Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Third Step of the Eightfold Path
February 23, 2026 | 1 CommentAudio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 21:36
Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project.
I hope you are well and staying steady in these very unsteady times. There is so much upheaval in our country and around the world. Strong views. Strong emotions. A lot of suffering.
Where to begin to find any type of steadiness? In Buddhist thought, there are 8 steps on the path to sanity.
We began a discussion with the first step, Right View, followed by step two, Right Intention.
Today’s talk is about the third step: Right Speech. This teaching is always relevant, but it is now more than ever.
I share the four forms of unskillful speech: abusive, untrue, divisive, and idle. And I offer six questions to ask before you speak.
None of this is easy, especially when we feel afraid or outraged. But with meditation, we begin to create a small gap between what we think and what we say. That gap can change everything.
I’m covering the Noble Eightfold Path on my podcast. There’s a full, in-depth talk on Right Speech, Episode 44, that you can listen to here (if you want to).
Thoughts? I would love to hear them.
Much love,
Susan
categorized in: dharma, open heart project
1 Comment
My very excellent enneagram teacher (ahem, Susan) has shown that viewing through the lens of type is often helpful to understanding. Here, as a firm One (and we are very firm), I am learning to take a necessary beat with regard to right speech, examining whether my words are intended to “fix” a problem with the other person that I am seeing. Which is really my problem. There have been times of bashing my fist into my forehead with shame at this tendency and regretting my words. However, I have also learned that when I am seeing that the person has a “problem,” I can also understanding that I am seeing that person and can expand my view to see beyond the perceived difficulty. I can pay attention to a more whole view, outside of what needs tweaking. And then, maybe more difficult for me, let go of the urge to tweak/solve/improve. There is actually a sense of relief in that letting go. This is more in the ongoing saga of being a work in progress, I guess.