Do Not Call Others "Superstitious" If You Yourself Were Once the Same

 DO NOT CALL OTHERS "SUPERSTITIOUS" IF YOU YOURSELF WERE ONCE THE SAME

There is something worth reflecting on.

Many people are quick to label others as "superstitious," yet very few have the courage to turn inward and examine themselves.

We laugh at those who consult fortune tellers.

But have we never done the same?

We smile at those who believe in astrology or feng shui.

But have we never believed that an auspicious date, a favorable direction, or a birth chart could determine the course of our lives?

We criticize those who perform rituals to dispel misfortune, burn paper offerings, draw fortune sticks, or pray for wealth and success.

But have we never believed that rituals, ceremonies, or prayers alone could erase the results of kamma?

If the answer is yes, then let us not be so quick to call others "superstitious."

For we ourselves have once walked that very same path.

The truth is that most of us were not born with Right View (Sammā-diṭṭhi).

We were born into cultures where we were taught from childhood to perform rituals, pray for blessings, choose auspicious dates, consult fortune tellers, believe in astrology, feng shui, and various practices said to remove misfortune.

These beliefs were handed down through generations by families, communities, and cultural traditions.

We believed them not because we had directly seen the truth for ourselves,

but because everyone around us believed them.

Therefore, having once been superstitious is not something to be ashamed of.

What is truly regrettable is to encounter the True Dhamma and yet still be unwilling to let go of beliefs that the Buddha never taught in the Nikāyas.

Let us honestly ask ourselves.

Have we ever consulted fortune tellers?

Have we ever believed that astrology or feng shui could determine our destiny?

Have we ever thought that rituals or offerings could erase kamma?

Have we ever prayed to a higher being for blessings, wealth, or a better fate?

If the answer is yes, then remember:

The person who is still caught in superstition today is not fundamentally different from who we once were.

The difference is not intelligence.

Nor is it moral worth.

The difference is supporting conditions.

Some people simply have not yet encountered the conditions necessary to hear the True Dhamma.

Just as we ourselves had not in the past.

For this reason, one who studies the Dhamma should never use Right View as a weapon.

One should not use one's understanding to mock those who are still lost.

Nor should one nourish conceit with the thought:

"I am right, and they are wrong."

For the very moment such conceit arises, ignorance is still present—only in a different form.

A person established in Right View does not despise those who are superstitious.

Instead, they understand that all wrong views arise from ignorance.

And ignorance can only be ended through wisdom—not through ridicule, contempt, or argument.

The Buddha did not appear in the world to establish another system of belief.

He did not teach people to seek salvation through prayer.

He did not promise blessings.

He did not take away anyone's kamma.

He did not change anyone's destiny.

What He taught was the path leading to the end of suffering through Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration.

There are no miracles on this path.

There are only cause and effect.

There is no salvation granted from outside.

There is only transformation through the purification of one's own mind.

If today you have encountered the True Dhamma, this is not a reason for pride.

It is a reason for gratitude.

Gratitude that you now have the rare conditions to see what you yourself could not see before.

Therefore, instead of asking,

"How long will that person remain superstitious?"

Ask yourself,

"What beliefs do I still hold today that the Buddha never actually taught?"

That is the question of one who is sincerely practicing the Dhamma.

One who is awakening does not spend life proving that others are wrong.

One spends life uprooting the remaining wrong views within one's own mind.

For the greatest victory is not winning an argument.

The greatest victory is overcoming ignorance within oneself.