The Kalama Sutta, a Buddhist call to independent thinking
A sutta is a statement or speech by the Buddha. They are brought together in the suttapitaka, the first book of the three books of Theravada Buddhism. The Kalama Sutta is one of the most famous and quoted. In this, the Buddha calls for independent thinking and not just relying on rumours, tradition, holy scriptures, experts and not even on what a monk proclaims.
Think about what you hear and read. Stay away from intolerance, bigotry, dogmatism and bigotry. Always test whether what you hear and read contributes to the reduction of hatred, greed, delusion and self-deception.
At the end are four more 'consolations'. From this you could deduce that the belief in reincarnation is not a necessary part of Buddhism. It would be nice if this text were displayed in all temples, schools and government buildings, starting with parliament.
I translated this sutta from English using a Dutch text as an aid. The text is full of baroque language and repetitions, as befits a thousand-year-old oral tradition. I've shortened it, but hope the essence has been kept.
The Doubts of the Kalamas
'One day the Buddha, accompanied by a host of his disciples, enters the town of Kesaputta of the Kalama people. Many villagers came to see him.
They said that many monks and Brahmins visited the village to explain their teachings, ridiculing, abhorring and tearing to pieces the teachings of others. "Venerable Buddha, which of these monks and Brahmins now speak the truth and which speak untruth?"
The Buddha replied as follows: 'It is good, Kalamas, that you are uncertain and doubtful. '
Abandon bad things by one's own knowledge
“I tell you that you should not rely on what you often hear, nor on tradition, nor on hearsay, nor on scriptures. Beware of presumptions or axioms, fancy-sounding arguments or prejudice. Do not rely solely on expertise or rely solely on the notion 'the monk is our teacher'. Kalamas, when you yourselves know that certain things are evil, culpable, condemned by the wise and leading to evil and disease, let them go.'
'Kalamas, when you yourselves know that these things do no harm, that they are praised and observed by the sages, accept them and remain faithful to them.'
Absence of greed, hatred and delusion
'What do you think, Kalamas. Will one who does not indulge in greed, who does not kill, who does not steal, who does not commit adultery, and who does not lie, and who urges others to do the same, contribute to his prosperity and happiness?' "Certainly, sir."
'What do you think, Kalamas? Won't the absence of hatred contribute to one's prosperity and happiness?' "Certainly, sir."
'What do you think, Kalamas? Will not the absence of misrepresentations contribute to one's prosperity and happiness?' "Certainly, sir."
'And thus, Kalamas, a noble man lives without desire, without anger, without confusion, always attentive and attentive. With a mind full of loving kindness, exalted and stretched out over the whole world. With a mind full of compassion and equanimity, embracing the whole world.'
The Four Consolations
"Kalamas, a noble man whose mind is without anger and malice, spotless and pure, has attained four certainties."
"If there is an afterlife that rewards good deeds and punishes bad deeds, then after death I can be reborn in a happy world."
"If there is no afterlife and good deeds and bad deeds are not punished, then I can still be happy in the here and now, without anger, without malice, whole and happy."
“Even though evildoers suffer from their evil deeds, I wish them no harm. If I don't do evil, how can suffering come upon me?'
"And if evildoers do not suffer from their evil deeds, then I myself am pure and whole."
Kalamas: Thank you, my lord. These comforts and assurances we find, here-and-now, in those whose minds are free from hatred, malice, whose minds are pure and undefiled.'
Finally, there is a classical Buddhist formula similar to our 'Amen'.
About this blogger
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Born in 1944 in Delfzijl as the son of a simple shopkeeper. Studied in Groningen and Curacao. Worked as a doctor in Tanzania for three years, then as a general practitioner in Vlaardingen. A few years before my retirement I married a Thai lady, we had a son who speaks three languages well.
Lived in Thailand for almost 20 years, first in Chiang Kham (Phayao province) then in Chiang Mai where I liked to bother all kinds of Thai with all kinds of questions. Followed Thai extracurricular education after which a diploma of primary school and three years of secondary school. Did a lot of volunteer work. Interested in the Thai language, history and culture. Have been living in the Netherlands for 5 years now together with my son and often with his Thai girlfriend.
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I'll just leave my own comment here. I think most would agree with me when I say that the Thai state at many levels is unfortunately not adhering to the Buddha's advice.
I am no longer a guest in Thailand and can now say what comes to my mind. I wish that all images of the Buddha, other High Persons and words in places like schools and government buildings were replaced by the text of the Kalama Sutta.
Times are changing and nowadays at a rapid speed.
It is indeed best to rely on your own insights, but only after you have thought carefully and tested things as stated in the first sentence of this little story. However, I do not read this anywhere in those 4 consolations.
And then, where do you test today whether what you have read or heard is true when the news your source relies on only gives the news adapted to you.
How do you stand up against a doctor or professor who has learned enough but does not see your story reflected in his guidelines?
I often wonder if Buddha would still proclaim the same thing today?
Excellent advice that, unfortunately, sometimes those who pride themselves on following Buddhism are unable or unwilling to adhere to. Some things are hard to let go of, but indeed it wouldn't hurt to remind us all of these pieces of advice frequently. Thailand would look quite different if critical thinking, not holding grudges and promoting understanding, love, compassion and prosperity of fellow human beings were at the top of thinking and acting.
We know from other texts that the Buddha also considered personal worship of him as a person, with images, absolutely unnecessary. If he were to take a look today, I think he would quickly run afoul of the authorities (Sangha council of senior monks, the government, and so on). Well…
Indeed Rob V.
The Buddha has always said that he is not important and should not be worshiped, but only the Dharma, the Teachings. It was therefore almost a thousand years before the first Buddha images appeared, probably due to Greek influence in what is now Afghanistan/North Pakistan.