[Buddha-l] Truth

[Richard Nance]

Hi all --

Given the mention of A'soka on this thread, it might be worth noting
that this quotation (which appears in the 'Sik.saasamuccaya, snagged
from the Adhyaa'sayasa.mcodanasuutra):

"Anything, Maitreya, that is well said, is a word of Buddha." (yat
ki~ncin maitreya subhaa.sita.m sarva.m tad buddhabhaa.sita.m)

...in fact transforms a line found in the A'sokan inscriptions:

"All that which... is said by the Blessed One, the Buddha, is well
said." (e keci... bhagavataa buddhena bhaasite savve subhaasite vaa).

These two statements obviously have rather different implications.

Whichever one prefers, one should probably exercise caution in
assuming an equivalence between "being true" and "being well said." A
statement can be well said without being true -- perhaps it's
eloquent, witty, persuasive, artfully constructed, etc. -- and
similarly, one can express truths in language that's boorish, awkward,
pedantic, or ungrammatical.

Best wishes,

R. Nance