The following guest post, a contribution to Buddhist philosophy, is by Huideng Chanyu.

Truth, Benefit and the Timing of Speech in Majjhima Nikaya 58
By Huideng Chanyu (慧灯禅语)

A correction can be accurate and still be an act of humiliation. A reassurance can be welcome and still leave someone dangerously mistaken. Neither observation tells us exactly when to speak. Together, however, they suggest that truth and a listener’s reaction are different considerations. The Abhaya discourse, Majjhima Nikaya 58, makes their relationship a subject of explicit examination. Its answer raises a further difficulty: who is entitled to decide that unwelcome words are beneficial?