T h e B u d d h a ’s W i s d o m a n d C o m p a s s i o n 1 2 1
to say, ‘I will not have this arrow taken out until I know whether the person who had shot it was a priest, a prince or a merchant, his name and his family. I will not have it taken out until I know what kind of bow was used and whether the arrowhead was an ordinary one or an iron one.’ That person would die before all these things are ever known to him.” In the same way, those who say they will not practise the Dharma until they know whether the world is eternal or not, infinite or not, will die before these questions are ever answered. The Buddha did not answer these questions because they are not relevant to the problems of suffering, nor do they lead to happiness, peace and Enlightenment. Whether one believes that the world is eternal or not, or that it is infinite or not, one has to face the reality of birth, old age, sickness, death and suffering. The Buddha explained suffering, the cause of suffering, the end of suffering and the path leading to the end of suffering here and now. The Buddha taught the Four Noble Truths because He knew that they lead to happiness, peace and Enlightenment.
The Importance of Critical Thinking In the Buddha’s days, there were so many different religious teachings that the people did not know which teaching to follow. Once, when the Buddha visited a village, the inhabitants (the Kalamas) told Him, “There are teachers who visit our village, who explain their own teachings and condemn the teachings of others. Then others come and they too explain their own teachings and condemn the teachings of others. So we are always troubled as we are not certain which of these teachers has spoken the truth and which has spoken falsely.”