We can find the Dharma all around us. Sometimes in the most unlikely of places, like a fat man in an overcoat from New Jersey. Kevin Smith’s character “Silent Bob” is most know for the crude jokes, drug use and the zany adventures he and his “hetero life mate” Jay embark on. However, he is also one of the best examples of a core tenant of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Speech.
Every Time Silent Bob Breaks His Silence
Before we dive into the hidden Dharma and Buddhist teachings this unlikely Bodhisattva has taught us through the years, lets pause and take in every word he’s ever spoken.
What is Right Speech According to Buddhism?
Right speech is a part of the Noble Eightfold path. One of the eight practices The Buddha taught to end suffering and attain enlightenment. It is grouped into the Morality or “Sila” section of the path, along with Right Action and Right Livelihood. You can go deep into right speech, examine how to it intertwines with the rest of the Eightfold Path and all of the delicate details that guide us through everyday life. But the general gist is this: “say nothing that hurts others” or, more colloquially “Don’t talk shit”.
A simple way to determine if you’re practicing Right Speech is to ask yourself six questions: Is what I’m saying true and factual? Do my words create harmony? Are my words gentle? Is what I’m saying beneficial? Are my words based on Right Intention and Right View? Is this the right time?
Generally, you want to speak constructively in a way that benefits others and creates positive karma for you and all living beings. Avoid speaking in a sarcastic or vindictive tone. Stay away from dishonest, harsh, divisive, or idle speech. Don’t use language as a weapon to harm others.
Renowned Buddhist Master Thích Nhất Hạnh has used many frameworks to explain Right Speech. To help western practitioners understand the concept he broke Right Speech down into four key elements. A structure he borrowed from Socrates. Thích Nhất Hạnh expanded on the Socratic framework by viewing it through a Buddhist lens. Creating an understanding that was true to Buddhist beliefs while simultaneously bing relatable to a western audience. He stated that Right Speech must be truthful, helpful, timely and kind. He further expanded on the precept by defining “Wrong Speech“, or speech patterns we should avoid. Describing Wrong Speech as: False speech or lies, Divisive speech or slander, harsh speech, and Idle chatter or gossip. Using this framework, we’ll examine how Kevin Smith’s iconic character, Silent Bob, teaches us to speak skillfully.
What makes Silent Bob a Master of Right Speech?
Silent Bob is a man of few words, as his name implies. However, Silent Bob isn’t completely silent. He exercises his voice only when needed. Typically only to speak sage advice to those around him when it’s most needed. When he does break his silence it’s almost always in accordance to Thích Nhất Hạnh’s framework we mentioned above. We’ll explore this blueprint for Right Speech using Silent Bob’s very own words below. We’ll also provide a quick synopsis of each movie for context.
Truthful
Chasing Amy: A Quick Synopsis
Chasing Amy is a Kevin Smith film about comic-book artist Holden (Ben Affleck) who falls in love with fellow artist Alyssa (Joey Lauren Adams), a lesbian, leading to conflicts with his best friend and business partner Banky (Jason Lee) and a struggle with his own insecurities and human sexuality.
She’s all calmly trying to tell me. It was that time, it was that place… what i did not get, she did not care. She wasn’t looking for that guy anymore. She was looking for me. For the Bob. By the time i figured this out it was too late man. She moved on. And all i had to show for it was some foolish pride which then gave way to regret.
-Silent Bob Chasing Amy
In his longest monologue of all the movies in the View Askewniverse, Silent Bob eloquently bares his soul to the protagonist, Holden McNeil, while simultaneously demonstrating the importance of Truthful speech. Holden is struggling to rationalize the conflict he’s having with Alyssa and tells Jay and Silent Bob all the details of the messy relationship.
Silent Bob gives him a raw outside perspective of how he’s behaving. Demonstrating what he’s doing to himself and Alyssa. Silent Bob uses his own personal experiences to tell Holden an uncomfortable truth. Though Holden can’t see it from his own perspective, Silent Bob poignantly spells out the incompatibility between Holden and Alyssa. Holden doesn’t truly listen to Silent Bob and ignores the truth, leading to the further suffering for the potential couple.
Silent Bob’s speech isn’t just truthful, it also touches upon the Buddhist concepts of impermanence and non-attachment. In his own experience, Silent Bob refused to acknowledge the truth of impermanence. Rather than focusing on who Amy was at the time they were together, Silent Bob formed attachment to who Amy was long before they ever met. He convinces himself that Amy was, and always will be, this person they were at “that time, that place“. By the time Silent Bob embraced the truth of the impermanence of who Amy was before they met, impermanence once again presented itself, as Amy once again changed into someone who wasn’t interested in a relationship with him.
In addition to Right Speech, Silent Bob is also demonstrating the concept of Right Listening. Which Thích Nhất Hạnh describes as a building block of Right Speech. Silent Bob skillfully listens to Holden. Because of this he is able to relate Holden’s suffering and truly understand it. Silent Bob then uses his own experiences to try and guide holden to the Right View of the situation. Unfortunately, Holden unskillfully ignores Silent Bob’s truthful speech and demonstrates unskillful listening, leading to further suffering for himself and Alyssa. Despite Holden’s inability to skillfully process Silent Bob’s truth it’s still an example of Right Speech through Thích Nhất Hạnh’s framework of Truthful speech.
Helpful
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot: A Quick Synopsis
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is a sequel to Kevin Smith’s “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”. Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) and Jay (Jason Mewes) discover they unknowingly gave up their own naming rights to the production company that bought the rights to their namesake characters “Bluntman and Chronic”. Meaning they can no longer call themselves “Jay and Silent Bob”. The hetero life mates set off on a quest to stop the film from being completed and win back their names. Along the way Jay discovers a past fling led to the birth of his up to that point unknown daughter, Millennium “Milly” Faulken (Harley Quinn Smith), as they join forces to crash the annual fan convention “Chronic-Con” where the film will be completed.
A…B…D… A-Always, B-Be, D-Ducking. ALWAYS BE DUCKING!
-Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob Reboot
In classic Silent Bob style, he breaks his silence once in the Reboot to help Jay’s daughter, Milly. Milly and her friends escape the clutches of a sect of the Klu Klux Klan thanks to an impromptu speech that serves as a distraction. Silent Bob violates one of the Buddhist precepts, Do not take what is not freely given, as he steals a Klans man’s hood to disguise himself as a new Grand Dragon. He successfully creates a diversion so that Jay can rescue the girls and guide them to safety.
SIlent Bob’s speech here is helpful in two aspects. Not only does he create a diversion by breaking his vow of silence. He heroically puts himself in danger while slyly and indirectly speaking to the girls and Jay. Sneakily warning them to keep low to stay out of sight. And also advising them to doge the porta-potty they end up launching at the Klansmen as they flee the scene.
Outside of this specific scene and film we see Silent Bob employ the concept of helpful speech in every rare instance that he opens his mouth. He never speaks for the sake of speaking. He only talks when absolutely necessary. Kevin Smith generally uses Silent Bob’s monologues to push the plot forward. Or to spell out the film’s key themes to the audience. For Silent Bob, there is no idle chatter. When he addresses other characters in the film, or sometimes the audience, it’s only to help others.
Timely
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: A Quick Synopsis
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back follows the misfit duo as they discover Hollywood is making a movie based on their comic book counterparts. Outraged that they won’t see a dime. And more importantly that their comic book clones are being roasted in online forums, they set off on a cross-country road trip to stop the film.
THE SIGN ON THE BACK OF THE CAR SAID CRITTERS OF HOLLYWOOD YOU DUMB FUCK!
-Silent Bob Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Silent Bob’s outburst in Jay and Silent Bob Strike back is anything but thoughtful, kind and gentle. His explosive vocalization comes shortly after Suzanne, the duo’s orangutang Accomplice in the film, is abducted by a Hollywood animal acting agency. Shortly after the abduction, Jay is oblivious to who would kidnap a rogue orangutang. After a short period of Silent Bob trying and failing to pantomime where Suzanne was taken he grabs Jay by both lapels and screams the obvious in his face. Although it’s not the most skillful example of Silent Bob using Right Speech, it does illustrate the building block of “Timely” speech.
Jay and Silent Bob are racing the clock to stop the film from being released. Time is of the essence. There is no time for the duo to sit around pondering where Suzanne was taken. Or allow the dim-witted Jay to deduct her location on his own. While his outburst isn’t skillful in any other sense of the word, it does accomplish the task of opening Jay’s eyes to the truth.
This particular scene is a stark contrast to Silent Bob’s usual speeches. He is typically articulate, calm, and gentle in his speech. However, given the need to quickly resolve the issue, Silent Bob puts timelines above all else. Quickly, succinctly and abrasively getting his point across.
Kind
Clerks: A Quick Synopsis
The film that made Kevin Smith a household name and Hollywood legend. Clerks follows a day in the life of Dante (Brian O’Halloran), a convenience store employee, and his smart-mouthed slacker friend Randal (Jeff Anderson), who works at the video store next door. Stuck covering a shift he wasn’t supposed to work, Dante navigates the suffering of early adulthood and the general absurdity of his dead-end job.
You know, there’s a million fine looking women in the world, but they don’t all bring you lasagna at work. Most of ‘em just cheat on you.
-Silent Bob Clerks
This is the first time Silent Bob breaks his silence and is one of his most eye opening and succinct dialogues. Dante spends a majority of the film contemplating his relationship with ex-girlfriend, Caitlin (Lisa Spoonauer). Spending hours debating the ups and downs with his best friend Randall. In just twenty seven words Silent Bob delivers more insight and context than Randall could in a day-long debate. He contextualizes Dante’s relationship by once again touching on the Buddhist concepts of non-attachment and seeing through delusion.
Dante, like Holden in Chasing Amy, has formed a powerful attachment to a version of his girlfriend that no longer exists. He’s causing himself suffering by fixating on a version of his ex-girlfriend that he found to be too promiscuous (37!). Rather than letting go of that perception of his ex, Dante obsesses. Silent Bob quickly contextualizes the positive aspects of Dante’s relationship. While Caitlin may have had more sexual partners than Dante was comfortable with, she also brought him lunch and was faithful to him. Showing true loving-kindness.
This short two sentence dialogue reveals what was more important than her past. Her present self. Which was both kind and caring. Not only does the theme of kindness reveal itself as it was manifested in Caitlin. But Silent Bob’s words themselves were kind. They gently and kindly showed the true nature of Dante and Caitlin’s relationship. One that was based on love and caring.
This is in high contrast to how the other characters in the film try to get through to Dante. The wise-cracking Randall mocks Dante restlessly. The foul-mouthed Jay insults him. But Bob does neither. He relates to Randall. His insight reveals that this mime-like fat man in an overcoat from New Jersey has lived a whole life full of similar experiences and suffering.
We suddenly realize that Silent Bob experienced relationships where his partners cheated on and ignored him. And it’s these life experiences that allow him to see the love and devotion Caitlin felt for Dante. Which he then communicates to Dante himself. Silent Bob gently and kindly reminds Dante of the good parts of the relationship. He highlights the positive parts of the relationship in a true act of kindness. He delivers this news when Dante needs it most. At the end of a long day of suffering brought on by his own attachment to a version of Caitlin that no longer exists.
Wrong Speech
You know what that hurts. Like what do you ever add to the fucking proceedings. You got like one answer for everything… pussy man.
-Silent Bob Clerks II
In addition to outlining the framework for Right Speech Thích Nhất Hạnh also defines Wrong Speech. He described wrong speech as Falsehoods and Slander, Harsh or Angry Words, Gossip and Idle Chatter and Belittling Others. Although we do see Silent Bob sometimes toe the line, like when we saw him angrily shout the location of their orangoutang partner, Suzanne, at Jay in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, he generally avoids these examples of Wrong Speech as well. He never lies, is never overly direct, doesn’t speak for the sake of speaking and never belittles others.
Thich Nhat Hanh once said:
“To practice mindfulness of speech sometimes we have to practice silence.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh
I got nothing.
-Silent Bob Clerks II
If there’s anyone that embodies the Thích Nhất Hạnh quote above, it’s Silent Bob. Through his silence, Silent Bob is able to master Right Speech. He is able to live a more mindful and insightful life by remaining silent, except to deliver sage advice when absolutely necessary. Guiding others towards enlightenment like a bodhisattva compassionately helping all sentient beings achieve their own awakening. A true BOB-hisattva.
His silence allows him to cultivate Right View, Right Intention, Right Action, Right Mindfulness and, like when he used the force to get his hands on the VHS tape in the pivotal scene in Mall Rats, Right Concentration. The aspects of the Noble Eightfold path don’t stand in isolation. They must all work together to achieve enlightenment. And while Silent Bob hasn’t yet become a Buddha, he’s well on his way.
Learn More About Thich Nhat Hanh and Kevin Smith
Throughout his long career, Thích Nhất Hạnh has conceptualized Right Speech in many ways. In this article we observed how Kevin Smith’s movie dialogue can be applied to his framework that borrowed some ideas from Socrates’ view of Right Speech. For more insight to Thích Nhất Hạnh’s views on Right Speech, and all things Buddhism, check out his Key Books list curated by Plum Village. To learn more about Kevin Smith’s philosophy, check out his seemingly endless catalogue of podcasts, or get yourself a Netflix subscription.