Poisonus Speech

Can right-wing hate talk lead to murder?

In Buddhism the answer is yes.

Violent actions begin with violent thoughts. Violent words spread violent thoughts like a virus. Through mass media and the Internet, violence can become pandemic. The radio and television personalities who incite crimes may not be legally culpable, but there is a Karmic consequence to their wrong speech.

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha said,

All that we are is the result of what we have thought. It is founded on our thoughts. It is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.

It's useful to think of hateful and divisive speech as a poison. To some people, hateful rhetoric they are marinaded with gives permission to commit violence.

I clearly see the connection between the paranoid megalomania churned out by these radio and television cult leaders. And it seems to me that speech in mass media and the Internet is growing more extreme.

What can we do? As individuals we can keep our cool and not give in to the temptation to answer hate with hate. We can practice the Four Immeasurables and cultivate loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. We can hope that, eventually, more people will understand that thoughts and speech really are connected to violence.

(This post is extracted from this article.)