False Speech
- Pc 1, Intentional lie
- Sg 8, Unfounded pārājika accusation
- Sg 9, Distorting evidence
- Pc 76, Unfounded saṅghādisesa accusation
- NP 30, Diverting an offering for oneself
- Pc 82, Diverting an offering for a lay person
Pc 1, Intentional lie
Origin: Ven. Hatthaka defeats philosophical opponents by means of lying.
Intention: to misrepresent the truth
Effort: to communicate it to somebody based on that aim
Result is not a factor. It doesn't matter if the listener believes it or not.
Telling a conscious lie means: the words, the utterance, the speech, the talk, the language, the intimation, the (un-ariyan) statements of the person intent upon deceiving with words.
Dukkaṭa for remaining silent when it implies a false message (e.g. during Pāṭimokkha recitation).
One should confess offenses before Pāṭimokkha recitation. If one only remembers an offense during the recitation, it is acceptable to whisper a confession to the next bhikkhu.
Dukkaṭa for broken promises, where one is making the promise with pure intentions but later breaking it.
White lies: motivation is irrelevant.
Remaining silent:
During saṅghakamma when agreement is signalled by silence, if one remains silent as a deception: pācittiya.
Silence is a gesture, and fulfils effort as a factor.
Everyday context: sensitive information, or can't be bothered to respond.
Example: 'We can discuss it tomorrow' -- (a) just to make him happy but not intending to meet (b) failing to remember or something comes up blocking the meeting.
One has to know I am going to lie, and I am lying.
Cruel- or malign jokes: don't let humour compromise your highest values.
Example: 'It was over 9000!' -- intending to impress, but he doesn't know.
Checking one's statements before making them, expressing one's level of confidence in a statement.
Irony doesn't intend to deceive, but satire does, such as a news article as an April Fool's joke, which fully intends to deceive. It is supposed to be the reader's task to recognize the absurdism or hyperbole.
The degree of comedy and deception may vary:
Non-offenses
- unintentionally,
- speaking in haste (unconsidered)
- slip of the tongue (stupidity or carelessness)
Jokes
Humorous, witty remarks which are true statements are not criticized even by the Buddha. There are cases of his humour in the suttas.
Irony, sarcasm, satire, boastful- and playful exaggeration are confusing because one makes physical signs to represent a false statement (effort).
One may claim not intending to lie, but one's intention is often ambiguous (jolly bantering, wanting to avoid a situation).
Result is not a factor, but others might miss the irony while picking up the resentment or malice.
The Commentary's examples:
A novice asks: 'Have you seen my preceptor?' A bhikkhu responds: 'Your preceptor is probably gone, yoked to a firewood cart.'
A novice, on hearing the yapping of hyenas asks: 'What's making that noise?' A bhikkhu responds: 'That's the noise of those who are lifting the stuck-in-the-mud wheel of the carriage your mother's going in.'
The Commentary assigns offense for these and other examples which could be exaggeration or sarcasm.
Note the Buddha's instruction to Rahula: 'Train yourself, "I will not utter a deliberate lie, even for a laugh."'
Intention is fulfilled when the speaker wants the listener to believe a false statement, even if for a second, even while planning to reveal that one is only joking.
Practical jokes are pācittiya (e.g. telling somebody that their robes are lost to see their reaction).
Satire and boastful exaggeration are pācittiya.
Irony, sarcasm, playful exaggeration can sometimes fulfill intention, sometimes not. Such remarks are often made as a manner of speaking without the intention to deceive.
Example of irony in Pr 2: a bhikkhu puts away somebody's item for safe-keeping. When the person is looking for it, he ironically responds 'I stole it.' The Buddha says the bhikkhu committed no offense, as it was only a manner of speaking, not an acknowledgement of theft.
Sg 8, Unfounded pārājika accusation
It matters whether the person is present or not.
Intention: wanting to remove him from the community. Even when it is 'for the purity of the Sangha', it is driven by aversion.
Insult, slander, lying. Accusing as a joke is an insult (Pc 2).
Spreading stories. Saying something which may be false, but you believe it to be true.
'Not sure if this is true...' -- engaging in gossip, idle chatter, or false tale bearing (Pc 1) are not accusations, because the person is not present.
Accusing of a pārājika is saṅghādisesa, accusing of a saṅghādisesa is pācittiya (Pc 76).
Discuss reporting on offenses.
Sg 9, Distorting evidence
It could be done by finding a statement which will be misinterpreted, but one can maintain it to be true. E.g. quoting out of context is creating a false pretext.
Pc 76, Unfounded saṅghādisesa accusation
To fulfil Effort, The accusation has to be made either in his presence, or getting someone to accuse him in his presence.
Unfounded accusations about his bad conduct or wrong views is a dukkaṭa.
Follow 'face-to-face verdict' (sammukhāvinayo dātabbo) when settling the matter. The community should hear out both parties, not make decisions about them without them being present.
See AN 9.11 where a monk accuses Ven. Sāriputta of hitting him and walking away. The Buddha convenes the community to hear them out.
NP 30, Diverting an offering for oneself
Origin: a donor is preparing to give robes to the community. Bhikkhus from the group-of-six convince the donors to give the robes to them instead.
Perception is a factor, one must know that the item is already allocated. There is no offense if one didn't know.
After forfeiting the item, the bhikkhu will receive it back. The community may decide if the item is unsuitable for a bhikkhu to use.
Pc 82, Diverting an offering for a lay person
In this case, a bhikkhu might hear that somebody wishes to give an item to A, but he convinces them to give it to B instead. This case can be extended even to common animals. It is inappropriate behaviour for a bhikkhu, supported by freely given gifts, to interfere with the freedom of donors in giving freely without expectations.
There is no offense if the bhikkhu was asked for advice. One may answer, 'Give wherever your gift would be used, or would be well-cared for, or would last long, or wherever your mind feels inspired.'
No offense if the bhikkhu doesn't know that the item was already allocated.