Ranjan Lekhy
In our Kesaputta,
missionaries and philosophers,
brahmans and shramans
come to preach and dwell,
but they come up with
fewer facts more surreal.
Each of them proclaims
their doctrine to uphold,
while others’
they scorn and scold.
O Buddha, wise and kind!
Please, guide us
with your awakened mind.
In this maze of clashing views,
Show us the path
that we should choose.
Perplexed and lost,
we ask of you,
who speaks false
and who speaks true?
Guide us through
this tangled plight,
help us find ‘the path of light’.
Thus the Tathagata
Buddha spoke to the Kalamas:
Do not believe in rumors
that spread like blaze
in the forest.
For truth is not always found
in words we trust,
but rather in the queries
of who, what, why, where,
which and how are just.
Just ask, no need to fear
never fear!
Do not believe in traditions
that are old and worn,
just because they are here
before you were born.
Every thing is transitory
take nothing personal, you see
lest you be bound by dogma
blinded by decree.
Ask appropriate questions
Good question has good answer
so we need not fear
never fear!
Our elders may speak
with voices aged and wise
but their teachings sometimes
may not satisfy.
New era and new situations
hence new problems arise.
need modern solutions.
New science, new technologies
by embracing progress,
we thrive.5.
Do not believe in words of gurus
just because they’re spoken
with conviction and certainty.
And do not be hypnotized
by their magic and miracle
nor swayed by their
Personality and popularity
nor by empty rhetoric and spin.
Look beyond the surface,
without pride and prejudice,
seek the truth beyond axiom.
In every sacred texts,
one may find words so divine,
but simply believing
without reason,I decline.
For knowledge must be sought,
extraordinary claims
need extraordinary evidence.
lest we fall prey to a dogmatic mind.
Dhamma means to awaken
not deluding one’s mind.
Logical reasoning,
critical thinking’s powerful tool.
Yet relying upon sole it
but don’t be its fool.
False proposition
leads to false conclusion.
Four limits of logic:
Partial truth, Language,
Uncertainty and Perception.
In short,
do not believe
in anything at all,
new or old
until you’ve sought and found
the evidence and proofs
experimented and tested
with care all around.
Empirical knowledge is powerful,
when it is free of error, and clear
Adopt it and promote it
if it serves welfare .
SAJ, Bahia, Brazil
May 5th, 2024
