HONESTY

 

Honesty is the best protection.  

A peaceful heart is the best reward of honesty.  

 

 

Be sincere and honest and your mind will be at rest.

                                                                                                                                                          10 December 1959

 

Vital honesty: not to allow our sensations and desires to falsify our judgement and determine our action.  

 

 

Mental honesty: one does not try to deceive others or to deceive oneself.  

 

 

Mental sincerity: the essential condition for integral honesty.

 

 

SPEAK ALWAYS THE TRUTH

 

To speak always the truth is the highest title of nobility.

 

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One drop of truth is worth more than an ocean of false information.

 

 

Never tell a lie: absolute condition for safety on the path.  

 

 

Each lie uttered is a step taken towards disintegration.  

 

 

I have always and will always forbid lies.

 

 

If you do not wish to say something which is true, instead of lying just keep silent.  

 

 

Let nothing be written with this pen except what is perfectly true.

 

 14 June 1934

 

If we allow a falsehood, however small, to express itself through our mouth or our pen, how can we hope to become perfect messengers of Truth? A perfect servant of Truth should abstain even from the slightest inexactitude, exaggeration or deformation.  

 

Silence is far superior to inexactitude.

 30 December 1972  

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 CONTROL OF SPEECH

 

Control over what one says is more important than complete silence. The best is to learn to say what is useful in the most exact and true way possible.

 5 March 1933

 

It is the control over oneself that is the first thing needed, and especially the control over one's tongue! If people could learn to keep silent how many troubles would be avoided!

Be quiet and gather strength and force not only to do work but also, chiefly, to achieve the Transformation.

 3 March 1934  

If only people did remain a little quiet before speaking, acting or writing, much trouble could be avoided. So many things are said uselessly, they bring misunderstandings and bad feelings which could have been saved with silence.

If were spoken only the words that needed to be spoken, the world would be a very silent place.

 29 December 1934

The world is deafened with useless words.

 

Mother, we were late with our drying work because they were behind with the washing. However, I am happy to say that I was not carried away by the violent discussions of my co-workers. With difficulty, I could do it. From now on I shall try to take this attitude. Give me the strength of Your Silence.  

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 Yes, it is very good to know how to remain silent and not take part in discussions that are always useless and unwholesome.

 

There is a great strength in the power to keep silent.

 

It is always better not to listen to talks especially on so-called spiritual matters. Each one must follow his own way and the others have nothing to do with it.

 9 January 1938

An atmosphere of spirituality sometimes helps much more than an exchange of words.

 22 November 1951

You must always do what you say, but it is not always wise to speak about everything you do.

When you speak, you must always speak the truth; but sometimes it is better not to speak.

 18 December 1951

When speaking of physical things one should have a lively, pleasant, witty style.

When speaking of vital things the style should be eloquent.

When speaking of mental things the style should be clear, precise, exact.

When speaking of psychic things one must be inspired.

 23 January 1953

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Spiritual speech: all-powerful in its simplicity.

 

Frankness says candidly what it has to say without caring for the result.

 

It is always a sign of strength to be able to say things gently and it is always weakness that bursts out into unpleasantnesses.

 18 April 1956

Anger has never made anyone say anything but stupidities.

 

Never boast. By boasting you dissipate your capacity for realisation.

 

Boasting, boasting ― one of the greatest obstacles to progress. It is a foolishness one must carefully avoid if one aspires to a true progress.

 

The criticising habit is more destructive than many bad habits.

 

Médire est une chose très vile. I don't know how to translate   

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médire into English. It is not exactly “speaking ill”. Crooked mind, crooked tongue, crooked heart: this comes out in speech that looks like honey but tastes like poison.

 

Every word spoken uselessly is a dangerous gossiping.

Every malicious word, every slander is a degradation of the consciousness.

And when this slander is expressed in a vulgar language and gross terms, then that is equivalent to a suicide ― the suicide of one's soul.

 9 August 1957

When, in ignorance, one speaks ill of others, he debases his consciousness and degrades his soul.

A respectful and modest silence is the only attitude befitting a disciple.

 

To cure a critical sense that manifests by incontinence of speech:

1) When you are in this state, absolutely refuse to speak ― if need be, make it physically impossible for yourself to speak.

2) Study yourself without pity and realise that you carry in yourself precisely all the things that you find so ridiculous in others.

3) Discover in your nature the opposite way of being (benevolence, humility, goodwill) and insist that it develop to the detriment of the contrary element.

 11 October 1958

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True strength and protection come from the Divine Presence in the heart.

If you want to keep this Presence constantly in you, avoid carefully all vulgarity in speech, behaviour and acts. Do not mistake liberty for licence and freedom for bad manners. The thoughts must be pure and the aspiration ardent.

 26 February 1965

Be careful always to keep the living Presence and Protection around you when you speak to people and speak as little as possible.

 

You are right in keeping quiet in front of those who do not understand, because the Divine is with you, and that is the only thing that matters.

With love and blessings.

 3 November 1965

You need not go to apologize. But as your words were misunderstood you do right to resolve to be more careful about what you say.

 

It is certainly very bad to speak about the faults of others; everyone has his defects and to keep on thinking of them surely does not help to cure them.

 June 1966

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For writing, even more than for speaking, if you aspire to remain in the best attitude for advancing swiftly towards the Divine, you should make it a strict rule to speak (and even more to write) only what is absolutely indispensable. It is a marvellous discipline if you follow it sincerely.

27 July 1966

Neither too many nor too few words ― just what is needed.

 

I think the tendency to gather information is not bad?

 

It is bad and harmful and lowers not only the consciousness of those who gossip, but also the general atmosphere of the place.

 29 July 1967

To gossip about what somebody is doing or not doing is wrong.

To listen to such gossip is wrong.

To verify if such gossip is true is wrong.

To retaliate in words against a false gossip is wrong.

The whole affair is a very bad way of wasting one's time and lowering one's consciousness.{208}

Unless this very nasty habit is eradicated from the atmosphere, never will the Ashram reach its goal of Divine Life.

I wish all would repent like you and take the resolution of stopping this unhealthy activity.

 12 October 1967

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