Ask: Is it True? Kind? Necessary?
Using Yoga's Principles of Mindful Speech to Think Before You Speak
Aug 13, 2007
Speaking mindfully is not a simple task. We are used to blurting out and withholding our opinions, complaints and thoughts, sometimes to the detriment of others and ourselves.
Cross-cultural Triple-filter
The "Triple filter" test of speech to the Greek philosopher Socrates makes the concept more palatable to western readers, however the practice of mindful speech transcends across cultural and linguistic boundaries.
The most eloquent (and attributable) quote is one from the controversial nineteenth-century guru Sai Baba: "Before you speak, ask yourself, is it kind, is it necessary, is it true, does it improve on the silence?"
Eastern - and particularly Indian - philosophies tend to flow with liquidity from one belief system to the next. It could easily be said that Sai Baba's words are merely restating a common idea. The same thought is contained in the "Right speech" of the Buddhist Noble Eightfold Path. It is an expression of one of the precepts of Hinduism.
It can also be demonstrated that this intention is behind several of the Yamas and Niyamas as outlined in the first 2 limbs of the Eightfold Path of Patanjali.
Finding True, Kind, and Necessary among the Yamas
The most obvious of these is the Yama Satya, or honesty. It is useful to note that it is far easier to be honest in your speech than it can be to be honest with yourself. The practice of Satya extends to the internal assumptions and beliefs that we do not regularly examine.
"Is it kind?" will certainly lead the practitioner to consider the Yama of Ahimsa. Like Satya, adherence to Ahimsa involves a greater depth and breadth than many students first suppose. At face value, non-harming or non-violence is a simple concept.
People think of the great examples of the practice of ahimsa led by Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. They usually accept that this Yama calls for the student to be a vegetarian. However, most students stop there, on the surface of physically harming and wounding other sentient beings.
The practice of Ahimsa requires the student to not harm another being in thought or word as well as deed.
Less apparent are the remaining Yamas: Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha. One must suppose that the question "Is it necessary?" runs far more deeply than at first it seems.
The Yama of Asteya does not only mean that the student should strive to not steal the belongings of other people, but also the non-material wealth of others: their attention, conversation, or even the lessons they might have to learn.
Once we have taken the center of the conversation, it is sometimes difficult to try not to keep it. The lessons of Aparigraha teach us to not be acquisitive or selfish in this regard as well.
As for the final Yama, Brahmacharya, speaking something that is unnecessary does not seem like an indulgence unless you recall the feelings of giddy wickedness that arise when you allow yourself to gossip. Brahmacharya is described as avoidance of "over-use the tongue" in food, drink, or speech.
Applyng the Niyamas to Mindful Speech
Among the Niyamas, Swadhyaya appears to be the most apparent contributor to this test, determining that the speaker study himself to determine truth, kindness and the amount to which each utterance is necessary.
Overall, however the practice of mindful speech also uses Santosha. If the speaker is at peace with the moment, and content with the silence, they will find most speech unnecessary that is untrue or unkind. The student will certainly be content to listen to what words are being spoken already without adding his or her own.
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