I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One, on a
wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks,
arrived at Kesaputta, a town of the Kalamas. The Kalamas of Kesaputta
heard it said, "Gotama the contemplative — the son of the
Sakyans, having gone forth from the Sakyan clan — has arrived at
Kesaputta. And of that Master Gotama this fine reputation has spread:
'He is indeed a Blessed One, worthy, and rightly self-awakened,
consummate in knowledge and conduct, well-gone, a knower of the
cosmos, an unexcelled trainer of those persons ready to be tamed,
teacher of human and divine beings, awakened, blessed. He has made
known — having realized it through direct knowledge — this world
with its devas, maras, and brahmas, its generations with their
contemplatives and brahmans, their rulers and common people; has
explained the Dharma admirable in the beginning, admirable in the
middle, admirable in the end; has expounded the holy life both in its
particulars and in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
It is good to see such a worthy one.'"
So the Kalamas of
Kesaputta went to the Blessed One. On arrival, some of them bowed
down to him and sat to one side. Some of them exchanged courteous
greetings with him and, after an exchange of friendly greetings and
courtesies, sat to one side. Some of them sat to one side having
saluted him with their hands palm-to-palm over their hearts. Some of
them sat to one side having announced their name and clan. Some of
them sat to one side in silence.
As they sat there, the
Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, "Lord, there are
some brahmans and contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. They expound
and glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others,
they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, and
disparage them. And then other brahmans and contemplatives come to
Kesaputta. They expound and glorify their own doctrines, but as for
the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show
contempt for them, and disparage them. They leave us absolutely
uncertain and in doubt: Which of these venerable brahmans and
contemplatives are speaking the truth, and which ones are lying?"
"Of course you are
uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there are
reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas,
don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by
logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through
pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This
contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that,
'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy;
these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when
adopted and carried out, lead to harm and to suffering' — then you
should abandon them.
"For harm, lord."
"And this greedy
person, overcome by greed, his mind possessed by greed, kills living
beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife,
tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for
long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"Now, what do you
think, Kalamas? When aversion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this aversive
person, overcome by aversion, his mind possessed by aversion, kills
living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's
wife, tells lies, and
induces others to do
likewise, all of which is for long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"Now, what do you
think, Kalamas? When delusion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this deluded
person, overcome by delusion, his mind possessed by delusion, kills
living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's
wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is
for long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"So what do you
think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"
"Unskillful, lord."
"Blameworthy or
blameless?"
"Blameworthy, lord."
"Criticized by the
wise or praised by the wise?"
"Criticized by the
wise, lord."
"When adopted and
carried out, do they lead to harm and to suffering, or not?"
"When adopted and
carried out, they lead to harm and to suffering. That is how it
appears to us."
"So, as I said,
Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by
scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by
agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought,
"This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for
yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these
qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the
wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to harm and
to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it
said. And in reference to this was it said.
"Now, Kalamas, don't
go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical
conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through
pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This
contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that,
'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these
qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and
carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness' — then you should
enter and remain in them.
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of greed arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this ungreedy
person, not overcome by greed, his mind not possessed by greed,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of aversion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this unaversive
person, not overcome by aversion, his mind not possessed by aversion,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of delusion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this undeluded
person, not overcome by delusion, his mind not possessed by delusion,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"So what do you
think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"
"Skillful, lord."
"Blameworthy or
blameless?"
"Blameless, lord."
"Criticized by the
wise or praised by the wise?"
"Praised by the wise,
lord."
"When adopted and
carried out, do they lead to welfare and to happiness, or not?"
"When adopted and
carried out, they lead to welfare and to happiness. That is how it
appears to us."
"So, as I said,
Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by
scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by
agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought,
"This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for
yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful; these qualities
are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these
qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and to
happiness" — then you should enter and remain in them.' Thus
was it said. And in reference to this was it said.
"Now,
Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of
greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, and resolute — keeps
pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second
direction, the third, and the fourth — with an awareness imbued
with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, and all around,
everywhere and in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an
awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable,
free from hostility, free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with compassion. Thus he
keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in every
respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with
compassion: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with appreciation. Thus
he keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in
every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued
with appreciation: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from
hostility, free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with equanimity. Thus he
keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in every
respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with
equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"Now,
Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus
free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, and pure —
acquires four assurances in the here-and-now:
"'If there is a world
after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly and wrongly
done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body,
after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly
world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.
"'But if there is no
world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly and
wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with
ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.'
This is the second assurance he acquires.
"'If evil is done
through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done
no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the
third assurance he acquires.
"'But if no evil is
done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both respects.'
This is the fourth assurance he acquires.
"One who is a
disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility,
free from ill will, undefiled, and pure — acquires these four
assurances in the here-and-now."
"So it is, Blessed
One. So it is, O One Well-gone. One who is a disciple of the noble
ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will,
undefiled, and pure — acquires four assurances in the here-and-now:
"'If there is a world
after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly and wrongly
done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body,
after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly
world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.
"'But if there is no
world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly and
wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with
ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.'
This is the second assurance he acquires.
"'If evil is done
through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done
no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the
third assurance he acquires.
"'But if no evil is
done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both ways.'
This is the fourth assurance he acquires.
"One who is a
disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility,
free from ill will, undefiled, and pure — acquires these four
assurances in the here-and-now.
"Magnificent, lord!
Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned,
to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to
carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms,
in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of
reasoning — made the Dharma clear. We go to the Blessed One for
refuge, to the Dharma, and to the Sangha of monks. May the Blessed
One remember us as lay followers who have gone to him for refuge,
from this day forward, for life."
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One, on a
wandering tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks,
arrived at Kesaputta, a town of the Kalamas. The Kalamas of Kesaputta
heard it said, "Gotama the contemplative — the son of the
Sakyans, having gone forth from the Sakyan clan — has arrived at
Kesaputta. And of that Master Gotama this fine reputation has spread:
'He is indeed a Blessed One, worthy, and rightly self-awakened,
consummate in knowledge and conduct, well-gone, a knower of the
cosmos, an unexcelled trainer of those persons ready to be tamed,
teacher of human and divine beings, awakened, blessed. He has made
known — having realized it through direct knowledge — this world
with its devas, maras, and brahmas, its generations with their
contemplatives and brahmans, their rulers and common people; has
explained the Dharma admirable in the beginning, admirable in the
middle, admirable in the end; has expounded the holy life both in its
particulars and in its essence, entirely perfect, surpassingly pure.
It is good to see such a worthy one.'"
So the Kalamas of
Kesaputta went to the Blessed One. On arrival, some of them bowed
down to him and sat to one side. Some of them exchanged courteous
greetings with him and, after an exchange of friendly greetings and
courtesies, sat to one side. Some of them sat to one side having
saluted him with their hands palm-to-palm over their hearts. Some of
them sat to one side having announced their name and clan. Some of
them sat to one side in silence.
As they sat there, the
Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, "Lord, there are
some brahmans and contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. They expound
and glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others,
they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, and
disparage them. And then other brahmans and contemplatives come to
Kesaputta. They expound and glorify their own doctrines, but as for
the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show
contempt for them, and disparage them. They leave us absolutely
uncertain and in doubt: Which of these venerable brahmans and
contemplatives are speaking the truth, and which ones are lying?"
"Of course you are
uncertain, Kalamas. Of course you are in doubt. When there are
reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas,
don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by
logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through
pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This
contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that,
'These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy;
these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when
adopted and carried out, lead to harm and to suffering' — then you
should abandon them.
"For harm, lord."
"And this greedy
person, overcome by greed, his mind possessed by greed, kills living
beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's wife,
tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is for
long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"Now, what do you
think, Kalamas? When aversion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this aversive
person, overcome by aversion, his mind possessed by aversion, kills
living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's
wife, tells lies, and
induces others to do
likewise, all of which is for long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"Now, what do you
think, Kalamas? When delusion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For harm, lord."
"And this deluded
person, overcome by delusion, his mind possessed by delusion, kills
living beings, takes what is not given, goes after another person's
wife, tells lies, and induces others to do likewise, all of which is
for long-term harm and suffering."
"Yes, lord."
"So what do you
think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"
"Unskillful, lord."
"Blameworthy or
blameless?"
"Blameworthy, lord."
"Criticized by the
wise or praised by the wise?"
"Criticized by the
wise, lord."
"When adopted and
carried out, do they lead to harm and to suffering, or not?"
"When adopted and
carried out, they lead to harm and to suffering. That is how it
appears to us."
"So, as I said,
Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by
scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by
agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought,
"This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for
yourselves that, "These qualities are unskillful; these
qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the
wise; these qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to harm and
to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it
said. And in reference to this was it said.
"Now, Kalamas, don't
go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical
conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through
pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, 'This
contemplative is our teacher.' When you know for yourselves that,
'These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these
qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted and
carried out, lead to welfare and to happiness' — then you should
enter and remain in them.
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of greed arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this ungreedy
person, not overcome by greed, his mind not possessed by greed,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of aversion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this unaversive
person, not overcome by aversion, his mind not possessed by aversion,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"What do you think,
Kalamas? When lack of delusion arises in a person, does it arise for
welfare or for harm?"
"For welfare, lord."
"And this undeluded
person, not overcome by delusion, his mind not possessed by delusion,
doesn't kill living beings, take what is not given, go after another
person's wife, tell lies, or induce others to do likewise, all of
which is for long-term welfare and happiness."
"Yes, lord."
"So what do you
think, Kalamas: Are these qualities skillful or unskillful?"
"Skillful, lord."
"Blameworthy or
blameless?"
"Blameless, lord."
"Criticized by the
wise or praised by the wise?"
"Praised by the wise,
lord."
"When adopted and
carried out, do they lead to welfare and to happiness, or not?"
"When adopted and
carried out, they lead to welfare and to happiness. That is how it
appears to us."
"So, as I said,
Kalamas: 'Don't go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by
scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by
agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought,
"This contemplative is our teacher." When you know for
yourselves that, "These qualities are skillful; these qualities
are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these
qualities, when adopted and carried out, lead to welfare and to
happiness" — then you should enter and remain in them.' Thus
was it said. And in reference to this was it said.
"Now,
Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — thus devoid of
greed, devoid of ill will, undeluded, alert, and resolute — keeps
pervading the first direction [the east] — as well as the second
direction, the third, and the fourth — with an awareness imbued
with good will. Thus he keeps pervading above, below, and all around,
everywhere and in every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an
awareness imbued with good will: abundant, expansive, immeasurable,
free from hostility, free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with compassion. Thus he
keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in every
respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with
compassion: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with appreciation. Thus
he keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in
every respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued
with appreciation: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from
hostility, free from ill will.
"He keeps pervading
the first direction — as well as the second direction, the third,
and the fourth — with an awareness imbued with equanimity. Thus he
keeps pervading above, below, and all around, everywhere and in every
respect the all-encompassing cosmos with an awareness imbued with
equanimity: abundant, expansive, immeasurable, free from hostility,
free from ill will.
"Now,
Kalamas, one who is a disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus
free from hostility, free from ill will, undefiled, and pure —
acquires four assurances in the here-and-now:
"'If there is a world
after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly and wrongly
done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body,
after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly
world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.
"'But if there is no
world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly and
wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with
ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.'
This is the second assurance he acquires.
"'If evil is done
through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done
no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the
third assurance he acquires.
"'But if no evil is
done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both respects.'
This is the fourth assurance he acquires.
"One who is a
disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility,
free from ill will, undefiled, and pure — acquires these four
assurances in the here-and-now."
"So it is, Blessed
One. So it is, O One Well-gone. One who is a disciple of the noble
ones — his mind thus free from hostility, free from ill will,
undefiled, and pure — acquires four assurances in the here-and-now:
"'If there is a world
after death, if there is the fruit of actions rightly and wrongly
done, then this is the basis by which, with the break-up of the body,
after death, I will reappear in a good destination, the heavenly
world.' This is the first assurance he acquires.
"'But if there is no
world after death, if there is no fruit of actions rightly and
wrongly done, then here in the present life I look after myself with
ease — free from hostility, free from ill will, free from trouble.'
This is the second assurance he acquires.
"'If evil is done
through acting, still I have willed no evil for anyone. Having done
no evil action, from where will suffering touch me?' This is the
third assurance he acquires.
"'But if no evil is
done through acting, then I can assume myself pure in both ways.'
This is the fourth assurance he acquires.
"One who is a
disciple of the noble ones — his mind thus free from hostility,
free from ill will, undefiled, and pure — acquires these four
assurances in the here-and-now.
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