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After the morning meeting, a brother who serves as a cadre approached Master Cheng Yen to talk about what was troubling him.
He asked Master Cheng Yen, "How can we avoid hurting others in our communication?"
The Master answered:
If we are not tactful with our words, those with conflicting opinion will not take our words well. On the contrary, those who are like-minded as us will appreciate what we attempt to convey and see the beauty in roses even if they have thorns.
We should speak gently and not aggressively. For instance, if we say, “Since you are unwilling to do this, there are many others who are waiting to take over your task!” This would be too hurtful. When we are not tactful in our speech, only those who truly understand us will see the rose above the thorns and know that we speak with good intention. For people who are irrational, we need to manage them with greater sensitivity and sugar coat what is communicated.
Translated by Andrea Lim
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