(hanciong/flickr)The message the Buddha delivered to the Kalamas in Kesaputta (AN 3.65) is one of openness, investigation, and questioning what is taught by whoever it is taught. It is given above in brief. This is the full discourse:
The Kalamas of Kesaputta
1. Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha, while wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of monastics, entered a town of the Kalama people called Kesaputta.
The Kalamas said to one another: "Reverend Gautama, the monk, the son of the Sakyans [has had this reputation:] 'Indeed, the Blessed One is thus consummate, fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and practice, sublime, knower of the worlds..."
Asking for Guidance
3. The Kalamas asked: "Venerable sir, there are some monks and brahmins 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 brahmins 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 revered monks and brahmins spoke the truth and which falsehood?"
Criteria for Rejection
4. "Kalamas, it is proper for you to doubt, to be uncertain. Uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come, Kalamas:
Greed, Hate, and Delusion
5. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does greed appear in a person for benefit or harm?"
"For harm, venerable sir."
"Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, a person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and speaks falsehoods. That person prompts others to do likewise. Will that be for harm and ill?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
6-7. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate...delusion appear in a person for benefit or harm?"
"For harm, venerable sir."
"Kalamas, being given to hate...delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate...delusion, a person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and speaks falsehoods. That person prompts others to do likewise. Will that be for harm and ill?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
8. "What do you think, Kalamas, are these things profitable or unprofitable?"
"Unprofitable, venerable sir"
"Blameworthy or blameless?"
"Blameworthy, venerable sir."
"Censured or praised by the wise?"
"Censured, venerable sir."
"When undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill or not? Or how does it strike you?"
"When undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. This is how it strikes us."
9. "Kalamas, therefore was it said, 'Come Kalamas! Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition, nor upon rumor... but when you yourselves know: "These things are unprofitable, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise, and when undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill" then abandon them.'...
The Four Exalted Dwellings
16. "Kalamas, the disciple of the Noble Ones who in this way is devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, and instead clearly comprehending and mindful, dwells this way:
"Having pervaded with thoughts of loving-kindness (friendliness, amity, metta) one quarter, so the second, so the third, and likewise the fourth, so above, below, and across. One dwells having pervaded all living beings in all directions, everywhere in the entire universe with a heart grown great, exalted, with boundless thoughts of loving-kindness toward everyone free of hate or malice.
"One lives having pervaded with thoughts of compassion (karuna)... thoughts of gladness-over-their-success (mudita)... equanimity (impartiality, upekkha)... with a heart grown great, exalted, with boundless thoughts of equanimity toward everyone free of hate or malice.
The Four Solaces
17. "Kalamas. the disciple of the Noble Ones who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds four solaces here and now.
"'Suppose there is a hereafter and there is fruit and results of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall re-arise [be reborn] in heavenly worlds, which are states of bliss.' This is the first solace found.
"'Suppose there is no hereafter and no fruit or results of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself.' This is the second solace found.
"'Suppose unpleasant (results) befall doers of ill. I, however, think of doing il. to no one. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who does no ill deed?' This is the third solace found.
"'Suppose ill (results) do not befall an doers of ill. Then I see myself purified in any case.' This is the fourth solace found.
"Kalamas, the disciple of the Noble Ones who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds here and now these four solaces."
"So it is, Blessed One! So it is, Sublime One! The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds, here and now, these four solaces.
"Marvelous, venerable sir! Marvelous, venerable sir!
"Venerable sir, it is as if a person were to turn up what was upside down, or to uncover what was concealed, or to point the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the darkness, thinking, 'Those who have eyes will see'!
"So has the Dharma [truth] been set forth in many ways by the Blessed One. Venerable sir, we go to the Blessed One for guidance, to the Dharma for guidance, and to the Community of [accomplished] monastics for guidance.
"Venerable sir, may the Blessed One regard us as lay followers who have gone for guidance from this day forward!"
The Kalamas of Kesaputta
1. Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha, while wandering in the Kosala country with a large community of monastics, entered a town of the Kalama people called Kesaputta.The Kalamas said to one another: "Reverend Gautama, the monk, the son of the Sakyans [has had this reputation:] 'Indeed, the Blessed One is thus consummate, fully enlightened, endowed with knowledge and practice, sublime, knower of the worlds..."
Asking for Guidance
3. The Kalamas asked: "Venerable sir, there are some monks and brahmins 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 brahmins 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 revered monks and brahmins spoke the truth and which falsehood?"
Criteria for Rejection
4. "Kalamas, it is proper for you 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 scripture
- nor upon surmising
- nor upon an axiom
- nor upon (specious) reasoning
- nor upon a bias toward a notion that has been pondered over
- nor upon another's seeming ability
- nor upon the consideration, 'This monk is our teacher.'
Greed, Hate, and Delusion
5. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does greed appear in a person for benefit or harm?"
"For harm, venerable sir."
"Kalamas, being given to greed, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by greed, a person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and speaks falsehoods. That person prompts others to do likewise. Will that be for harm and ill?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
6-7. "What do you think, Kalamas? Does hate...delusion appear in a person for benefit or harm?"
"For harm, venerable sir."
"Kalamas, being given to hate...delusion, and being overwhelmed and vanquished mentally by hate...delusion, a person takes life, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and speaks falsehoods. That person prompts others to do likewise. Will that be for harm and ill?"
"Yes, venerable sir."
8. "What do you think, Kalamas, are these things profitable or unprofitable?"
"Unprofitable, venerable sir"
"Blameworthy or blameless?"
"Blameworthy, venerable sir."
"Censured or praised by the wise?"
"Censured, venerable sir."
"When undertaken and observed, do these things lead to harm and ill or not? Or how does it strike you?"
"When undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill. This is how it strikes us."
9. "Kalamas, therefore was it said, 'Come Kalamas! Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing, nor upon tradition, nor upon rumor... but when you yourselves know: "These things are unprofitable, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured by the wise, and when undertaken and observed, these things lead to harm and ill" then abandon them.'...
The Four Exalted Dwellings
16. "Kalamas, the disciple of the Noble Ones who in this way is devoid of greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, and instead clearly comprehending and mindful, dwells this way:"Having pervaded with thoughts of loving-kindness (friendliness, amity, metta) one quarter, so the second, so the third, and likewise the fourth, so above, below, and across. One dwells having pervaded all living beings in all directions, everywhere in the entire universe with a heart grown great, exalted, with boundless thoughts of loving-kindness toward everyone free of hate or malice.
"One lives having pervaded with thoughts of compassion (karuna)... thoughts of gladness-over-their-success (mudita)... equanimity (impartiality, upekkha)... with a heart grown great, exalted, with boundless thoughts of equanimity toward everyone free of hate or malice.
The Four Solaces
17. "Kalamas. the disciple of the Noble Ones who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds four solaces here and now."'Suppose there is a hereafter and there is fruit and results of deeds done well or ill. Then it is possible that at the dissolution of the body after death, I shall re-arise [be reborn] in heavenly worlds, which are states of bliss.' This is the first solace found.
"'Suppose there is no hereafter and no fruit or results of deeds done well or ill. Yet in this world, here and now, free from hatred, free from malice, safe and sound, and happy, I keep myself.' This is the second solace found.
"'Suppose unpleasant (results) befall doers of ill. I, however, think of doing il. to no one. Then, how can ill (results) affect me who does no ill deed?' This is the third solace found.
"'Suppose ill (results) do not befall an doers of ill. Then I see myself purified in any case.' This is the fourth solace found.
"Kalamas, the disciple of the Noble Ones who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds here and now these four solaces."
"So it is, Blessed One! So it is, Sublime One! The disciple of the Noble Ones, venerable sir, who has such a hate-free mind, such a malice-free mind, such an undefiled mind, such a purified mind is one who finds, here and now, these four solaces.
"Marvelous, venerable sir! Marvelous, venerable sir!
"Venerable sir, it is as if a person were to turn up what was upside down, or to uncover what was concealed, or to point the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the darkness, thinking, 'Those who have eyes will see'!
"So has the Dharma [truth] been set forth in many ways by the Blessed One. Venerable sir, we go to the Blessed One for guidance, to the Dharma for guidance, and to the Community of [accomplished] monastics for guidance.
"Venerable sir, may the Blessed One regard us as lay followers who have gone for guidance from this day forward!"
- A Look at the Kalama Sutta by Bhikkhu Bodhi
- The Right to Ask Questions by Larry Rosenberg
- Looking closely at Equanimity by Rasa Spa