At first glance, “Spitting is a good habit, but you must use a spitting bowl” sounds trivial, perhaps even humorous. Yet beneath its simplicity lies a teaching about discipline, responsibility, and the balance between natural instinct and social order.
1. The inevitability of expression
Spitting here may be seen literally as a natural bodily function, or metaphorically as the human need to expel what does not serve us: negative emotions, unwanted thoughts, or the poisons of ego. Just as the body cannot healthily retain phlegm, the mind cannot healthily retain resentment, frustration, or falsehood. Spitting, then, symbolises the necessity of release, the courage to let go of what burdens us.
2. The need for boundaries
Spitting, in the metaphor, represents the freedom to express. It is natural, even necessary, to speak one’s truth, to release one’s ideas, and to contribute one’s voice to the collective. But just as spitting anywhere can soil a shared space, speech expressed without mindfulness can soil the collective harmony of society. The spitting bowl here symbolises the responsibility that must accompany freedom: the framework of boundaries, respect, and awareness that ensures expression does not degrade into chaos.
In a democracy, freedom of speech is sacred, but it is not unbridled. If every voice expressed itself without restraint or accountability, public discourse would degenerate into noise, abuse, or incitement. The very fabric of democracy, which thrives on dialogue, plurality, and shared space, would be eroded by the very freedom it sought to protect. Boundaries are not meant to suppress freedom, but to protect it from collapsing under its own excess. Just as a spitting bowl allows one to release without contaminating the environment, laws, ethical codes, and cultural norms act as containers for speech, ensuring that expression uplifts discourse rather than corrodes it.
The paradox is clear: freedom cannot exist without limits. A river without banks is no longer a river but a flood, destructive to all in its path. Likewise, speech without boundaries is not freedom but anarchy. True liberty arises when individuals recognise that their right to expression is inseparable from their responsibility to the whole.
Thus, the maxim reminds us that even the most vital freedoms require conscious restraint. To release what is within us is necessary; to do so with dignity, respect, and awareness is wisdom.
3. The harmony of inner and outer worlds
Philosophically, this notion reminds us that life is not about repressing our instincts, nor about indulging them recklessly. It is about channelling them with awareness. To spit into the bowl is to respect both the self (by not holding in what must be released) and the world (by not staining what others must share). In this sense, the bowl is a symbol of culture, etiquette, and the ethical framework that allows individuals to coexist without diminishing one another’s dignity.
4. The deeper metaphor
On a more contemplative level, spitting into the bowl represents the art of transformation. What is expelled, though unwanted, is not discarded carelessly; it is given a place, acknowledged, and contained. This reflects the spiritual truth that even our impurities, when handled with awareness, can become teachers. They show us what needs to be purified, what needs to be transcended.
Thus, the saying becomes more than advice on manners; it becomes a philosophy of life: release what you must, but do so with mindfulness; honour your nature, but do not neglect the world you share.
Anil Kumar
Inspiration from: “Good Bye, Mr Patel”, my cathartic story of self-exploration