Belief in the Infallibility of Books of Dhamma is Not Dhamma

What is Not Dhamma : Belief in the Infallibility of Books of Dhamma is Not Dhamma. 

• The Brahmins had declared that the Vedas were not only sacred but in point of authority they were final. 
• Not only were the Vedas declared by the Brahmins to be final but they were declared by them to be infallible. 
• The Buddha was totally opposed to the Brahmins on this point. 
• He denied that the Vedas were sacred. He denied that whatever the Vedas said was final. He denied that the Vedas were infallible. 
• There were many teachers who had taken the same position as he had done. However, later on they or their followers all gave in order to win respect and goodwill from the Brahmins for their systems of philosophy. But the Buddha never yielded on this issue. 
• In the Tvijja Sutta the Buddha declared that the Vedas were a waterless desert, a pathless jungle, in fact perdition. No man with intellectual and moral thirst can go to the Vedas and hope to satisfy his thirst.
• As to infallibility of the Vedas, he said nothing is infallible, not even the Vedas. Everything, he said, must be subject to examination and re-examination.
• This he made clear in his sermon to the Kalamas. 
• Once the Blessed One, while passing through the land of the Kosalas accompanied by a large following of disciples, came to the town of Kesaputta which .was inhabited by the Kalamas.  
• When the Kalamas came to know of his arrival they betook themselves thither where the Blessed One was and sat down on one side. So seated, the Kalamas of Kesaputta spoke thus to the Blessed One :
• " There are. Lord, some ascetics and recluses who come to Kesaputta and who elucidate and exalt their own views, but they break up, crush down, revile and oppose the views of others. And there be other ascetics and recluses. Lord, who come to Kesaputta, and they too expound and magnify their own beliefs, but destroy, suppress, despise and set themselves against the beliefs of others. 
• "And so. Lord, we are in uncertainty and doubt, knowing not which among these venerable ascetics speaks truth and which falsehood." 
• " Good cause, indeed, have you Kalamas to be uncertain ; good cause have you to doubt," said the Blessed One. "Truly, upon just occasion has uncertainty and doubt arisen in you." 
• " Come, 0 you Kalamas," continued the Lord, " do not go merely by what you hear ; do not go merely by what has been handed down from one to another ; do not go by what is commonly reported ; do not go merely by what is found written in the scriptures ; do not go by subtleties of reasoning, do not go by subtleties of logic ; do not go merely by considerations based upon mere appearances ; do not go merely by agreeable beliefs and views ; do not go merely by what looks to be genuine ; do not go merely by word of some ascetic or superior." 
• "What, then, should we do? What test should we apply?" asked the Kalamas. 
• "The tests are these," replied the Blessed One; " ask. yourselves, do we know whether : ' These things are insalutary ; these things are blameworthy ; these things are reprehended by the wise ; these things being done or attempted lead to ill-being and to suffering.' '
• " Kalamas, you should go further and ask whether the doctrine taught promotes craving, hatred, delusion, and violence. 
• "This is not enough, Kalamas, you should go further and see whether the doctrine is not likely to make a man captive of his passions, and is not likely to lead him to kill living creatures ; take what has not been given to him ; go after another's wife ; utter falsehood, and cause others to practise like deeds ? 
• " And finally you should ask : ' Whether all this does not tend to his ill-being and suffering.' 20. " Now, Kalamas, what think you ? 
• "Do these things tend to man's ill-being or well-being ? "  
• -"To his ill-being, Lord," replied the Kalamas. 
• " What think you, Kalamas,—are these things salutary or insalutary ? " 
• "They are insalutary. Lord." 
• "Are these things blameworthy?" 
• " Blameworthy, Lord," replied the Kalamas. 
• " Reprehended by the wise or approved by the wise?" 
• " Reprehended by the wise," replied the Kalamas. 
• " Being done or attempted, do they lead to ill-being and to suffering ? "
• " Done or attempted, Lord, they lead to ill-being and to suffering." 
• "A scripture which teaches this cannot be accepted as final or infallible ? " 
• " No, Lord," said the Kalamas.
• " But this, 0 Kalamas, is just what I have said. What I have said is " do not go merely by what you hear; do not go merely by what has been handed down from one to another; do not go merely by subtleties of reasoning; do not go by subtleties of logic ; do not go by considerations based upon mere appearances ; do not go merely by agreeable beliefs and views ; do not go merely by the word of some ascetic or superior.
• " Only when of yourselves you indeed know : These things are insalutary ; these things are blameworthy ; these things are reprehended by the wise ; these things being done or attempted lead to ill-being and to suffering '—then, Kalamas, you should put them away." 
• " Wonderful, Lord, most wonderful! We go to Lord, the Blessed One, for refuge, and to his Teachings. As followers. Lord, may the Blessed One accept us, from this day henceforth long as life shall last, we take our refuge in you." 
• The substance of the argument is plain. Before you accept anybody's teachings as authoritative, do not go by the fact that it is contained in the scriptures, do not go by the subtleties of logic ; do not go by considerations based upon mere appearances; do not go merely by the fact that beliefs and views preached are agreeable ; do not go merely because they look to be genuine; do not go merely by the fact that the beliefs and views are those of some ascetic or superior. 
• But consider whether the beliefs and views sought to be inculcated are salutary or insalutary, blameworthy or blameless, lead to well-being or ill-being. 
• It is only on these grounds that one can accept the teachings of anybody.