The Kalama Sutta - Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry

The Kalama Sutta - Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry ( with video transcript):    • The Kalama Sutta - Buddha's Charter o...  

(By Barbara O'Brien, About.com ) In most religions, the authority of God or a prophet, as revealed in scripture and interpreted by religious institutions, is the arbiter of what is true.

Buddhism presents a greater challenge: We are the arbiters of what is true. However, that doesn't mean that we can choose to believe whatever we like.

The Buddha's teachings on judging truth are found in the Kalama Sutta. The Kalama Sutta (or Sutra) is found in the oldest Buddhist scripture, the Tripitaka (in the Anguttara Nikaya, which is in the Sutra-pitaka). The Kalama Sutta has gained great favor in the West because of its advice to question authority and rely on oneself.

Transcript:
Most of the year, like many holy teachers of his time, the Buddha walked from village to village teaching answering questions and talking with also to people. One day, together with some of his followers, the Buddha arrived at the town KESAPUTTA, home of the KALAMA people. The news spread Buddha's arrival. "The Buddha is here!" and The enlighten one is here. They have heard about the teacher, a man famous for his great wisdom. Everyone wanted to see him. Respectfully they sat down around him. They had a burning question.

Sir, we often have visits of holly teachers. Each one tells us how to live our lives. Each one tells us that they are right and the other teachers are wrong. Some say if you want to be happy, it is important to burn the right kind of incense every evening.

Another holly teachers come along with their ideas and say they are right and the other teachers are stupid. We dont know who to believe. How can we tell which one is speaking the truth?

I am not surprised about you are confused because this is indeed a difficult question. It is important not to believe what someone tells you, just because lots of other people think like that. Or because it is traditional, or because there are rumours about it. Dont believe someone because they seem to know the scriptures very well, or because they have strong opinions. Also dont believe what someone says where there is no evidence. or without much discussion, or just because it sounds familiar. You cant even just believe someone who seems knowledgeable and well educated, even if you feel respect for them as your teacher. The only way to know whether some is speaking the truth is to test their advice in your own experience. Then if you feel really sure that the teaching is likely to cause harm or unhappiness you should reject it. If following a teacher's advice make you feel greedy or angry or full of hatred, or confusion, is that helpful? No. Certainly not.

Ask yourself how things might turn out if you follow a particular piece of advice? For example, if you take things which arnt yours, are you likely to cause harm to yourself or others? If you speak untruthfully, or cloud your mind with drinks or drugs are you likely to harm to yourself or others?

You can also think of someone more experienced than you whose opinion you already respect . What would they think of this teaching? If you really think following a particular piece of advice would help you and others become happy, then go ahead. Follow that advice. If you found that following a particular adivice helped you to avoid greed, hatred and confusion such a teaching would be helpful. Wouldn't it? - Yes, it certainly would.

A person who is free from greed, hatred and confusion, will feel much better.

If your mind is free and peaceful, and your heart is full of love and compassion for the whole world, you will experience great comfort and happiness.

I have asked you to look into own experience to decide whether something worth following or not.

But when it comes to what happen after death, its not possible to do this, is it?

There are so many views and opinions but how can we know in our own experience?

However, remember what I have told you today. Living ethically, with kindness and wisdom leads to happiness and well being. This is true for this life. And if there are future lives, it would be true for those too.

So regardless of what you believe, the important thing is that you are trying to live with a clear mind and a kind heart and you can see the consequences of your actions for yourselves and others around you.

Fantastic sir. Fantastic. Its like someone is lightening a candle in the darkness.

The KALAMAS were so impressed and grateful about the Buddha's answer. They decided to go home and live by. his teachings.

Sources:
Kalama Sutta (Buddha Net): http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/k...
The Kalama Sutta (About.com): http://buddhism.about.com/od/thetripi...
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalama_S...