading to bad results for the person they hate, even leading to bankruptcy or loss of life. whole life.

Talking about the karmic consequences of two-way speech, it is possible to take on heavy or light karmic consequences depending on whether the subject is virtuous or unvirtuous. If a person with malicious intentions speaks of division between two virtuous people, that person has created very heavy bad karma. If a person with malicious intentions says a splinter between two people who are not virtuous, it can be mild. But still have to bear the karma.

Indeed, the bad retribution of bad karma speaks very divisively:

- Those who create evil karma speak divisive words, if there is a serious sin, then after death, the evil karma will speak divisive words for results in the next rebirth period in the evil realm such as Hell, Asura, hungry ghosts, and Animals. That person suffers the result of evil karma, saying that divisive word is commensurate with what has been said, until the fruit of evil karma is completed, that person will be released from the evil realm.

After escaping from the evil realm, if there is any other great good karma that has the opportunity, it will give results in the period of rebirth in the next life as a human.

- And the case, who creates evil karma to say divisive words have a misdemeanor. After that person dies, if the bad karma of divisive speech has not had a chance to bear fruit, in the next rebirth period, he will be a human.

In both such cases, if the person who created the evil karma were to become a human, he would also have to suffer the bad consequences of the karmic retribution of divisive speech that he made in the past. The commentary to the Khuddakapātha Sutta has explained the fourteen bad results of evil karma of divisive speech in the past life. His present life must be received as:

1- Being a person with 5 unusual senses.

2- Being a person whose voice is not clear, or hard to hear.

3- Being a person with irregular, ugly teeth.

4- Being too fat, weird.

5- Being a person with a very thin body.

6- Being too short in stature,

7- Being too tall,

8- Being a person with rough, ugly skin.

9- A person who has a bad smell coming out of his mouth.

10- The one who says no one believes.

11- Being a speaker no one wants to hear.

12- A person with a hard and short tongue.

13 Being a person with a heart is often discouraged.

14- A person who has a stutter, or is mute and deaf.

Those are the fourteen bad results of the divisive speech karma that one's previous life created. In order to eliminate the verbal karma of two-way speech, Buddhists must practice the righteous Dharma, speak the truth, eliminate greed, and eliminate malice. Before you say something, you need to focus on whether it is okay to say it or not. Use your mind to judge how harmful you will be if you say such a thing.

Stemming from such two-way words, many people, because of lack of courage, listening, and belief, so they have lost many good relationships, lost many opportunities and joys in life without even knowing it. There are people who are very close to each other, and just because of hearing bad words like that, the relationship is broken. There are relationships between colleagues who are having a little disagreement over something, if they encounter bad people like the above, instead of insignificant things, the conflict with the other person becomes more intense, and they no longer cooperates with each other again. At first, they just hated each other on a normal level, but after hearing the words of separation, the hatred became intense, and eventually broke up. On the contrary, two-way talkers are people who do not speak two-way tongues and do not talk back. Such people are often respected by relatives and friends, both far and near. People who do not speak two-way tongues often use gentle words, comfort, counsel and help brothers, relatives, and neighbors get along, making everyone happy and at ease, no matter where such a person is, also loved by all.

In short, People who often speak such bad words will later suffer the consequences of living a lonely life, no one cares about them... Therefore, in life, you should limit yourself, if possible, and be careful with your words. You should not come to one person to speak ill of another, to another to speak ill of another, to fall into one of the taboos that the Buddha taught. Especially talking bad about others behind their backs, or disparaging others are all ways to sow bad karma for you.

Double-tongued speech, or criticizing others behind their backs often causes hatred and division. If you don't avoid these things, you will get the same retribution. If you criticize people for something, you will commit the same thing in the next life. You can't remove it, but you have to pay for all that badness.

There are many people when you first look at everything, every aspect of them is very good, but their life is suffering from constant troubles. Such karma, not because they are bad in this life, but because they did wrong in their previous lives, so they have to suffer in this life. That is the cause and effect.

There are people who are often slandered, and faced with difficult obstacles, it is possible that in a previous life, they have planted this unwholesome karma. Although they do not speak ill of anyone in this life, they are often slandered and defamed by people. That is the retribution that they do not know. Knowing such dangers, as a Buddhist, you must think carefully before you speak.