The Buddha on Belief
from the Kalama Sutta
“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe simply because it has been handed down for many generations. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is written in Holy Scriptures. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of Teachers, elders or wise men. Believe only after careful observation and analysis, when you find that it agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all. Then accept it and live up to it.”
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Published by Nancy E. Shaffer
NANCY E. SHAFFER has been an experimental psychologist (M.A., Cognitive Psychology, Rice University), a philosopher (Ph.D., History and Philosophy of Science, University of California, Davis), and software developer. She taught history and philosophy of science at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec and the University of Nebraska Omaha.
Her philosophical work has appeared in the journal Philosophy of Science and her pop-culture philosophy website, All Things Philosophical on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel: the Series.
Dis/inhbition is her first novel.
She currently resides in Tempe, Arizona.
View all posts by Nancy E. Shaffer
Author Nancy E. Shaffer 
Ah, the basis and/or solution of my spiritual crisis! Thanks for posting this, Masq. It’s good for me to remember that not all wisdom comes from the Bible. Hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to copy this and put it into my own LJ 🙂
Interesting… what was on your mind Masq?
And I have another question. Are you interested in visiting other posting groups? I’ve seen you mention that you don’t a couple of times…
A Look at the Kalama Sutta Bhikkhu Bodhi http://www.abhidhamma.org/kalamalook.html
Depends on what they post about
Good conversation on a variety of topics? Sure. New friends? Sure!
But I don’t want to go to other Buffy/Angel boards. Kind of burnt out on that whole thing.
I just really liked that quote
It sums up a personal philosophy of mine. : )
Re: I just really liked that quote
Condensing. I can understand that about the discussion groups. You’re already looking at writing… what else are you interested in curious about?
The quote just brought back a memory of my junior high school art teacher who told me to never stop questioning and that it would be hard. He also gave me a book on Nietzsche. He thought that it was an uncommon quality but he was the first that I remember, other than my father, who encouraged me to do so.
Nietzsche…
As a way to encourage a junior-high school girl to think for herself? Interesting…
There aren’t a lot of topics I’m specifically interested in. I like to talk about all sorts of things. However, I am pretty averse to talking about politics, current events and other… practical things. : )
Don’t mind at all!
Re: Nietzsche… We love life, not because we are used to living but because we are used to loving.
Well he was an interesting and unusual man a sculptor with gleaming black eyes and a physicality that I can only descirbe a Hecule Poiret like. He gift interest which because it was so different than my own three to two dimensional leanings also gave me respect for him. In his class I made a Golem with an earthy greengolddeepbrowns transmuting glaze which is one of the few pieces from those days. Think my folks still have it. It’s heavy in your hand and very solid, features blurred yet very present. My personal philosophical leanings were very raw and romantic but who knows what he thought? I suspect from my own experiences that just being given the opportunity to seed is a reward in and of itself. A gift to the future. I’d best scoot I’m droning again! Just winding down watching QotD and lestat… I warned you I have horrible taste! So maybe you won’t want to try the Matrix! I’ll let yu nw what I think of Reloaded though. Have you seen anything recently that you’d recommend?
I love Queen of the Damned!
I actually thought the Lestat in QoTD was better than Tom Cruise in Interview with the Vampire. More sensual, menacing.
Both Anne Rice movies are entertaining, IMO.
“Tuck Everlasting”
See my recent review of it in LJ if you haven’t already.
I think next I’m going to start looking into Vincent Kartheiser movies. I enjoyed his acting on “Angel” and wonder what he would be able to do with some less two-dimensional material. ; )
Off to go hang with friends for the evening!