What the  Buddha  Taught
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    It is always a question of knowing and seeing, and not that of believing.   'The teaching

of the Buddha is qualified as ebi-passika, inviting you to 'come and see' but not to come

and believe.

      The expressions used everywhere in Buddhist texts referring to persons who realized

Truth are:    'The dustless and stainless Eye of Truth (Dhamma-cakkhu) has arisen.   'He

has seen Truth, has attained Truth, has known Truth, has penetrated into Truth, has crossed over doubt, is without wavering,'   'Thus with right wisdom he sees it as it is (yatha

bbutam). With reference to his own Enlightenment the Buddha said:   'The eye was born,

knowledge was born, wisdom was born, science was born, light was born.     It is always seeing  through knowledge or wisdom (nana-dassana), and not believing through faith.

             This was more and appreciated at a time when Brahmanic orthodoxy intolerantly insisted on believing and accepting their tradition and authority as the only Truth without

question.   Once a group of learned and well-known Brahmins went to see the Buddha and had a long discussion with him.     One of the group, a Brahmin youth of 16 years of age, named Kapathika,considered by them all to be an exceptionally brilliant mind, put a

question to the Buddha:

   'Venerable Gotama, there are the ancient holy scriptures of the Brahmins banded down

along the line by unbroken oral tradition of texts.   With regard to them, Brahmins come to

the absolute conclusion:   "This alone is Truth, and everything else is false."   Now, what

does the Venerable Gotama say about this?.  

    The Buddha inquired:   'Among Brahmins is there any one single Brahmin who claims

that he personally knows and sees that

  "This alone is Truth, and everything elese is false.:?.

    The young man was frank, and said:  'No'   "Then, is there any one single teacher, or a

teacher of teachers of Brahmins back to the seventh generation, or even any one of those

original authors of those scriptures, who claims that he knows and he sees:   "This alone is Truth, and everything elese is false"?.   'No'

      'Then it is like a line of blind men, each holding on to the preceding one; the first one

does not see, the middle one also does not see, the last one also does not see.   Thus, it

seems to me that the state of the Brahmins is like that of a line of blind men.

  Then the Buddha gave advice of extreme importance to

the group of Brahmins:   'It is not proper for a wise man who maintains (lit. protects) truth

to come to the conclusion:    "This alone is Truth, and everything elseis false".

      Asked by the youngBrahmin to explain the idea of maintaining or protecting truth, the

Buddha said:   'A man has a faith.  If he says  "This is my faith", so far he maintains truth.

But by that  he cannot proceed to the  absolute conclusion:   "This a lone is  'Truth', and

everything else is false".  'In other words, a man may believe what he likes, and he may say  'I believe this'.  So far he respects truth.  But because of his belief or faith, he should

not say that what he believes is alone the Truth, and everything else is false.

      The Buddha says:   "To be attached to one thing (to a certain view) and to look down

 upon other things (views) as inferior this the wise men call a fetter. 

        Once the Buddha explained the doctrine of cause and effect to his diciles, and they said that  they saw it and understood it clearly.   Then the Buddha said:

    'O bhikkhus, even this view, which is so pure and so clear, if you cling to it, if you findle

it, if you treasure it, if you are attached to it, then you do not understand that the teaching

is similar to a raft, which is for crossing over, and not for getting hold of.

   Elsewhere the Buddha explains this famous simile in which his teaching is compared to

a raft for crossing over, and not for getting hold of and carrying on one,s back:

    " O bhikkhus, a man is on a journey.  He comes to a vast stretch of water.  On this side

the shore is dangerous, but on the other it is safe and without danger, nor is there any bridge for crossing over.   He say to himself:   "This sea of water is vast, and the shore on

this side is full of danger; but on the other shore it is safe and without danger.    No boat

goes to the other side. nor is there a bridge for crossing over.   It would be good therefore

if I would gather grass, wood, branches and leaves to make a raft, and with the help of the raft cross over safely to the other side, everting myself with my hands and feet".  Then

that man, O bhikkhus, gathers grass, wood, branches and leaves and makes a raft, and

with the help of that raft cross over safely to the other side, everting himself with his hand

and feet.   Having crossed over and got to the other side, he thibnks:     "This raft was of great help to me.   With its aid I have crossed safely over to this side, everting myself with

 my hands and feet.      It would  be good if I carry this raft on my head or on my back wherever I go".

            'What do you think, O bhikkhus, if he acted in this way would that man be acting properly with regard to the raft?. "No. Sir". In which way then would he be acting properly

with regard to the raft?.    Having crossed and gone over to the other side, suppose that man should think:   "This raft was a great help to me.     With its aid I have crossed safely

over to this side, everting myself with my hands and feet.    It would be good if I beached this raft on the shore, or moored it and left it afloat, and then went on my way wherever it

may be".   Acting in this way would that man act properly with regard to that raft.

'In the same manner, O bhikkhus, I have taught a doctrine similar to a raft it is for crossing over, and not for carrying (lit, getting hold of). You, O bhikkhus, who understand that the teaching is simmilar to a raft, should give up

even good things (dhamma); how much more then should you give up evil things (dhamma)

   From this parable it is quite clear that Buddha,s teaching is meant to carry man to sefty,

peace, happiness, tranquillity, the attainment of Nirvana.     The whole doctrine taught by

the Buddha leads to this end.     He did not say things just to satisfy intellectual curiosity.

He was a practical teacher and taught and taught only those things which would bring peace and happiness to man.

       The Buddha was once staying in a Simsapa forest in Kosambi (near Allahabad).  He

 took a few leaves into his hand, and asked his disciples:     'What do you think, O bhik-

khus?.    Which is more?.    These few leaves in my hand or the leaves in the forest over

here?.          'Sir, very few are the leaves in the hand of the Blessed One, but indeed the leaves, in the Simsapa forest over here are very much more abandant.

       'Ever so, bhikkhus, of what I have known I have told you only a little, what I have not

told you is very much more.   And why have I not told you (those things)?.   Because that

is not told you those things.

        It is futile, as some scholars vainly try to do, for us to speculate on what the Buddha

knew but did not tell us.       The Buddha was not interested in discussing unnecessary metaphysical questions which are purely apeculative and which create imaginary problems.   He considered them as a wilderness of opinions.      It seems that there were

among his own disciples who did ot appreciate this attitude of his.      For, we have the example of one of them,  Malunkyaputta by name, who put the Buddha ten well-known

classical questions on metaphysical problems and demanded answers.