A Buddhist Philosophical Perspective on the Use of Language in Public Speaking

Abstract

Language is the main communication tool of man. Language is used to express the feelings and ideas of individuals as well as to fulfil the social functions of the individual. Public speaking is used as a unique communication technique in building public relations. Language is the basis of public speaking. The verbal and nonverbal forms of language are used to achieve this purpose. The purpose of this study was to study the Buddhist philosophical perspective of language used in public speaking. Accordingly, the basic qualities of language used in public speaking according to Buddhist philosophical teachings were investigated. Other objectives included investigating the socio-psychological and philosophical communicational characteristics of the language used in Buddhist preaching. Data gathered by analysis of Buddhist Sutra sermons as Meghiavagga Sutra, Samanyapala Sutra Varnanava, Aranavibhanga Sutra, Upali Sutra, Chakravarti Sihanada Sutra, Veranjana Sutra, Subhasita Sutra, Vachiduchcharita Sutra, Chula Saku'phadai Sutra, Prabhavagga Sutra, Gitaswara Sutra, and Sona Sutra as sources, were subjected to a balanced self-analysis. Here, the content of sutra sermons was analysed under the qualitative analysis method. In public speaking, it appears that the primary focus has been on the linguistic qualities of the language, such as acoustic quality, semantic quality, ethical quality, and building personal and social relations. These qualities indicate that language is important in motivating the listener in the Dharma communication religion. In religious communication, it can be noted how deep social, psychological, and philosophical features of language use have been used to motivate a large number of listeners to listen to sermons, understand it, and behave on the noble path. It can be seen that these linguistic teachings, which have been used in Dharma communication, can also be used for public speaking in building modern public relations.