The Buddha said about BLAME:
This, Atula, is an ancient saying, yet timeless and thus relevant even today:
They blame the one, who talks much. They blame the one, who says little.
They even blame the silent one... No one in this world is never blamed!
Dhammapada Illustration 227 Background Story 227-230
FACT
There never was, nor will there ever be, nor does there exist one now,
who is only praised or only blamed ....
Dhammapada Illustration 228 Background Story 227-230
PRAISED
The one examined carefully by the wise, yet still praised as peerless,
wise, learned and genuinely good, like a ring of refined gold, who can
ever rightly blame such one? Even the divine and Brahma praise such one!
Dhammapada Illustration 229-30 Background Story 227-230
Comments: The Buddha once asked his students, "And what is right speech?
Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle
chatter: This is called right speech." -SN 45.8
He also taught: "Monks, a statement endowed with five factors is well-spoken,
not ill-spoken. It is blameless & faultless by knowledgeable people. Which five?
It is spoken at the right time. It is truth. It is kind. It is advantageous. And it
is spoken with a mind of good-will." -AN 5.198
In addition to right speech, the Exalted Master taught us to develop other
skilful qualities of intention, thoughts, words, and actions, in order to become
peerless, wise, learned, good, blameless, and praised. These are right view,
right motivation, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right awareness
and right concentration. Practicing in this way, we not only acquire peace for
ourselves, through admiration, we also improve society, and our reputation...
Other skilful qualities we can develop are present moment awareness,
conviction, persistence, understanding, and analysis as well as kind metta,
compassion, truly altruistic joy, equanimity, generosity, virtue, and patience.
The development, prolonging and maintenance of these skilful states of mind
not only benefit ourselves, they expand outward, like sweet rings in water!
When we meditate upon which of these qualities we need to develop and how
to go about increasing and sustaining them, we are rightly praised by all beings
EVEN THE DIVINE, and are able to gradually approach the pure, tranquil,
and entirely stilled state, NIBBANA!
Pure as GOLD!
With Metta, Jonathan
More on Right Speech (Sammā-Vācā):
What is Right Speech?, Fourfold_Right_Speech, Not_Splitting, Optimal_Observance_IV,
Truth_Triumphs, Not_Scolding, Not_Deceiving, Not_Gossiping, Samma-Vaca, What_to_Say.
