Verbal used to hurt others = sharpest

The text in the picture says

> "What's the sharpest?

The Brahmin replied: The sharpest, sharpest knife.

The Buddha Answered: The Verbal That Slanders Others, The Sharpest. "

While not a direct text from the Tripitaka, it is an allegorical teaching that deeply reflects Buddhism's central principle of "verbal authority."

The sharp of the knife and the sharp of the speech.

When asked what is the sharpest, most people think of weapons.

A well-sharpened knife can cut flesh, cause wounds, and can be fatal.

The knife sharp is a physical sharp.

Visible, tangible, and immediately aware of being attacked.

But the answer

> "The verbal slander against others is the sharpest."

Is pointing out another kind of contrast.

It's an invisible sharpness, but it creates deeper wounds.

Because it doesn't cut flesh, it cuts hearts, cuts ties, cuts reputations, cuts trust.

And sometimes cut off one person's future.

---

Why is verbal more serious than a knife?

The knife can only hurt the person in front of it.

But words can travel a long way.

A single sentence of lies may be passed on hundreds and thousands of times.

From one person to another.

From one village to another.

From one country to another.

In modern times, just post a few lines of text on the Internet.

Within minutes, tens of thousands of people may recognize

So verbal damage expands incomparably faster than a knife edge.

---

Knife wounds heal, but speech wounds can last a lifetime.

When cut by a knife

The body will gradually heal.

The scar may still be present, but the pain is often gradually reduced.

The opposite.

Some words

Even after ten years, twenty years, or my whole life,

The doers still remember

A child who was insulted

"You will never be good."

May remember that speech until grown up

Some people are abused in childhood.

Even grown up, those words still ring in my heart.

This is a bleeding wound.

But create real suffering.

---

Verbal abuse can destroy innocent people.

The scariest thing is not a bad word.

But an untrue accusation.

One person may spend their whole life building a reputation.

But a few slander sentences.

May make others look at him change immediately

A reputation built over decades.

Could break down within days.

This is why Buddhism values

"Samma verbal."

Or speaking like

These are:

Not lying.

Not sneaky.

Not rude.

No, raving nonsense.

For he saw that the word can create or destroy the world of one.

---

People who use verbal weapons are also hurting themselves.

In Buddhism.

He who slanders others does not only afflict others.

But also create their own minds.

Every time you lie,

Every time you incite a divisive person,

Every time the slander is unfounded.

The mind is being dominated by

Anger

Envy.

Obsession

Even the other side hurts.

But the speaker is not free from suffering either.

Because a malevolent mind cannot be calm.

---

The sharpest verbal should be controlled as much as possible.

All humans have this kind of weapon with them all the time.

No purchase, no carry.

Those are "mouth" and "speech."

Before saying anything,

Buddhism therefore teaches to consider

1. Is it true?

2. Is it helpful?

3. Was it correct?

4. Speak mercifully?

If one is missing,

Sometimes silence can be better than talking.

---

The essence of this message

This picture is not talking about a knife.

But is reminding that

The most dangerous human weapon is not in the hand, but in the mouth.

Knives can hurt people.

But words full of malice, slander, gossip and falsehood.

It can damage one's mind, reputation, relationships and life.

So he who controls his speech is not weak.

But he is conscious, disciplined and powerful over one of the sharpest weapons in the world: his own words.

# Dharma🙏🙏🙏