DEALING WITH OFFICE GOSSIPS
Question: If I do not wish to partake in my office gossip, can I just say, “I’m sorry, I need to excuse myself as I need to attend to something”?
By making claims like having ‘something to attend to’ when I have none, is it considered telling a lie?
Answer: Do not turn the situation into an embarrassing one there and then. You can keep your silence while they chat, or you may even perform recitation in your heart. If condition permits, you may leave as soon as they start to gossip.
However, if you are already inside, use soft-power in problem solving instead of being forceful as the latter will make others feel offended. It is alright to use the above excuse occasionally, but at the same time you may say this to Bodhisattva, “I wish to be more diligent in my practice of Buddhism”. In this way, Dharma Protectors will understand and you will not be punished.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Discourse (Question 338), 7 October 2019
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