06 Intellectual Training

PRACTICE

Intellectual Training

Introduction

55 Almost everybody would agree that truth is the most precious of all possessions, but as to what exactly constitutes the truth, there is little agreement. A thousand religions, sects and philosophies proclaim today, much as similar groups did at the time of the Buddha, that `this alone is truth, all else is false'.

Buddhism likewise claims that it teaches the truth, indeed, its central doctrine is called the Four Noble Truths. However rather than dogmatically claiming that its doctrines alone are

true and insisting that they be unquestioningly accepted.

Buddhism advises us how to proceed so that we can discover and know the truth for  ourselves. There are some ways of drawing conclusions from facts that are simply not valid, while there are others that are; there are some ways of proceeding information that obscure the truth, while there are others that illuminate it. Let us see what the Buddha says about the best attitudes and strategies to adopt to help us in the quest for truth.

56 Understanding and comprehension are processes, and as such, take time. Facts must be gathered, put in their proper place, considered and perhaps rearranged in the light of new facts, and this cannot be done quickly. 

Some people, anxious to convert us to their own religion, try to rush us into accepting their  beliefs without  either circumspection or forethought. They may do this because of over-enthusiasm for their own faith, but it might also be because they wish to win our allegiance before we know all the facts, facts being considered dangerous to their religion. Either way, it would be a mistake to make a quick decision.

The Buddha, of course, never tried to rush anyone into accepting his teachings, indeed, he urged less haste when he thought someone was accepting the Dhamma more out of over-enthusiasm than mature understanding. Once, after a long discussion, a man called Upali  asked to become one of the Buddha's disciples, but the Buddha said to him:

        Upali, make a proper investigation first. 

        Proper investigation is good in the case 

        of well-known people like yourself.

And we should take the same advice. The acceptance or rejection of a belief should only take place after unhurried and careful reflection.

57 Every point of view is likely to have at least two sides to it, a good side and a bad side,  strengths and weakness. The followers of any particular religion are likely to highlight arguments and evidence that support their beliefs while downplaying those that don't.

Likwise, the opponents of that religion are likely to emphasize inconsistencies and facts that are contrary to that belief, while ignoring its strengths. To get a balanced and unbiased understanding of any point of view, it is most helpful to consider both sides.

The Buddha saya:

       Not merely by making arbitrary judgements

       Does one become familiar with truth.

       The wise one is he who investigates

       Both sides of the story.

Once, during the Buddha's lifetime, a group of  monks began teaching some ideas contrary to the Dhamma. People became confused, and when they asked the Buddha whose ideas they should accept, his or the misguided monks', he gave a reply which showed his utter confidence in the truth and in people's ability to understand it. He said to them:

You should listen to the Dhamma from both sides, and having heard the Dhamma from both  sides, choose the views, the side, the persuasion and the doctrine of those who speak the Dhamma.

He did not tell them who to believe, he suggested that they listen to both points of view,  consider them carefully and then draw their own conclusion. And we likewise should do

the same.

58 Even after we have formed our beliefs, it is essential that we hold them in a flexible way,  continuing to keep our minds open.

Some people mistakenly think that being freely dogmatic and refusing even to listen to other points of  view is proof  of their conviction. After they have adopted a particular religion, they become incapable of learning anything new, of seeing their belief from any angle but their own, or of gaining a cheaper insight into their religion through interpretation. As a result, they often get involved in squabbles with others concerning what is and what is not the truth. The Buddha tells an amusing parable to illustrate this problem.

Once, there was a certain king in this very city of Savatthi. He called someone, saying: " Come, my good man, go and gather together in one place all the men in Savatthi who were born blind."

"Very good," said the man, and he did as the king commanded, and when he had done so, the king said to him: "Now, my good man, show these blind men an elephant."

"Very good," said the man, and he did as the king commanded. He presented one blind man  with the head of the elephant, one with the car, one with the tusk, another the trunk, the foot, the back, and tail and the tuft of the tail, saying to each as he did so, "O blind man, this is an elephant."

Having done this, the man went to the king and said: "Sire, the elephant has been presented to the blind men. Do what you will."

So the king went to the blind men and said to them"

O blind men, have you seen the elephant?"

"Yes, Sire, we have," said the men.

"Then tell me what an elephant is like."

"Then the one who had been presented with the head said:

"An elephant is like a pot."

The one who had been presented with the ear said:

"An elephant is like a winnowing basket."

They said the tusk was like a ploughshare, the trunk was like a plough pole, the body was like  a granary, the foot like a pillar, the back like a mortar, the tail like a pestle, and the tuft of the tail a broom.

Then they began to argue, shouting as they did:

       "It is" It is not .

       " An elephant is not like that. "

       "Yes, it is. " Soon they began to hit each other, 

       and the king was delighted with what he saw.

The meaning of this parable is clear. Those who draw their conclusions quickly and without having examined the issues fully are likely to have only a partial view of the truth, and if they close their minds and cling dogmatically to their views they will have little chance of getting a more complete understanding.

59 The Buddha's disciple Kumara Kassapa uses an equally striking parable to suggest how we might avoid this problem.

Once, all the people in acertain district left that place.

Then one man said to his friend :

       " Come, let's go to that district again; 

         we might find something of value."

His friend agree, and when they arrived in the district, they found a pile of hemp that had been thrown away in the street of a village. 

"Let's make a bundle of this and we'll take it with us," the man said to his friend, who agreed,  and they did so.

Soon, they came to another village where they found a pile of hemp cloth, and the man said  to his friend:

"This hemp cloth is what we wanted the hemp for. Let's throw away the hemp, and take the hemp cloth with us."

But the friend said: "I've already carried this hemp a long way, and besides, it's already  well tied up. I'll keep this hemp; you do as you like."

So the man threw away the hemp and carried off the hemp cloth. As the two men continued,  they found flax, linen thread,  linen cloth, cotton, cotton thread, cotton cloth, iron, copper, tin,  lead and silver, and in each case the man exchanged what he had been carrying, while his friend continued to carry the hemp.

Soon, they came to another village where they found a pile of gold, and the man said to his friend: "This gold is what we wanted all these things for. Throw away your hemp, I'll throw away my silver, and we'll take this gold with us."

But the friend said: " I've already carried this hemp a long way, and besides, it's already well tied up. I'll keep this hemp, you do as you like."

So the man threw away the silver, and carried off the gold. When they arrived back in their  own village, the man with the hemp gave no pleasure to his family or to himself, while the man with the gold gave much pleasure to both his family and himself.

A view or opinion about the much is to the truth what a photograph of a person is to that person. It is representation of the reality but it is not the reality itself. If we keep this in mind, views can help point us towards the truth, and as we proceed, we can gradually drop views and replace them with direct insights.