Right Speech

Right Speech

Presentation by Gary Marx

My presentation is about right speech. I am especially interested in this topic since the daily five o'clock link-up makes reference to it, and it has been part of my daily evening review this year.

Speech is the clothing and revealing of thoughts via audible expression. It discloses the quality of energy or life behind words, their vibration, and how and what we think and say which reveals greatly to who we are as a person.

So what is right speech? Silence is one of the major contributing factors to right speech. Several thousands of years ago, Pythagoras required his neophytes to refrain from speech for two years. While this practice is not typically required by esoteric students, the Tibetan emphasizes that the practice of silence prepares and is a prerequisite for future initiations. Thus, esoteric students need to learn when to speak and to be silent, and to take the responsibility concerning their quality of speech. Even Ashrams have cycles in which silence is imposed. Thus, each person who can control their tongue, can learn to master themselves.

The practice of silence can increase the awareness of controlling one's speech. The Tibetan emphasizes that a loving heart and a lack of self interest or self-forgetfulness can greatly aid in this control. Silence and controlling speech is not a suppression of words, but rather a substitution of new lines of thought. Thus, by refocusing one's thinking and speech in the light of the Soul and/or speaking to meet the essential needs in others, harmful and destructive lines of thinking can be redirected. In other words, the disciple needs to avoid gossip, cruel speech, misinformation, conspiracy theories, fearful talk, and/or prejudices against specific races, religions and/or different viewpoints. These lines of speech can increase glamours and create a psychic blockage in one's astral and mental vehicles, which may take years to clear and detach from when striving for higher planes of consciousness.

Control of speech also requires discriminating what is best to say and what should be avoided. For example, sharing advanced esoteric concepts with a person who has no interest in the Teachings, is futile. I found for example when teaching, that there were times silence was the best approach when working with my students. It was advantageous for the students to seek their own solutions, rather than having me impose my perspective.

Right intent can help control and improve speech. In the first years of being an educational administrator, I was asked to make presentations and speeches, which were fairly new to me. Because I was self conscious about how I spoke and wanted to ensure my speech included the appropriate words and concepts, my presentations tended to be stilted. When I created a mental intention to meet the most essential needs of the audience and forget myself, my presentations improved. (My set intentions were similar to a point of tension, invoking a response from higher sources, such as the Soul.) I also found that right speech can be spontaneous, and not always planned. For example, during a presentation, based on questions from the audience or a sense that a new approach was needed, a different line of thought was shared. It was as if I was presenting within the light of the Soul or the Heart, which the latter is the language of connectivity and simplicity.

Another intent to make when improving the quality of one's speech, is to increase awareness and observe one's speech, whether for several hours or an entire day. Many times speech is unconscious as if one is asleep, and the same thought patterns, memories and intonations are shared. Observation without blame or criticism, during informal conversation such as with friends or colleagues, may increase awareness and awakening. Thus, one may ask during observations: is there another pattern of thought that my speech could reflect? Could I incorporate more silence and listen deeper? Could I increase my creativity and via speech bring forth new ideas?

Right speech aligns with subjective realities. Sometimes during evening reviews, I've observed that my highest quality of speech during the day occurred when I recited the Great Invocation or OM in the morning, since these were spoken from the Soul or higher planes. Esoteric students progress from speaking within the light of the Soul, speaking as if they were Soul infused, and eventually, after the third initiation, speaking as a Soul. Speech spoken from Soul qualities such as compassion, unity, goodwill and love, is potent and can have very positive effects. Eventually speech, via meditation, becomes an advanced tool, especially when disciples and initiates begin to build their lower and upper antahkarana and construct a continuity of consciousness between their subjective realities and the objective world. At this point, as an individual or group member, speech is conscious and begins to be aligned with the Plan, and at more advanced stages, the Will, Purpose and even Sound. Speech becomes a magical force in which words of power, formulas and mantrams can be used to call forth and work with builders such as devas, in creating new thought-forms. The Tibetan states that advanced Ashramic members need to unlearn previous use of words and refrain from ordinary methods of talking. He also states that Ashrams have three circles or levels that can affect speech. The first circle, are disciples who are located on the periphery and their speech typically has little impact on the Ashram. The second circle, are members who operate under the law of silence, with all of it's challenges and difficulties. The third level or circle, are the initiates who live in secrecy and silence, and because of their proximity to the Master and alignment with Will and Purpose, their speech carries great potency. Thus, when a disciple such as F.D.R. delivers a fiery speech that is aligned with the subjective planes, such as when he gave his Four Freedoms speech, the higher energies can significantly increase the evolution of a nation or world, even though the presentation may cause increased tension and resistance for some.

Right speech is impacted by silence, control of speech and alignment with subjective realities. While right speech is a work in progress for me, the importance and practice of this topic is vital, especially when striving to expand one's consciousness, increase awareness and express a higher quality of service.