法苑珠林 88.26

88.26

Answer: 'The white-robed householder experiences worldly pleasures while concurrently cultivating merit and virtue, and cannot completely practice the precepts. For this reason, the Buddha had them uphold the five precepts. Moreover, among verbal karmas, false speech is the gravest; through false speech, one can commit the other faults, whether intentionally or unintentionally. If one simply speaks falsely, it already encompasses the three matters. If one speaks truthful words, the four kinds of right speech are all encompassed entirely; among all goods, truth is the greatest.'