Jangan Percaya Begitu Saja

As they sat there, the Kalamas of Kesaputta said to the Blessed One, “Lord, there are some priests & contemplatives who come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. And then other priests & contemplatives come to Kesaputta. They expound & glorify their own doctrines, but as for the doctrines of others, they deprecate them, revile them, show contempt for them, & disparage them. They leave us absolutely uncertain & in doubt: Which of these venerable priests & 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 & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering’ — then you should abandon them. (Anguttara Nikaya III.65, Kalama Sutta)

Salah satu hal yang membuat gw kagum kepada Sang Buddha Gautama adalah ajaran-Nya yang menyarankan untuk selalu tidak percaya begitu saja terhadap segala informasi, termasuk terhadap ajaran-Nya sendiri 🙂 Semuanya harus dipelajari dulu dengan seksama. Kalau informasi atau ajaran itu dirasa tidak berguna, tercela, dapat mengakibatkan kerugian dan penderitaan, sudah selayaknya tidak diterima atau dipercaya. Demikian sebaliknya. Bagaimana menurut Anda? 🙂

Oh ya, Selamat Memperingati Hari Tri Suci Waisak 2549 bagi seluruh umat Buddha. Happy Vesak! May all beings live in happiness 🙂