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Lesson 3.4.9 Tiracchānakathāsuttaṃ – Avoiding Idle Chatter
Gossip, idle chatter, or useless talk is a habit that generally wastes a lot of people's time. This was true in the Buddha's time and remains true today. The Buddha called this part of micchāvācā "samphappalāpo" and described it as "tiracchānakathā" or "horizontal talk." However, what's different now compared to ancient times are the many tempting modern devices that lure people into wasting hours on useless, unrewarding material. It's important to note that it's always one's volition that fuels and produces such pastimes or communication. Curiosity, nosiness, or simply boredom usually precede such a waste of time, which the commentary describes as "the unwholesome volition causing efforts by body or by speech to communicate what is purposeless." The opening verse from the Dhammapada confirms that "speaking only one beneficial and meaningful word" is far more valuable than such activity!