Pearls of Wisdom 6

Take care not to:

speak ill of others
speak grandly of enlightenment
carry on while drunk
speak in an obnoxious manner

My Precepts, from Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf, Zen Master Ryokan

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3 thoughts on “Pearls of Wisdom 6”

  1. getting out of speaking ill of others is a focus for me now. it is so deeply set into our daily lives, just the little gossipy things around the water cooler at work. as for carrying on while drunk, i’d best avoid being drunk at all!

  2. It’s interesting that Ryokan lists this precept as “carrying on” whilst drunk. It is well known that Ryokan enjoyed drinking sake and several of his poems talk about him being gloriously drunk with a friend or by himself sitting staring at the moon. Since it is very difficult to control ones actions when drunk, I wonder if Ryokan always managed to maintain skilfull activity when drunk or if he sometimes “carried on”.

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