Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Bodhisattva Road

Home
Buddhist
History and Religion
The Buddha on Doubt and Free Inquiry

The Buddha on Doubt and Free Inquiry

Last updated on: September 18, 2023 at 10:12 am by Daniel Scharpenburg

0 Comments

The Buddha on Doubt and Free Inquiry 2023-09-18T10:12:35-05:00 Daniel Scharpenburg

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I was an atheist when I started exploring Buddhism 20 or so years ago. I was one of those annoying people who judged people of faith. I was also a pretty negative and unhappy person back then. That may be hard to believe and I understand that.

Buddhism changed my life.

Recently someone referred to me as a ‘faith leader’ and I’ve carried that around a little. Am I a faith leader now? I guess I am.

Anyway, when I was just beginning to explore Buddhism I read the Kalama Sutta and it made a big difference in the early days of my practice. In those early days some of the aspects of Buddhism didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t want to chant, I didn’t want to bow, I definitely didn’t want to hear any teachings about spirits or karma.

I’ve changed in all those areas.

But I needed the Kalama Sutta back them. It’s the Buddha’s teaching on doubt and free inquiry. The Buddha went to this place called Kesaputta to share the teachings with this group of people called the Kalamas. This was a unique place and time for the Buddha to be teaching. Lots of spiritual teachers traveled through Kesaputta and they had heard it all. It seemed to the Kalamas like every new spiritual teacher that came through was telling them that the previous teachers were wrong and that they had the truth. The capital T truth. So, when the Buddha came through, they had a different response from most people.

The Kalamas said this to the Buddha:

“There are some monks and brahmans, venerable sir, who visit Kesaputta. They expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Some other monks and brahmans too, venerable sir, come to Kesaputta. They also expound and explain only their own doctrines; the doctrines of others they despise, revile, and pull to pieces. Venerable sir, there is doubt, there is uncertainty in us concerning them. Which of these reverend monks and brahmans spoke the truth and which falsehood?”

They were basically ready to argue because they had been exposed to so many different spiritual teachers already.

This was the response of the Buddha:

“It is proper for you, Kalamas, to doubt, to be uncertain; uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another’s seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, ‘The monk is our teacher.’ Kalamas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are bad; these things are blamable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill,’ abandon them.”

He told them they shouldn’t believe things just because he said so. They should believe only things that agree with their judgment and common sense. He described doubt as a virtue and that was something they had not heard before.

In Buddhism faith and doubt are both virtues. They are like two wings of a bird, we need both.

There is more to the Kalama Sutta than those lines, but those are the ones that get written down when people want to quote from it.

I’d like to invite you to come explore the Kalama Sutta with us at the Rime Center. We’re studying it for Sutra Study Sunday on October 1st at 12:30pm at the Rime Center, 2939 Wayne Avenue. Kansas City, Missouri.

We’ll discuss the importance of doubt as well as faith and the dangers of thinking you have it all figured out.

For more and to add it to your calendar, click here:
Sutra Study Sunday – Kalama SuttaRime Buddhist Center (rimecenter.org)

And if you want to read the whole text, it’s here:

Kalama Sutta: The Buddha’s Charter of Free Inquiry (accesstoinsight.org)

History and Religion

Previous Post

September 15, 2023

Can You Help the Rime Center?

Next Post

September 19, 2023 Nagarjuna's Six Things to Recall

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Actually, this illustrates an issue with Warner, not the sangha.That is, someone in that role ..."

JMK778

I Was Wrong About Brad Warner ..."

"Oh dear, this guy is still claiming to be a Zen teacher in yet another ..."

La Resistencia

I Was Wrong About Brad Warner ..."

"We live in a world that is thirsting for harmony. Sages down the ages have ..."

Dr.Cajetan Coelho

Nagarjuna on Generosity

"Thanks for provide great informatic and looking beautiful blog, really nice required information & the ..."

Rajesh Mudigonda

Keep Me In Your Heart: a ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 37 Practices blog bodhisattva book review boundless heart buddha buddhism buddhism for beginners compass of zen compassion dhammapada dharma emptiness Faith in Mind fearless heart han shan impermanence inspiration interfaith koans life Lojong mahayana meditation mind training mirror of zen movie review nagarjuna news questions recording song of mind steps to the great perfection suffering sutras suttas Uncategorized vajrayana video videos zen

Select a Month July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 September 2021 August 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 August 2019 March 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Jesus turn over in the temple?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Scrolls Statues Lamps Tables

Support this
Column