ARE YOU SOWING DISCORD THROUGH “NON-VERBAL” COMMUNICATION?
Question: For a person who does not lie, is not deceitful nor hypocritical in his speech, but chooses to adopt a weird tone when speaking, beating around the bush and seems to be trying to sow discord between others, is this still considered as double-tongue and false speech?
Answer: Speaking in a weird tone. Not speaking the truth. Being sarcastic. All of these are considered false speech. Even your expression and stare could potentially sow discord between others.
For example, a mother scolds her eldest daughter. The eldest looks at her younger sister and implores her to speak good things about herself. She also wants to remind her younger sister that their mother is at it again. Is this not considered sowing discord?
You need to infer other things from one fact. For example, we are told not to steal. Stealing is wrong in all scenarios. However, in the past, we said, “It is not illegal to steal books”. If you now steal from a bookstore, is it considered stealing?
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 233), 20 June 2018
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