"It is natural that doubt should arise in your minds.
"I tell you not to believe merely because it has been handed down by tradition, or because it had been said by some great personage in the past, or because it is commonly believed, or because others have told it to you, or even because I myself have said it.
"But whatever you are asked to believe, ask yourself whether it is true in the light of your experience, whether it is in conformity with reason and good principles and whether it is conducive to the highest good and welfare of all beings, and only if it passes this test, should you accept it and act in accordance with it."
- The Buddha
Kalama Sutta, Anguttara Nikaya.
I personally think that this sutta needs a good commentary. There is one at :
ReplyDelete"A Look at the Kalama Sutta", by Bhikkhu Bodhi. Access to Insight, June 7, 2009, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/bodhi/bps-essay_09.html.
I love this quote - it says what I want to hear ......
ReplyDeleteHowever, it doesn't relate so well to the text of the sutra itself - someone did a "paraphrase" or precis of the sutra perhaps. and those particular words are not there in the full sutra in that order !!
This isn't going to affect me much, as I like this as it is, though preferring it to the sutra, really. Perhaps this is "wrong thought" though !!