"Speak only when it's absolutely necessary" (EN subtitles)

This is an excerpt from a full Dharma talk given by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh on April 09, 1998, in Plum Village's New Hamlet, in the Spring Retreat 1998.

🔔 Video transcript

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"Speak only when we feel it's absolutely necessary to speak. Every time you open your mouth, there should be a very good reason to speak. Say, because it helps the other person. And when the other person speaks, we should learn to listen with the utmost carefulness and respect.

"The teachings of the Buddha—the words the Buddha uttered, used to be—and are still now, described as 'full and comprehensive words.' 'Viên âm' in Sino-Vietnamese. 'Viên âm' means words that have the power to heal, speaking to the hearts of not only one person but many people."

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✩ Full talk's original title: "Nghệ Thuật Lắng Nghe [CPNĐSNC 35A] | TS Thích Nhất Hạnh(09-04-1998, Xóm Mới, Làng Mai)"

✩ Full talk posted by Lang Mai (Plum Village's Vietnamese YouTube channel) on Sep 13, 2023

✩ Talk given: on April 09, 1998, New Hamlet, Plum Village, in the Spring Retreat

✩ Length: 07 minutes 38 seconds

✩ Watch the full talk with English subtitles and transcript

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REFERENCES (Resources used to translate this Dharma talk): Please kindly visit the video transcript link to see the full list.

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✩ Republished on the Plum Village App with kind permission of Thich Nhat Hanh's Talks channel 🙏