The Kalama Sutta Revisited

Having discussed the Guru Business, we're now in a position to read the whole Kalama Sutta in context:

1. The Kalamas of Kesaputta come to the Buddha with a request to resolve the conflicting teachings of their various (obviously unskillful!) gurus.
2. The Buddha begins his resolution of their confusion with the first half of Buddha's Warning Label, and then leads them through the Three Poisons and their associated unskillful actions (akusala-kamma), thereby convincing them that these qualities are to be abandoned.
3. The Buddha then repeats the first half of the Warning Label, then gives the second half, and proceeds to explain that abandonment of the Three Poisons and their associated unskillful actions leads to welfare and happiness.
4. After repeating the second half of the warning label, the Buddha proceeds to an exposition of the Four Immeasurables.
5. He then gives the Four Assurances.
6. The Sutta ends with the Kalamas praising the insight of the Buddha and taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (much more about this later).

The Guru Business

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

In the previous post, I listed some sources of printed information that you could use in step (3). It can also be useful to receive teachings in printed or spoken form from qualified teachers. As Je Tsongkhapa says in Foundation of all Perfections:

Following a kind master, foundation of all perfections,
Is the very root and basis of the path.
Inspire me to see this clearly
And to make every effort to follow well.

As quoted by the Dalai Lama in The Path to Enlightenment, the Third Dalai Lama in Essence of Refined Gold lists four ways that a well qualified and motivated spiritual guide (Tibetan lama, Sanskrit guru) can benefit trainees: (i) by providing supportive generosity (we'll cover the types of generosity later); (ii) by inspiring through gentleness and cheerfulness; (iii) by providing teaching and encouragement; and (iv) by providing a living example of the teachings.

We have all heard of incidents where such guides, under the influence of one or more of the Three Poisons, have abused students verbally, mentally, physically or sexually. Fortunately, the Lam Rim teachings provide us with several ways of protecting ourselves from such abuse:

1. Observe the teacher's behavior. Is it consistent with the list above?
2. Check whether the teacher is qualified. Here's the Lam Rim job description from the Third Dalai Lama; you could also apply it mutatis mutandis to teachers in other traditions:
   • The teacher's mindstream is: tamed with realization of the higher training in ethical discipline; stilled with realization of the higher training in meditation; completely tempered with realization of the higher training in wisdom.
   • The teacher has authoritative scriptural learning.
   • The teacher is in possession of an awareness that can perceive emptiness.
   • The teacher has more learning and realization than the disciples.
3. Check the teacher's attitude, as prescribed in the job description:
   • skill and spontaneous creativity in applying the methods for generating progress in disciples;
   • a pure motivation free from grasping for wealth, fame or power;
   • enthusiasm and joy in giving time and energy to teaching;
   • diligence and perseverance in teaching;
   • beyond losing patience with students who practice poorly.

As I said previously, I have found the Dalai Lama and Gelek Rimpoche to be highly qualified spiritual guides by these criteria. I am sure there are many more, but the evaluation and choice should always be that of the student, not the teacher. As Gelek Rimpoche has said many times, "If somebody says to you, 'I am your guru' - run away as fast as you can! Run a hundred miles away!'

As Christians, we can see that Jesus was a supremely qualified spiritual guide, and in that respect we can certainly follow the Third Dalai Lama's final advice on this subject:

If you can find a guru possessing these... qualities,
beg for the teachings.
And then follow them well.

...let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith....
-- Hebrews 12:1,2

Reliable Sources

I've found the following procedure to be useful in attaining the benefits of spiritual teachings: (1) establish a good motivation; (2) stabilize your mind through meditation; (3) get the information; (4) establish an appropriate practice through analysis, synthesis, resolution and dedication.

Here are some sources of information that you should find useful in step (3):

• A well-annotated study Bible such as The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha
• A good Biblical reference work such as the Oxford Companion to the Bible
• The root texts for our Lam Rim study: The Three Principles of the Path and The Foundation of all Perfections.
• A reliable translation of Shantideva's Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life
• Access to Insight for translations and explanations of the Tipitaka (the Pali Canon)
• A good introductory Lam Rim text such as the The Path To Enlightenment by the Dalai Lama or The Three Principles of the Path by Gelek Rimpoche (I consider any of the teachings of these two great teachers to be authoritative)
• Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand by Pabongka Rinpoche for a deep, well-indexed reference to the Lam Rim as traditionally taught in Tibet in 1921.

NEXT: The Guru Business

The Three Poisons

In contrast to the Four Immeasurables, in the Kalama Sutta the Buddha also enumerates three "root (mula) defilements (kilesa)" that are the causes of unskillful actions (akusala-kamma). You can see Buddha's enumeration of five such actions in the excerpt below. These actions lead in turn to "harm & suffering" (dukkha).

The Lam Rim has a lot more to say about these "Three Poisons" and their antidotes. In the meantime, here are a few thoughts from the Bible on the subject:

But those who want to be rich fall into temptation
and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires
that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,
and in their eagerness to be rich
some have wandered away from the faith
and pierced themselves with many pains.
-- 1 Timothy 6:9,10

"You have heard that it was said,
"You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
so that you may be children of your Father in heaven...."
-- Matthew 5:43-45a

...you must no longer live as the Gentiles live,
in the futility of their minds.
They are darkened in their understanding,
alienated from the life of God
because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
-- Ephesians 4:17b,18

"What do you think, Kalamas? When greed arises in a person, does it arise for welfare or for harm?"
"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 & 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 & 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 & 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 & carried out, do they lead to harm & to suffering, or not?"
"When adopted & carried out, they lead to harm & 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 & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering" — then you should abandon them.' Thus was it said. And in reference to this was it said....

".... 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 & happiness."
"Yes, lord...."

"Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas" (AN 3.65).
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.
Access to Insight, 30 November 2013