Confucius Analects – Hearsay Information – 孔子论语 – 道听涂说

17.4 Exercise caution against hearsay information

子曰、道聽而塗說、德之棄也。

The Master said, ‘To tell, as we go along, what we have heard on the way, is to cast away our virtue.’

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When we hear about something that we do not directly experience, and spread the information without verifying the validity of it, we are spreading hearsay information.

What is wrong about spreading hearsay information?  When we spread the words about something that we are not sure is true or not, we are potentially spreading rumor that does not exist in the first place, and easily become vehicle for unknown interest and propaganda.  Look at the celebrity news, before we get all stirred up in the stories, how accurate are they representing reality if we look at their track record?

For seekers of truth, we need to establish ourselves and our practices on a firm ground of verified truth, like those shared my authentic teachers and masters, and to keep a cautious mind against unverified information.  This is why Confucius suggested us to be cautious against hearsay information.

17.4 道聽而塗說、德之棄也

子曰、道、德之棄也。

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别人说什么，也不知道是真是假，便跟着到处宣扬，就是道听途说。

有什么问题吗？当我们道听途说时，就可能会传播本来不存在的谣言，无知的成为了别人的宣传工具。 看看娱乐新闻，当我们为这些消息而激动得热血沸腾时，当中有多少是准确的吗？有多少是炒作的呢？

对于寻求真理的人来说，我们需要将我们的认知和修行建立在坚定，可靠，和可验证的道理上，例如正宗老师所说的道理，并时刻对未经核实的信息保持谨慎的态度。所以孔子建议我们不要道听涂说。