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What is Idle Chatter ? Can it serve a beneficial purpose ?
Shoshin
No one in particularNowhere Special Veteran
Kia Ora,
What is idle chatter ?
Is idle chatter in the ear of the behearer ?
Are we all 'guilty' of it ?
Are we 'aware' we're doing it ?
Can it be of some benefit to a practitioner to hear "idle chatter" when practicing the Dharma ie, such as patience, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, non-judgement, etc etc ?
Have a chat amongst your 'selves'....I'm off to bed. . :wave: ..
Metta Shoshin . 
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Comments
It might be more substantive to hear your point of view: Being kool only reaches so far.
Bikkhu Bodhi describes idle chatter like this:
Hhmmmm.
I have found that
maintaining some equanimity in the face of endless hours of Dharmic prattle well prepared me to easily navigate through whatever the world can offer in it's version of idle chatter.
So from the perspective of the recipient, anything can become a Dharma lesson.
But...
I think of idle chatter as an audible projection of mindlessness. It is more than just a matter of the questionable content. It is primarily marked by a speakers lack of awareness of what actually might be of benefit to the audience. It is on the opposite end of the scale from what skillful means actually is.
Lots of talk is pointless...except that that kind of talk is sort of the lubrication of interpersonal relationships.
But I think in that last part -- "stirs up the defilements in one's own mind and in others" -- you've really hit the key aspect of concern with idle chatter.
Kia Ora,
One could say that idle chatter is simply when one talks of the past and or the future, both of which do not exist, and more often than not serves no beneficial purpose...
Metta Shoshin .
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So we shouldn't be concerned with those old "Wanted Dead Or Alive" posters with your picture?
Kia Ora,
I've changed a lot since those pictures were taken and I'm still changing as we speak...
Metta Shoshin .
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I think that such reasoning could equally apply to a conversation about the Ego but just because something might be delusional does not mean that it does not have an effect..... &......one that is worthy of talking about.
And you just try dropping by your dentist office without an appointment.
Some idle chatter has the purpose of building friendships and so forth and thus is not idle.
Kia Ora,
@how, you're right, everything can have an effect and the effect would depend on how the reciever chooses to react....
"When is idle chatter not idle chatter ?" Possibly when either the idle chatterer or the recipient benefits in some way from the chat...
I guess it's important to remain mindful of where yours and the other person's mind is at ie, the idle chatterer could be in an anxious state, hence just making conversation due to nervousness...One must be mindful of ones own reactions toward them...
I'm fortunate to work in a job where I often have to pick my way through the client's idle chatter to get to the root of their problem...
Would you say that idle chatter is just monkey chatter out in the open/shared ? .
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Metta Shoshin .
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@Shoshin
I think the term "idle chatter" really speaks of anyone's judgement about the content of the conversation.
Usually it refers to a conversation content that carries little emotional weight.
I have indulged in idle chatter in my job when trying to put folks at ease when some tension is present.
But
these days I have learned that tension in itself is better addressed with direct attention than with deferment or avoidance.
I was thinking about this thread as I began watching an old movie a few minutes ago. And, while the plot or specific discussion is irrelevant, it occurred to me that idle chatter is a lot less likely to cause serious disruption than serious conversation. (As we have often proven on this forum).
It seems to me that idle chatter is talking to fill space, to say something because saying nothing is awkward. What is idle chatter to one, is important discussion to another. For many, talking about the weather is idle chatter. But it is a major hobby of mine, and when I talk about it, it's not as a sense of filling space. What IS idle chatter, anyhow?
Yes, I agree idle chatter can serve a function. Keeping people company in nursing homes, for example. Some people don't want or can't handle deep or substantive conversations. They need something light that's easy to participate in. By indulging them, you're giving them the gift of your time and love. There can't be anything wrong with that. Some people respond very well to it, in fact.
As always, there are no hard and fast rules in Buddhism. WIth the right motive, the precepts can be flexible. It's all about motive, and skillful means. Both of which go hand-in-hand with mindfulness.
Are we talking about idle chatter with others or sub vocal idle chatter with ourselves? Both I guess are similar.
I like @karasti said with the trying to fill in silence. It's weird that we HAVE to do something or say something. The ego hates just sitting and being .
Would a positive expression of Right Speech be more helpful here?
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.198.than.html
If I may, I would like to turn it around.
.
With mindfulness, if of sufficient awareness to understand the potential of language to convey more than the superficial expression, there is no 'idle' or unaware chatter. We might say aware listening hears from the source of expression and conveys to the source.
This is a very different form of communication to the monkey minded, Facebook twitterati jabbering so prevalent in our superficial modern whirled [sic] . . .
So the answer to the question is are we in monkey world or heading to the Buddha Hood.