The Kesamutti Sutta states (Pali expression in parentheses):
Thus, the Buddha named ten specific sources whose knowledge should not be immediately viewed as truthful without further investigation to avoid fallacies:
Instead, the Buddha says, only when one personally knows that a certain teaching is skillful, blameless, praiseworthy, and conducive to happiness, and that it is praised by the wise, should one then accept it as true and practice it. Thus, as stated by Soma Thera, the Kalama Sutta is just that; the Buddha's charter of free inquiry:
The instruction of the Kalamas (Kalama Sutta) is justly famous for its encouragement of free inquiry; the spirit of the sutta signifies a teaching that is exempt from fanaticism, bigotry, dogmatism, and intolerance.
However, as stated by Bhikkhu Bodhi, this teaching is not intended as an endorsement for either radical skepticism or as for the creation of unreasonable personal truth:
On the basis of a single passage, quoted out of context, the Buddha has been made out to be a pragmatic empiricist who dismisses all doctrine and faith, and whose Dhamma is simply a freethinker's kit to truth which invites each one to accept and reject whatever he likes.
Rather than supporting skepticism or subjective truths, in the sutta the Buddha continues to argue that the three unwholesome roots of greed, hatred and delusion lead to the opposite negative results, i.e. they are unskillful, blameworthy, etc. Consequently, behaviour based on these three roots should be abandoned. Moral judgements of actions can therefore be deduced by analysing whether these actions are based on the unwholesome roots or not.
(Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary)
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Sutta Pitaka))
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Sutta Pitaka)
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Sutta Pitaka)
(Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Sutta Pitaka)
1) Right Understanding or View- Samma Ditthi
2) Right Thoughts or Intention- Samma Samkappa
3) Right Speech- Samma Vaca
4) Right Action- Samma Kammanta
5) Right Livelihood- Samma Ajiva
6) Right Effort- Samma Vayama
7) Right Mindfulness- Samma Kammanta
8) Right Concentration- Samma Samadhi
When considered from the standpoint of practical training the Noble Eightfold Path consists of the following three groups:
1) Moral Discipline Group- Silakkandha
2) Concentration Group- Samadhikkandha
3) Wisdom Group- Pannakkandha
1) Right Understanding- Samma Ditthi
a) Right understanding of Kamma
b) Right View of the ten kinds of subjects
c) Right view of the Four Noble Truths
2) Right Intentions- Samma Samkappa
a) Intentions of renunciation- as opposed to greed and sensual desire
b)Intentions of benevolence the welfare of all beings- as opposed to illwill
c) Intentions of harmlessness for all beings- opposed to cruelty
3) Right Speech- Samma Vaca
a) Refraining from false speech
b) Refraining from slanderous speech
c) Refraining from harsh words and abusive language
d) Refraining from idle chatter and frivolous talk
4) Right Action- Samma Kammanta
a) Refraining from killing and injuring any living being
b) Refraining from taking anything nor freely given
c) Refraining from sexual misconduct and abuse of the senses
5) Right Livelihood- Samma Ajiva
Lay people should avoid the following types of livelihood:
a) Dealing in weapons and arms
b) Dealing in human beings ( Prostitution- Slavery)
c) Dealing in living beings and flesh (Butchery)
d) Dealing in intoxicating drinks
e) Dealing in poison
Lay people should refrain from wrong livelihood by means of immoral physical and verbal actions... ( Deceit, soothsaying, treachery, trickery, usury.)
6) Right Effort- Samma Vayama
a) The effort to prevent the arising of unrisen unwholesome states
b) The effort to discard unwholesome states already arisen
c) The effort to develop unrisen wholesome states
d) The effort to promote the wholesome states already arisen
7) Right Mindfulness- Samma Sati
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
a) Mindfulness of the Body
b) Mindfulness of Feelings
c) Mindfulness of Consciousness
d) Mindfulness of Mental Objects or Phenonmena
8) Right Concentration- Samma Samadhi
This is one-pointedness of the mind developed through meditation.. (Jhanas)
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