Of the many devices employed by the Ego to keep us in his power, none is more effective than language. The English Language is so structured that it demands the repeated use of the personal pronoun "I" for grammatical nicety and presumed clarity...All this plays into the hands of Ego, strengthening our servitude and enlarging our sufferings, for the more we postualte this I the more we are exposed to Ego's never-ending demands.
Philip Kapleau, in Thich Nhat Hanh's Zen Keys
To find a Buddha, you have to see your nature. Whoever sees his nature is a Buddha. If you don't see your nature, invoking Buddhas, reciting sutras, making offerings, and keeping precepts are all useless. Invoking Buddhas results in good karma, reciting sutras results in a good memory; keeping precpets results in a good rebirth, and making offerings results in future blessings - but no Buddha...
To find a Buddha all you have to do is see your nature. Your nature is the Buddha. And the Buddha is the person who's free: free of plans, free of cares. If you don't see your nature and run around all day looking somewhere else, you'll never find a Buddha.
The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma
Entry-level Right Speech is speech that doesn't add pain to any situation. This takes care of the obvious mistakes, like telling lies or purposely using speech hurtfully. High-level Right Speech maintains the balance of situations by not adding the destabilizing element of gossip.
Gossiping is talking about someone not present. Except on rare occasions when one might need to convey a need on behalf of another person, gossip is extra. Talking disparagingly about a third person is inviting the listener to share your grumbly mind space. Talking admiringly about a third person might cause your listener to feel unimportant. Why not choose to talk about current experience?
Sylvia Boorstein, It's Easier Than You Think
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