Low Talk

“Mendicants, don’t engage in all kinds of low talk, such as*Tiracchānakathā literally means “animal talk”. The Pali word for animal, tiracchāna has the sense of “moving horizontally”, and “low talk” is that which does not elevate.talk about kings, bandits, and ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; street talk and talk at the well; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that place.*Bhavābhava does not mean “existence and non-existence” but is a distributive compound, “this or that state of existence”. Indian religious texts are full of discussions about different heavens and hells.Why is that?Because those discussions aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.

“Mā, bhikkhave, anekavihitaṁ tiracchānakathaṁ katheyyātha, seyyathidaṁ—rājakathaṁ corakathaṁ mahāmattakathaṁ senākathaṁ, bhayakathaṁ yuddhakathaṁ, annakathaṁ pānakathaṁ vatthakathaṁ sayanakathaṁ mālākathaṁ gandhakathaṁ, ñātikathaṁ yānakathaṁ gāmakathaṁ nigamakathaṁ nagarakathaṁ janapadakathaṁ itthikathaṁ sūrakathaṁ visikhākathaṁ kumbhaṭṭhānakathaṁ, pubbapetakathaṁ nānattakathaṁ, lokakkhāyikaṁ samuddakkhāyikaṁ itibhavābhavakathaṁ iti vā. *janapadakathaṁ itthikathaṁ → itthikathaṁ purisakathaṁ (bj, pts1ed, mr); itthīkathaṁ purisakathaṁ (sya-all, km) | sūrakathaṁ → surākathaṁ (bj, sya-all)Taṁ kissa hetu? Nesā, bhikkhave, kathā atthasaṁhitā nādibrahmacariyakā na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.

“Mendicants, don’t engage in all kinds of low talk, such as*Tiracchānakathā literally means “animal talk”. The Pali word for animal, tiracchāna has the sense of “moving horizontally”, and “low talk” is that which does not elevate.“Mā, bhikkhave, anekavihitaṁ tiracchānakathaṁ katheyyātha, seyyathidaṁ—talk about kings, bandits, and ministers; talk about armies, threats, and wars; talk about food, drink, clothes, and beds; talk about garlands and fragrances; talk about family, vehicles, villages, towns, cities, and countries; talk about women and heroes; street talk and talk at the well; talk about the departed; motley talk; tales of land and sea; and talk about being reborn in this or that place.*Bhavābhava does not mean “existence and non-existence” but is a distributive compound, “this or that state of existence”. Indian religious texts are full of discussions about different heavens and hells.rājakathaṁ corakathaṁ mahāmattakathaṁ senākathaṁ, bhayakathaṁ yuddhakathaṁ, annakathaṁ pānakathaṁ vatthakathaṁ sayanakathaṁ mālākathaṁ gandhakathaṁ, ñātikathaṁ yānakathaṁ gāmakathaṁ nigamakathaṁ nagarakathaṁ janapadakathaṁ itthikathaṁ sūrakathaṁ visikhākathaṁ kumbhaṭṭhānakathaṁ, pubbapetakathaṁ nānattakathaṁ, lokakkhāyikaṁ samuddakkhāyikaṁ itibhavābhavakathaṁ iti vā. *janapadakathaṁ itthikathaṁ → itthikathaṁ purisakathaṁ (bj, pts1ed, mr); itthīkathaṁ purisakathaṁ (sya-all, km) | sūrakathaṁ → surākathaṁ (bj, sya-all)Why is that?Taṁ kissa hetu? Because those discussions aren’t beneficial or relevant to the fundamentals of the spiritual life. They don’t lead to disillusionment, dispassion, cessation, peace, insight, awakening, and extinguishment.Nesā, bhikkhave, kathā atthasaṁhitā nādibrahmacariyakā na nibbidāya na virāgāya na nirodhāya na upasamāya na abhiññāya na sambodhāya na nibbānāya saṁvattati.

When you discuss, you should discuss: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. …

Kathentā ca kho tumhe, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti katheyyātha. Taṁ kissa hetu? Esā, bhikkhave, kathā atthasaṁhitā, esā ādibrahmacariyakā, esā nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.

When you discuss, you should discuss: ‘This is suffering’ … ‘This is the origin of suffering’ … ‘This is the cessation of suffering’ … ‘This is the practice that leads to the cessation of suffering’. …Kathentā ca kho tumhe, bhikkhave, ‘idaṁ dukkhan’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhasamudayo’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodho’ti katheyyātha, ‘ayaṁ dukkhanirodhagāminī paṭipadā’ti katheyyātha. Taṁ kissa hetu? Esā, bhikkhave, kathā atthasaṁhitā, esā ādibrahmacariyakā, esā nibbidāya virāgāya nirodhāya upasamāya abhiññāya sambodhāya nibbānāya saṁvattati.