I Will Not Speak a Falsehood Even as a Joke

Even so unwise and empty, Rāhula, is the recluseship (life practice) of those who are not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie.

So too, Rāhula, when one is not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie, there is no evil, I say, that one would not do, therefore, Rāhula, you should train thus:

I will not speak a falsehood even as a joke.

(Reference: MN 61)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares a Teaching that further helps to clarify that an Enlightened being never lies, even when telling a joke. This Teaching further explains The Fourth Precept helping a Practitioner to understand that The Buddha, an Enlightened being, “will not speak a falsehood even as a joke”.

The Fourth Precept: Abandoning false speech, refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world.

The Buddha understood The Natural Law of Kamma so well, that not only did he share the harm of having false speech but he also knew even telling a lie as a joke is not beneficial for one’s life practice and would only cause you difficulties in life.

A Buddha will dedicate the remaining time of their life to sharing their Teachings with others helping to guide them to discover “the truth" related to The Natural Laws of Existence. In doing so, they will be constantly sharing Teachings in countless venues helping large numbers of people to understand and practice their Teachings - the truth.

If a Buddha, or even an Enlightened being, were to lie even when telling a joke, people would be unsure if they are being truthful or speaking a falsehood at any point in time making it very difficult for a Buddha to accomplish his goals to share these Teachings - the truth.

Through training the mind to never speak a falsehood, including as a joke, then, people will become accustomed to you only ever speaking “the truth”. This is highly beneficial to develop your ability to help others and influence beneficial outcomes in the world that will benefit your life and the life of others.

If you sometimes spoke the truth and sometimes lied, people would be unsure about what you say and would lack confidence in what you share through spoken language and all communication.

Instead, if you always speak “the truth”, including during a joke, then it will be easier for you to conduct daily life as the mind would never be confused as to what you should or should not say and you will develop a reputation of “always being truthful”. You can reduce and eliminate much burden to the mind through only ever speaking “the truth”. The mind will be unburdened to determine what to say or not say in any given situation.

You can also use this Teaching to understand that “when one is not ashamed to tell a deliberate lie, there is no evil, I say, that one would not do”.

This will help you in making wise decisions in personal friendships and professional relationships. If you are lying, people will lack trust and confidence in you as a friend or colleague. This will impact your ability to have healthy relationships to produce beneficial outcomes.

Additionally, you can use this aspect of The Teachings to understand that any relationship where someone is lying to you, “there is no evil that one would not do”. Therefore, you can closely consider whether it would be wise to continue to associate with someone who has unwholesome moral conduct such as lying. If friends or colleagues are lying to you, you will most likely find yourself in situations where their lies have an impact on you. It is your choice of who to involve in your life through friendships and professional relationships. Your choice to be involved with someone who speaks falsehoods would produce unwholesome results for you (i.e. unwholesome Kamma).

Choosing wholesome friends and associates is highly important to create a peaceful life. Being surrounded by people who choose to lie would only create an environment in which you would never be sure of what is or is not true. This would cause a significant burden to the mind to check and double check what is being shared with you. Having wholesome friends and associates who only tell the truth will result in you spending more time dedicated to forward progress in life with a mind at ease rather than checking if certain statements are true or false.

Instead, when you have the confidence that the people around you are always truthful, then you can stay focused on forward progress rather than wasting time checking for untruthful statements while lacking trust in your relationships.

Having trust in your relationships is highly important and will result in you experiencing improved success in this life. If you are unable to trust your friends and associates, the mind will not be at ease finding peace and contentedness.