When Words Wound: Learning to Guard Your Tongue
The method of safeguarding the tongue is that one should not blurt out anything and everything that comes to one’s mind. Instead, one should ponder carefully and check whether what one wishes to say entails a reward or a sin, or does not constitute a reward nor a sin. If it is such that it entails a lot of sin or a little sin, then one should keep silent.
If the soul prompts one to speak from within, one should explain to it that it is easy to break one's desires for a little while now while the punishment of the hereafter is extremely severe. If it entails reward, utter it. If it does not entail any reward nor any sin, even then he should not utter it.
However, if the soul insists, then utter a little of it and thereafter remain silent. A person should ponder in this manner in all his conversations. In a few days, the soul will develop a natural dislike for excessive speech. Another method of safeguarding the tongue is not to associate with others unnecessarily. When one is alone, the tongue will automatically remain silent.
