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Thelemic Eightfold Path pt.3 - Right speech

rightspeech

• Ethical conduct (Sila)

3) Right speech (samma vaca)
The Magga-vibhanga Sutta explains the Buddhist view of Right speech: "And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter: This, monks, is called right speech."

Right speech in Thelema is essentially self-discipline, specifically complete self-control of speech. Self-discipline is highly important in Thelema. "About 90 % of Thelema, at a guess, is nothing but self-discipline. One is only allowed to do anything and everything so as to have more scope for exercising that virtue," Crowley explains in Magick Without Tears, chapter 70. He also says in chapter 8 of Magick Without Tears, "What is true for every School is equally true for every individual. Success in life, on the basis of the Law of Thelema, implies severe self-discipline."

Quoted here is chapter 37 of Liber Aleph:
"DE VI PER DISCIPLINAM COLENDA

Consider the Bond of a cold Climate, how it maketh Man a Slave; he must have Shelter and Food with fierce Toil. Yet hereby he becometh strong against the Elements, and his moral Force waxeth, so that he is Master of such Men as live in Lands of Sun where bodily Needs are satisfied without Struggle.

Consider also him that willeth to exceed in Speed or in Battle, how he denieth himself the Food he craveth, and all Pleasures natural to him, putting himself under the harsh Order of a Trainer. So by this Bondage he hath, at the last, his Will.

Now then the one by natural, and the other by voluntary, Restriction have come each to greater Liberty. This is also a general Law of Biology, for all Development is Structuralization; that is, a Limitation and Specialization of an originally indeterminate Protoplasm, which latter may therefore be called free, in the Definition of a Pedant."

Liber III vel Jugorum is a practical epistle on controlling actions, speech, and thoughts. Part 1 deals specifcally with speech: "The Unicorn is speech. Man, rule thy Speech! How else shalt thou master the Son, and answer the Magician at the right hand gateway of the Crown?" Liber III says that, Qabalistically, controlling one's speech will aid one to "answer the Magician," Atu I: The Magus of the Tarot, "at the right hand gateway of the Crown" which is the path from Binah (the 3rd Sephirah of the Tree of Life) to Kether, the Crown (the 1st Sephirah). It ends each of the three sections of self-discipline with the words, "Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free." For a more thorough investigation of discipline in general, see this earlier article.

Now the Buddhist idea of Right speech will be examined through the lens of Thelema.

Lying
AL I:40. Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
AL I:41. The word of Sin is Restriction.
AL I:42. Let it be that state of manyhood bound and loathing. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.
AL I:44. For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.
AL III:60. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.

One is supposedly attempting to penetrate into the depths of the Self to find Truth. If one is to embody Truth, lying would be inconsistent with this ideal. While one should commit to being truthful, the final rule is the Will. If it is one's will to lie about something then one can lie. Proscriptions against certain kinds of actions, even lying, will lead to restriction of Will. Crowley comments on I:41, "Anything soever that binds the will, hinders it, or diverts it, is Sin." It must be remembered that "There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt" (AL III:60).

Divisive & abusive speech
AL I:41. There is no bond that can unite the divided but love: all else is a curse.
AL I:57. Love is the law, love under will.
AL II:24. Love one another with burning hearts
AL III:60. There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.

Abusive speech can often cause others to react violently and often impede the will of the speaker. Speech that causes restriction of another's will but especially one's own will is to be avoided. The word of the Law is Thelema, or Will, but this is related inherently to Agape, or Love. AL I:57 tells us that "Love is the law, love under will" and AL I:41 reminds us that "There is no bond that can unite the divided but love." Having love in speech will cause less division.

Crowley comments on AL I:41, "The first paragraph is a general statement or definition of Sin or Error. Anything soever that binds the will, hinders it, or diverts it, is Sin. That is, Sin is the appearance of the Dyad. Sin is impurity." Therefore, whatever makes the Dyad appear is Sin. Divisive speech by definition creates division and harsh, abusive words often do as well. We should "love one another with burning hearts" as said in AL II:24. In the commentary for this line, Crowley writes, "Our ascetics enjoy, govern, conquer, love, and are not to quarrel (but.. even their combats are glorious)." He tells us, "Do not imagine that any King can die (v.21) or be hurt (v.59); strife between two Kings can therefore be nothing more than a friendly trial of strength. We are all inevitably allies, even identical in our variety; to "love one another with burning hearts" is one of our essential qualities."

Idle chatter
AL I:42. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.

Speech that is unnecessary to performing the will is superfluous. "Thou hast no right but to do thy will." As said by Crowley in Liber II, "[Do what thou wilt] is the apotheosis of Freedom; but it is also the strictest possible bond." Cutting through idle chatter that is created by the ego will also help attune oneself to the Silent Self. As it is written in Liber III, "Thus bind thyself, and thou shalt be for ever free." For more information on discipline, read this earlier article.


Summary

Right speech in Thelema is complete self-control of speech. Words spoken should be of Agape or Love, but the final rule is Will.
AL I:41. There is no bond that can unite the divided but love: all else is a curse.
AL I:42. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:57. Love is the law, love under will.
AL II:24. Love one another with burning hearts


*Idle words should be eliminated. The only speech that should be employed is that which facilitates the true Will.
AL I:42. So with thy all; thou hast no right but to do thy will.
AL I:43. Do that, and no other shall say nay.

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