The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha - Bhikkhu Nanamoli [437]
“And what kind of verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone, abandoning false speech, abstains from false speech; when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relatives’ presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family’s presence, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know,’ not knowing, he says, ‘I do not know,’ or knowing, he says, ‘I know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I do not see,’ or seeing, he says, ‘I see’; [49] he does not in full awareness speak falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end. Abandoning malicious speech, he abstains from malicious speech; he does not repeat elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide [those people] from these, nor does he repeat to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide [these people] from those; thus he is one who reunites those who are divided, a promoter of friendships, who enjoys concord, rejoices in concord, delights in concord, a speaker of words that promote concord. Abandoning harsh speech, he abstains from harsh speech; he speaks such words as are gentle, pleasing to the ear, and loveable, as go to the heart, are courteous, desired by many, and agreeable to many. Abandoning gossip, he abstains from gossip; he speaks at the right time, speaks what is fact, speaks on what is good, speaks on the Dhamma and the Discipline; at the right time he speaks such words as are worth recording, reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. Such verbal conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it.
“So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, verbal conduct is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And verbal conduct is either the one or the other.’
7. “‘Mental conduct is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And mental conduct is either the one or the other.’ So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said?
“Venerable sir, such mental conduct as causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it should not be cultivated. But such mental conduct as causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it should be cultivated.
“And what kind of mental conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it? Here someone is covetous; he covets the wealth and property of others thus: ‘Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!’ Or he has a mind of ill will and intentions of hate [50] thus: ‘May these beings be slain and slaughtered, may they be cut off, perish, or be annihilated!’ Such mental conduct causes unwholesome states to increase and wholesome states to diminish in one who cultivates it.
“And what kind of mental conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it? Here someone is not covetous; he does not covet the wealth and property of others thus: ‘Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!’ His mind is without ill will and he has intentions free from hate thus: ‘May these beings be free from enmity, affliction, and anxiety! May they look after themselves happily!’ Such mental conduct causes unwholesome states to diminish and wholesome states to increase in one who cultivates it.
“So it was with reference to this that it was said by the Blessed One: ‘Bhikkhus, mental conduct is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And mental conduct is either the one or the other.’1071
8. “‘Inclination of mind is of two kinds, I say: to be cultivated and not to be cultivated. And inclination of mind is either the one or the other.’ So it was said by the Blessed One. And with reference to what was this said?
“Venerable sir, such inclination of mind as causes unwholesome