If you have spent any amount of time learning about Buddhism, you’ve likely stumbled across the Eightfold Path, which is described by Wikipedia as being “an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth, in the form of nirvana.” [1]
One of the eight divisions of the Eightfold Path is called Right Speech: “no lying, no rude speech, no telling one person what another says about him to cause discord or harm their relationship, no idle chatter.” [2]
When it comes to what I say, I always have had the mindset that it’s better to err on the side of caution. If I don’t know something with 100% certainty, then I probably shouldn’t say it at all.
Easy, right? If you follow this, you can live peacefully in accordance with Right Speech.
But in the real world, and especially in the business world, this is not always the best tactic. Because the reality is that things change quickly. Sometimes you have to say something to get your point across, and then figure out how to make it happen later.
I’m not saying that you should intentionally lie or try to deceive someone. That will only lead you to burned bridges.
But I often need to remind myself that not everything has to be perfect right out of the gate. There’s too many variables to account for, and you have to be willing to adjust as you go anyway.
It’s good to prepare, it’s good to feel ready, it’s good to have an idea of what direction you want to go. But in the end, there’s a difference between saying what you believe to be correct—even if you’re not 100% sure—and flat out lying.
Remember: Right Speech has a lot more to do with having the right intention, not the right accuracy.
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If you have spent any amount of time learning about Buddhism, you’ve likely stumbled across the Eightfold Path, which is described by Wikipedia as being “an early summary of the path of Buddhist practices leading to liberation from samsara, the painful cycle of rebirth, in the form of nirvana.” [1]
One of the eight divisions of the Eightfold Path is called Right Speech: “no lying, no rude speech, no telling one person what another says about him to cause discord or harm their relationship, no idle chatter.” [2]
When it comes to what I say, I always have had the mindset that it’s better to err on the side of caution. If I don’t know something with 100% certainty, then I probably shouldn’t say it at all.
Easy, right? If you follow this, you can live peacefully in accordance with Right Speech.
But in the real world, and especially in the business world, this is not always the best tactic. Because the reality is that things change quickly. Sometimes you have to say something to get your point across, and then figure out how to make it happen later.
I’m not saying that you should intentionally lie or try to deceive someone. That will only lead you to burned bridges.
But I often need to remind myself that not everything has to be perfect right out of the gate. There’s too many variables to account for, and you have to be willing to adjust as you go anyway.
It’s good to prepare, it’s good to feel ready, it’s good to have an idea of what direction you want to go. But in the end, there’s a difference between saying what you believe to be correct—even if you’re not 100% sure—and flat out lying.
Remember: Right Speech has a lot more to do with having the right intention, not the right accuracy.
