--- slug: how-to-decide title: How to Decide What to Believe subtitle: The Kalama Sutra — the Buddha's talk on thinking for yourself. Told in plain modern English. ordinal: 6 pali_name: Kalama Sutra --- The Buddha was traveling with many monks and came to a town called Kesaputta, home to a people called the Kalamas. They'd heard good things about him, so they came to meet him, and told him their doubt directly: "Teachers are always passing through here. Each one glorifies his own ideas — and tears down everyone else's. Then the next one comes through and does the same — only now it's his ideas on top and the last teacher's getting torn down. We're left not knowing what to believe: out of all these people, who's telling the truth and who's lying?" "Of course you're unsure," the Buddha said. "You're right to be — this is exactly the kind of thing worth doubting. So don't just take anyone's word for it, or believe whatever sounds convincing. Let me give you a way to know for yourself." --- ## Don't Just Take Anyone's Word For It "Here's the thing. Don't accept something as true just because — 1. You've heard it repeated a lot. 2. It's been handed down for generations. 3. 'Everybody says so.' 4. It's written in some respected book. 5. It sounds logical. 6. You can reason your way to it. 7. It seems reasonable on the surface. 8. It agrees with what you already believe. 9. The person saying it seems impressive. 10. Or 'because the teacher said so' — even if that teacher is me. None of those, on their own, make a thing true." *(These are the ten things the Buddha says not to base your belief on.)* --- ## 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? Killing, stealing, cheating, lying, 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 the reverse — no greed, no anger, no confusion — good or bad? Lead toward harm, or away from it?" "Away from it," they said. "They're good." "Right. That is the test, and it can be applied throughout 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 life with calm and goodwill, right here and now. And if there's something after this life, they're in good standing for it. If there isn't, they've still lived well and at peace, here, while they were alive. If doing harm really does catch up with those who do it, they've done none — so nothing is waiting for them. And if it never catches up with anyone, they're in the clear regardless: they did no harm, and lost nothing by living the way they did. Either way, they come out fine. There's nothing to fear in living decently and seeing clearly." The Kalamas were glad, and thanked him.