Vassakāra on What is Heard
At Rājagaha, in the Bamboo Grove, the brahmin Vassakāra, a chief minister of Magadha, tells the Buddha his own view: there is nothing wrong with talking about anything you have seen, heard, thought, or known, so long as you report it as such. The Buddha does not agree that everything should be spoken, nor that nothing should be. He gives one test. When talking about some things makes unskillful qualities grow and skillful qualities decline, do not talk about them. When talking about other things makes unskillful qualities decline and skillful qualities grow, do talk about them. Vassakāra approves and leaves.
The full text
Numbered Discourses 4.183 · 19. Brahmins · Vassakāra on What is Heard · translated by Bhikkhu Sujato · public domain (CC0) · about 1 min · on SuttaCentral
At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. Then Vassakāra the brahmin, a chief minister of Magadha, went up to the Buddha, and exchanged greetings with him. When the greetings and polite conversation were over, he sat down to one side and said to the Buddha:
“Worthy Gotama, this is my doctrine and view: There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve seen, saying: ‘So I have seen.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve heard, saying: ‘So I have heard.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve thought, saying: ‘So I have thought.’ There’s nothing wrong with talking about what you’ve known, saying: ‘So I have known.’”
“Brahmin, I don’t say you should talk about everything you see, hear, think, and know. But I also don’t say you should talk about nothing you see, hear, think, and know.
When talking about certain things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities grow while skillful qualities decline. I say that you shouldn’t talk about those things. When talking about other things you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known, unskillful qualities decline while skillful qualities grow. I say that you should talk about those things.”
Then Vassakāra the brahmin, having approved and agreed with what the Buddha said, rose from his seat and left.