LIGHT YOUR OWN LAMP AND WALK THE PATH YOURSELF

 LIGHT YOUR OWN LAMP AND WALK THE PATH YOURSELF – RETURNING TO THE ORIGINAL PATH OF THERAVĀDA DHAMMA

Dear noble friends,

In the Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 3.65), the Blessed One delivered to the people of Kālāma an immortal teaching — a guiding principle for the freedom of wisdom:

“Come, Kālāmas, do not go merely by what you have heard repeatedly; do not go merely by tradition; do not go merely by hearsay; do not go merely by what is found in scriptures; do not go merely by logical reasoning; do not go merely by inference; do not go merely by considering appearances; do not go merely because it agrees with your preconceived views; do not go merely because it seems acceptable; do not go merely because a teacher is respected.

But, Kālāmas, when you yourselves know: ‘These things are unwholesome; these things are blameworthy; these things are criticized by the wise; these things, when undertaken and practiced, lead to harm and suffering’ — then you should abandon them.

And when you yourselves know: ‘These things are wholesome; these things are blameless; these things are praised by the wise; these things, when undertaken and practiced, lead to welfare and happiness’ — then you should enter upon and remain in them.”

This teaching, dear friends, is not a form of negative skepticism. Rather, it is the strongest affirmation of each individual’s responsibility on the path toward awakening.

The Buddha did not want us to become blind followers, obedient believers who simply bow down and submit without understanding. He wanted us to become spiritual scientists, courageous practitioners who investigate for themselves, experience for themselves, and directly realize the truth for themselves.

A Deep Analysis of This Precious Teaching
Breaking the Chains of Authority

“Do not believe merely because of tradition, culture, scriptures, or teachers...”

These words are like a powerful hammer that breaks the chains binding our minds.

Tradition and Culture:

Many practices are covered with the appearance of “religion,” yet their true nature may only be worldly customs, sometimes mixed with superstition.

Practices such as burning paper offerings, fortune-telling, performing rituals to remove misfortune, or seeking blessings through ceremonies — do they truly lead to the ending of suffering?

Or do they merely nourish greed, fear, and attachment?

Examine and contemplate for yourself.

Scriptures:

Even scriptures, although they may contain the Buddha’s teachings, must be understood through wisdom, not through blind faith.

If one only recites and memorizes teachings without understanding their meaning and without putting them into practice, then scriptures become nothing more than lifeless words on paper.

Even worse, if one misunderstands them, clings rigidly to the words, and distorts the Buddha’s intention, then this becomes even more dangerous — like holding a poisonous snake by its tail.

Teachers:

A true teacher will point out the path, but the one who walks the path must be you.

A genuine teacher will never demand unconditional belief.

They will encourage you to “come and see” (Ehi-passiko) — to investigate and verify the truth through your own experience.

If a teacher demands absolute obedience, claims to grant supernatural power, or promises unrealistic results without requiring your own effort in practicing Sīla (Virtue), Samādhi (Concentration), and Paññā (Wisdom), then be cautious.

That is not the path of the Enlightened One.

WHERE DOES THE MEASURE OF TRUTH LIE?

The Buddha has given us a universal measure — not something found outside ourselves, but something present within each person: true benefit and genuine peace, directly experienced by oneself.

“When you yourself know clearly...” — this knowing is not the knowledge of mere theory or imagination. It is the knowledge of direct realization (Paccattaṃ veditabbo viññūhi).

Any teaching or practice that leads to the growth of unwholesome qualities — greed, hatred, and delusion; that is blameworthy because it causes harm to oneself and others; that is criticized by the wise — those who possess true understanding — and whose result is suffering and unhappiness, then regardless of what name it carries, one should have the courage to abandon it.

On the other hand, any teaching or practice that leads to wholesome qualities — non-greed, non-hatred, and non-delusion; that is free from blame; that is praised by the wise; and whose result is true happiness and peace both in the present and in the future — that is the Right Dhamma upon which we should rely.

WAKE UP AND LOOK CAREFULLY AT THE PATH YOU ARE WALKING!

Dear noble friends, be honest with yourselves.

Does the Dhamma practice you are following truly help you become:

Less greedy?
Less angry?
Less deluded?

Or does it only make you:

Becoming more confused and superstitious the more you practice?

Do you become increasingly absorbed in stories of supernatural powers, mysterious realms, mystical predictions, and prophecies, while forgetting the most important task: returning to observe, understand, and master your own body and mind?

Falling into the wrong view of praying and begging?

Do you transform the Buddha into a divine being who grants blessings, wealth, fortune, and health?

Do you use money and material offerings as a way to exchange for peace and security?

This is a profound misunderstanding of the Fully Enlightened One.

The Buddha was a great Teacher who showed the way — not a deity who distributes favors.

Buddhism is the path of Cause and Effect (Kamma) and the path of one’s own effort.

Happiness or suffering arises from our own actions and intentions. No one can practice, purify, or transform our minds on our behalf.

Seeking external power through prayers and dependence is, in reality, denying the law of Kamma and abandoning personal responsibility.

Nourishing desire and the ego?

Many practices promise wealth, power, superiority over others, or the satisfaction of subtle desires of the self.

They teach people how to “attract universal energy,” “change destiny,” or achieve worldly goals.

This is not the path of liberation.

The path taught by the Buddha is the path of:

“Renunciation, fading away of passion, and cessation.”

It is the path that makes the ego become smaller and eventually disappear — not the path that makes the ego grow larger, become decorated, and shine more beautifully.

DO NOT TURN YOURSELF INTO A NOSE-ROPE-LED OX

How unfortunate it is for those who do not have the fortunate conditions to encounter the essential teachings preserved in the Pāli Tipiṭaka, but instead wander endlessly in a vast ocean of later scriptures, mixed with interpretations influenced by external philosophies and worldly ideas.

They are like an ox with a rope through its nose, being led wherever others choose to take them — from one practice to another, from one meditation center to another, from one teacher to another “spiritual master” — completely losing their direction and drifting along the current of ignorance.

They are guided by those who may have never even read a single page of the Nikāya discourses, never practiced a complete day of Satipaṭṭhāna (the Four Foundations of Mindfulness), yet skillfully use beautiful words to attract and confuse people’s hearts.

SO WHAT IS THE TRUE PATH?

That path is neither distant nor mysterious.

It has been clearly, directly, and specifically taught by the Blessed One.

It is the Noble Eightfold Path (Ariya Aṭṭhaṅgika Magga) — the unique path leading to the ending of suffering.

The essence of this practice can be summarized in three words:

VIRTUE – CONCENTRATION – WISDOM

(Sīla – Samādhi – Paññā)

Virtue (Sīla):

Living a moral and pure life, causing no harm to oneself and no harm to others.

This is the foundation, the fertile ground where wholesome qualities can grow.

Without Sīla, the mind remains restless and disturbed, and true Samādhi cannot develop.

Concentration (Samādhi):

Training and cultivating the mind, developing stability, collectedness, and calmness through authentic meditation practices such as mindfulness of breathing (Ānāpānasati).

A mind that has become concentrated is like a lamp that is not shaken by the wind, capable of illuminating things as they truly are.

Wisdom (Paññā):

Using that concentrated mind to contemplate and investigate the true nature of this body and mind.

Seeing clearly that they are only a flowing process of phenomena subject to impermanence (anicca), unable to provide lasting satisfaction and therefore characterized by suffering (dukkha), and without any permanent “self” or unchanging soul within them (anattā).

This wisdom — this direct seeing of reality as it truly is — cuts off at the root craving and attachment, the causes of all suffering.

This is the path of investigation, the path of direct realization.

It does not demand that you blindly believe.

It invites you to come, practice, and verify the truth for yourself.

Dear noble friends,

Time waits for no one, and this human life is extremely fragile.

Do not waste this precious opportunity on unclear paths and mistaken beliefs.

Have the courage to return to the path of the Original Dhamma, the path of:

Sīla – Samādhi – Paññā.

Light your own lamp and walk forward with the light of wisdom and the strength of your own diligent effort.

The path to liberation is already beneath your feet.

May all beings soon be free from ignorance and discover the light of the True Dhamma.

With loving-kindness,
True Dhamma