<p><strong><em>When all phenomena</strong> are done away with, all means of speaking are done away with as well.</em></p>

<p><strong>Snp 5:6 • Upasīva’s Questions • Thanissaro Bhikkhu</strong>
<a href="https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp5_6.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp5_6.html</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-11T16:52:28.497Z
2018-02-11T16:52:28.497Z
Fabien Todescato
<p>The truth about the nature of reality is, strictly speaking,  cannot be spoken, because reality is so multifaceted that it can never be fully and precisely expressed in words and concepts.</p>

<p>This is in line with the rest of Diamond Sutra which tries to give the reader a taste of the experience of Emptiness. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-09T10:07:31.127Z
The _Tao Te Ching_, if that's any similar, gave me the impression that reality is One and primordial (and perhaps without form -- the mother of form); and that using the "analytic knife" distorts it, creates those facets. That's the impression I get too when you mention "suchness" (or @nocomprende's saying "non duality"). Actually the _Tao Te Ching_ talks about "emptiness" too (as in, "it's the empty space in a house which make it useful"); idk whether emptiness in Buddhism is the same or different.
ChrisW
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2018-02-09T18:40:12.030Z
Yes, I too think these are related themes. Tao refers to basically same thing as Absolute Truth in Buddhism. Suchness has slightly different connotation imo, it refers not to the cosmic perspective but to the unity of two truths from the perspective of an observer in the here and now.
Andriy Volkov
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2018-02-10T09:59:36.797Z
I wondered what are the "two truths" you referred to -- I guess you mean a unity of "it" and "I" as outlined in [this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/11630/254).
ChrisW
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2018-02-10T12:06:06.030Z
Unity of absolute truth (global perspective) and relative truth (local perspective).
Andriy Volkov
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-02-09T04:42:26.233Z
2018-02-09T04:48:32.613Z
2018-02-09T04:48:32.613Z
Andriy Volkov
<p>What did the Buddha mean by <code>"no truth can be spoken"</code> in the <a href="http://diamond-sutra.com/read-the-diamond-sutra-here/diamond-sutra-chapter-21/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Diamond Sutra</a>?</p>

<mahayana><sutras><truth>
What did the Buddha mean by "no truth can be spoken?"
# What did the Buddha mean by "no truth can be spoken?"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-02-09)

What did the Buddha mean by `"no truth can be spoken"` in the [Diamond Sutra](http://diamond-sutra.com/read-the-diamond-sutra-here/diamond-sutra-chapter-21/)?

**Tags:** mahayana, sutras, truth


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-02-09. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The truth about the nature of reality is, strictly speaking, cannot be spoken, because reality is so multifaceted that it can never be fully and precisely expressed in words and concepts.

This is in line with the rest of Diamond Sutra which tries to give the reader a taste of the experience of Emptiness.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: The _Tao Te Ching_, if that's any similar, gave me the impression that reality is One and primordial (and perhaps without form -- the mother of form); and that using the "analytic knife" distorts it, creates those facets. That's the impression I get too when you mention "suchness" (or @nocomprende's saying "non duality"). Actually the _Tao Te Ching_ talks about "emptiness" too (as in, "it's the empty space in a house which make it useful"); idk whether emptiness in Buddhism is the same or different.  
> **username_2**: Yes, I too think these are related themes. Tao refers to basically same thing as Absolute Truth in Buddhism. Suchness has slightly different connotation imo, it refers not to the cosmic perspective but to the unity of two truths from the perspective of an observer in the here and now.  
> **username_3**: I wondered what are the "two truths" you referred to -- I guess you mean a unity of "it" and "I" as outlined in [this answer](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/a/11630/254).  
> **username_2**: Unity of absolute truth (global perspective) and relative truth (local perspective).  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2018-02-11. Score: 0

***When all phenomena*** are done away with, all means of speaking are done away with as well.

**Snp 5:6 • Upasīva’s Questions • Thanissaro Bhikkhu**
<https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/KN/StNp/StNp5_6.html>


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