The Buddha was traveling and came to a town called Kesaputta, home to a people called the Kalamas. They'd heard of him, so they came to meet him, and they laid out an honest problem:
"Teachers keep passing through here. Each one explains his own ideas in glowing terms — and tears every other teacher to shreds. Then the next one comes through and does the exact same thing in reverse. We're left standing here genuinely not knowing: out of all these people, who's telling the truth and who isn't?"
"I get why you're stuck," the Buddha said. "It's a fair thing to be unsure about. So let me give you something better than another opinion to take on faith."
Don't Just Take Anyone's Word For It
"Here's the thing. Don't accept something as true just because —
- You've heard it repeated a lot.
- It's been handed down for generations.
- 'Everybody says so.'
- It's written in some respected book.
- It sounds logical.
- It fits a theory you already like.
- It seems reasonable on the surface.
- It agrees with what you already believe.
- The person saying it seems impressive.
- Or 'because the teacher said so' — even if that teacher is me.
None of those, on their own, make a thing true."
(These ten are called the Ten Grounds of Not-Knowing — the things on which you shouldn't base your belief.)
So What Do You Go On?
"Test it yourself. When you genuinely know, from your own honest looking — these things are harmful; these things are blamed by thoughtful people; acting on these leads to harm and pain — then drop them.
Let's check it together. When greed takes over a person, is that good for them or bad?"
"Bad," they said.
"And a greedy person, gripped by wanting — do they end up harming themselves and others? Lying, stealing, hurting people, dragging others into it?"
"They do."
"What about anger? When someone's consumed by hatred — better or worse for them?"
"Worse."
"And confusion — being lost, not seeing clearly?"
"Also worse."
"So these things — greed, anger, confusion — when you really look: are they good or bad? Praised or criticized by sensible people? Do they lead, when you act on them, toward harm or away from it?"
"Toward harm," they said. "That's how it looks to us."
"Then there's your answer," he said. "That's exactly what I meant — don't take it from authority or tradition. You just worked it out for yourselves, from what you can actually see."
Now Run It the Other Way
"And do the same in reverse. When you genuinely know, from your own looking — these things are good; these things are praised by thoughtful people; acting on them leads to ease and wellbeing — then take them up and live by them.
When greed is absent, when anger is absent, when confusion gives way to clear seeing — does a person like that harm others, or treat them well?"
"They treat them well," they said.
"So generosity, kindness, and clear understanding — good or bad? Lead toward harm, or away from it?"
"Away from it. They're good."
"Right. That's the test, and you can run it on anything, for the rest of your life. Not 'because I said so' — because you looked, and you saw."
The Reassurance at the End
"And here's something to set your mind at ease. Someone who lives this way — clear, kind, free of greed and hatred — fills their own life with calm and goodwill right now, in this life. And if it turns out there's something after this life, they're in good standing for it. And if it turns out there isn't, they've still lived well and at peace, here, while they were alive.
Either way, they come out fine. There's nothing to fear in living decently and seeing clearly."
The Kalamas were glad, and thanked him.