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From: chee1a1@jetson.uh.edu
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Buddha Dharma and free thinking
Message-ID: <1990Dec7.011311.2389@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 7 Dec 90 01:13:11 GMT
Sender: news@nas.nasa.gov
Organization: University of Houston
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Approved: prabhu@amelia.nas.nasa.gov


 Buddha Dharma and free thinking
 
A person has the freedom to chose a way of practice according to her/his
personality etc.  Depending on the personality a person may select his/her
own method of study.  Some may study all the avaialable material, some
may just study one sutra, some may just learn only one verse, or some
may not study none but would meditate and live mindfully in order to
attain the goal.  Why all this is possible? Because Dharma is something
in existence with relative to a person. It is the individual,you and me,
who undergoes unsatisfactoriness (or dukkha), it is the individual,you 
and me, who has to follow the path, it is the individual who attains
enlightenment.  That is why Dharma is timeless, that is one reason why
it survived among humans in the world for thousands of years without
any authority figure.  It is not a law laid down by one person, Buddhas
discover it and taught it to the world, so will be the future Buddhas, 
Bodhisatvas. Furthermore, it is to be investigated by the wise, not 
something to be  spoon fed by one to another, even the Buddhas only show 
the way.  It is up to the individual to follow the way.  It is inward
leading, so to find whether another person slanders the Dharma has to
be found by within oneself through investigation and analysis.

  One fact I can admire about Buddha Dharma is the due attention and 
regard paid by the Buddha to individual capabilities. Buddha gave the
highest priority to freedom of thinking. I think the Bodhisatvas' vow 
"the Dharma gates are many... etc." shows the value of this free thinking.   

  In order to show the Buddha's attitude towards free thinking further
I would like to summarise the Kalama Sutra. (this is not an attempt to
show the superiority of one sutra over another) At the time of the Buddha,
there was a group of people in India called Kalamas.  Once they came
to see the Buddha and stated that "there are many brahmins, recluses
with different philosophies, views etc. coming to our village and
explaining their teachings fully while abusing the others' teachings.
This leads us to wavering and doubt as to which of the teachings are 
true and which are false." Buddha's reply in summary: "Kalamas be not
misled by report or tradition or hearsay. Be not mislead by proficiency 
in the presentation nor by mere logic or inference, nor after considering
reasons, nor after reflection on and approval of some theory, nor because
it fits becoming (or life style?), nor out of respect for a recluse 
(who holds it).  But Kalamas, when you know for yourselves:  These things
are unprofitable, these things are blameworthy, these things are censured
by the intelligent; these things when performed and undertaken, conduce 
to loss and sorrow, then indeed you reject them, Kalamas.
  Furthermore, in this sutra the Buddha shows what kind of mental 
characteristics can result in wholesome,happy, profitable outcomes. The
three emotions that would lead to the unwholesome,unprofitable etc. are 
greed, hatred (or malice), and delusion (or ignorance).  On the other hand,
the actions done which are not based on greed, hatred, delusion (based
on non-greed,non-hate,non-delusion) could lead to profitability
happiness etc.  Then there are explanations given as to whether a person
beleives in a life after death or not how the actions done without greed,
hatred, and delusion can be profitable, beneficial etc.

  I was trying to put the meaning of the sutra in a nutshell, I hope
 I did not distort the meaning of it ( someone else who had
 read it may be able to point them out for the benefit of the readers).
 As a matter of fact you can use the idea expressed in the sutra
 to scrutinize (or investigate the validity of) itself, but please
 read the whole sutra in context. As I stated earlier I've quoted
 and summarised it only.
 
  Some other thoughts of religious tolerance from the Buddha. "Teaching
of this Dharma is not for converting people, but for realization, for 
ending of unhappiness (unsatisfactoriness), for happiness and benefit."

  In another occasion, while in a wooded area he took leaves from the
ground to his fist and compared what he had in his hand to what he
had taught (told to the world) as opposed to the facts he understood which
is the rest of leaves in the whole world(isn't it same as the bodisatva
vows in mahayana as saying dharma gates are countless)

Restricting such a vast ocean of Dharma, which nurtures free thinking
and wisdom, by tunnel vision and authoritative statements do not 
help anyone.

In summary all different buddhist schools really reveals more and more,
while showing the essense of dharma.  Even though for some from outer
appearance these different schools may show diversity, all of them
show how the essense of dharma which runs through them as a uniting thread.


Bandula Jayatilaka