[Buddha-l] The authentic Buddha

[curt]

Thanks to Franz for not only bringing up the Kalama Sutta - but also 
providing a link directly to it. The formula beginning with "do not be 
led by rumor....." is repeated multiple times in the the Sutta - but the 
first time it is part of a conditional which begins "When there are 
reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don't 
go by reports, by legends, by traditions ......" The conditional part is 
left off in subsequent repetitions of the formula - but it seems clear 
that all of the repetitions refer directly back to the first one.

So I would say that the Buddha, at least in this one incident, is not 
making a blanket statement. He is replying to a very specific kind of 
question of the general form "Different teachers have told us different 
things. They not only have different teachings, but they criticize each 
other as well. How are we to decide who is right?" One way to read this 
is that clearly the Kalamas are already skeptical - they don't need 
Buddha or anyone else to encourage them to be skeptical. So the Buddha 
is not, according to this reading, encouraging skepticism, rather he is 
encouraging precisely the opposite of Skepticism with a capital "S", 
which holds that absolute truth is unknowable with absolute certainty. 
He is telling them that it is in fact possible "to know for yourselves". 
And then he proceeds to lead them by the nose through a series of 
question and answers that are actually far from obvious - until they all 
become his students in the end.

So even though he never says so outright, the Buddha's answer to the 
question "How do we decide who is right?" Boils down to, "well, that's 
easy - I am."

The page that Franz provided a link to contains a further link to a talk 
by Bikkhu Bodhi, who knows a lot more than I do, and expresses himself 
much better. Bikkhu Bodhi's take on it is different from mine. In 
particular he is far more convinced of the obviousness of the question 
and answer part - the part that leads up to the Kalamas all deciding 
that the Buddha is right and all those other teachers are wrong.

- Curt


Franz Metcalf wrote:

> John,
>
> You ask a brave question in a brave way. And you've received the 
> unusually open and non-combative answers your honesty deserves.
>
> For my part, I'll echo Jim Peavler: those of us not pursuing chimeric 
> absolutes find our authenticity in movement toward what we perceive of 
> as good, even "the good." Without absolutes against which to measure, 
> we can only guess at the worth of ourselves and our practices. This is 
> dukkha, but, then again, we're not vulnerable to critique from the 
> (imagined) absolute perspectives of others--nor to the accusation 
> (even from within) of being in bad faith. In this desperate situation 
> authenticity derives from our work and our honesty about it. When 
> we're working and genuinely seem to ourselves to be making progress, 
> then we are in integrity and we are authentic.
>
> But you know all this.
>
> Perhaps what you really want is a passage from some Buddhist canon 
> that permits, even blesses, this blind stumbling. I want that, too. 
> Here are two that absolutely will not satisfy you. The first is 
> hackneyed, the second is extra-canonical, and neither really says 
> "love God and do as you will."
>
>    Do not be led by rumor, or tradition, or hearsay. Do not be led by the
>    authority of religious scripture, nor by simple logic or inference, 
> nor by
>    mere appearance, nor by the pleasure of speculation, nor by vague
>    possibilities, nor by respect for “Our Teacher.” When you’ve seen for
>    yourself “these teachings are skillful, blameless, wise; when followed
>    they lead to good and happiness,” then stay with them.
>    --Kalama Sutta AN, III, 65. For another translation see:
>    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/anguttara/an03-065.html
>
>    I really do not know whether the nembutsu may be the cause for my
>    birth in the Pure Land, or the act that shall condemn me to hell. 
> But I
>    have nothing to regret, even if I should have been deceived by my
>    teacher, and, saying the nembutsu, fall into hell. The reason is 
> that if
>    I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices
>    and yet fell into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire 
> regrets
>    for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any
>    religious practice, hell is my only home.
>    --Shinran, from the Tannisho, section 2
>
> Maybe genuine relativists shouldn't go looking for blessings, even 
> from Buddhas. But a breezy practice is at least an open practice. And 
> if there's no absolute Buddha out there, we can still bow to our 
> lovely longing for it.
>
> In gassho,
>
> Franz
>
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