There is a phrase that is as well known as humorous, but which is used to put oneself on top of the interlocutor by arrogantly borrowing authority. There goes the grace:
» You shall not judge and you shall not be judged .»
This pearl appears in Luke 6,37 and in Matthew 7,1, that is to say, the two gospels written by the delirious Lucio Lactancio that of morals arrived at the justito; and being his own is a resulton and hooked phrase.
The human being spends the day judging. Judge everything, absolutely everything.The mechanism of marrying models is a quick judgment. Rupa gives his data and passes to Namā that conceptualizes, that is to say, applies a label to the observed phenomenon and, from there, the conscience treats it as that label.
To put a comprehensible simile. Rupa behaves like the prosecutor’s office that collects the evidence, Namā is the judge who judges that conduct as a specific criminal type and gives it to Citta, the Conscience that is the executioner that applies the punishment corresponding to that criminal type.
We do that at all times, every day. We judge how hot or cold the coffee is, how dirty the sink is, what remains of the food in the refrigerator, how stupid is the neighbor who does not answer the greeting on leaving, how beautiful the grocery seller is.We judge the taxi driver who stopped at the pedestrian crossing, how the bread was left or how bitter the chocolate is. So we walk all day, in fact, we do not do anything else and stop doing it requires a fairly demanding exercise that consists of stopping all thoughts for at least an hour, zero-based meditation.
Conceptualizing requires judgment. That is practically obligatory.
From the judgment appears the emotional reaction, of pleasant, disagreeable or indifferent that leads to stop, to flee or to ignore. This mechanism is as old as the amygdala and is present from amphibians and reptiles to humans.
Actually there are two trials, the immediate one that dictates the amygdala almost instantaneously and then, as if it were an appeal, it goes to the prefrontal cortex where, with more arguments, it is finished by reviewing the first reaction.
There are humans more amphibious than properly human. They are distinguished by quick, instantaneous and absurd responses. The cortex is stuffed to protect your valuable limbic system of bumps or bruises. This kind of specimen judges without walking with more considerations and does so for the first thing that captures or is easier to handle. Judge quickly not because you are in a hurry, but because the neural circuits usually keep them blocked and using them can cause severe headaches.
The set of procedures used to execute these quick judgments is based on the so-called fallacies . In logic, a fallacy is an argument or a postulate that seems valid, but it is not. Fallacies are committed intentionally if the listener is judged to be foolish and others because the fool is to comment on them.
The important thing is what is done, above what is said and what is said above who says it. It is clear that it is more «economic» to identify the one who says it than the one who says it, and the more economical those who say that it is not what they are doing.
And we already know that thinking is a mechanism that homo sapiens sapiens tries to avoid at all costs. Thus we see that the person is judged, if he is not known by what he says and if there is no other person, by what he does.
There are cases that would be to chuckle laughing if they were not tragic.
How many times have you seen a politician who behaves like a sultan with his harem of females kept in public positions, with a well-known ultrafeminist discourse criticizing another who says things coherent with his speech because it is not «ours» or is a «political enemy»?
The politician lives by exploiting the fallacies of fools. And it does nothing but judge and teach judging. Put friend or enemy tags and just point, and everything the friend says is good, even if it’s bad and what the enemy says is bad, even if it’s good.
It is the same as football fans. A player is great because he is on our team and he becomes the worst lame in the war veterans’ asylum just because he joined the rival team.
How many political programs are based on fallacies? How many sports cars?
It would be incredible to see a program in which a play was analyzed without naming anyone, seeing what happened and judging the facts. Incredible because nobody would see it, it would be a lot of thinking to achieve a primitive cave reaction and then sell a package of sugar dissolved in a dark mass with the label «happiness».
If they buy it for you, why waste your time on more?
The lie is rooted in the mechanism of judgment. That is why its importance is such.
Lactantius does not end his judgments here, he is the king of fallacies. In his Gospel of San Mateo 7,16-20 he says the following:
«By their fruits you will know them. Do they gather grapes from the thorns, or figs from the thorns?
Thus, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
The good tree can not bear bad fruit, nor the bad tree can bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
So, by their fruits you will know them. «
It is a song to the fallacy ad hominem , that is, to judge by the tree.
However, the Buddha gave the famous speech to the Kalamas precisely to denounce the fallacies, apart from for more things. This sutta, a true multi-faceted diamond says the following:
Collection of Discourses Grouped Numerically
The book of the Three
AN 3.65. Kesaputtiya
On one occasion, the Blessed One was touring among the Kosalans along with a large Saṅgha of monks when he arrived at the city of Kālāmas called Kesaputta. The Kālāmas of Kesaputta heard: «It is said that the ascetic Gotama, the son of the Sakyas who left a Sakyan family, has arrived in Kesaputta. Now, a good report on Master Gotama has circulated thus: ‘That Blessed One is an arahant, perfectly enlightened … as in 3:63 … and reveals a spiritual life that is perfectly complete and pure’. Now it’s good to see such arahants. «
Then the Kālāmas of Kesaputta approached the Blessed One. Some paid homage to the Blessed One and sat down to the side … as at 3:63 … some kept silent and sat down to one side. Seated aside, the Kālāmas told the Blessed One:
«Bhante, there are some ascetics and brahmins who come to Kesaputta. They explain and elucidate their own doctrines, but they despise, denigrate, mock and denounce the doctrines of others. But then some other ascetics and brahmins come to Kesaputta, and they also explain and elucidate their own doctrines, but they discredit, denigrate, mock and denounce the doctrines of others. We are perplexed and in doubt, Bhante, as to which of these good ascetics speaks truth and who speaks falsehood. «
«It is appropriate for you to be perplexed, Kālāmas, appropriate for you to be in doubt. Doubt has arisen in you about a disconcerting matter. Come, Kālāmas, do not go by the oral tradition, by the lineage of teaching, by the rumors, by a collection of scriptures, by logical reasoning, by inferential reasoning, by reasoned reflection, by the acceptance of an opinion afterwards to meditate on it, for the apparent competence of a speaker, or because you think: ‘The ascetic is our guru’.But when, Kālāmas, you yourselves know: ‘These things are not healthy; these things are guilty; these things are censored by the wise; These things, if they are accepted and undertaken, lead to harm and suffering, then you must abandon them.
«What do you think, Kālāmas? When greed arises in a person, is it for their welfare or for their harm?
«For your harm, Bhante.»
«Kālāmas, a greedy person, overcome by greed, with the mind obsessed by it, destroys life, takes what is not given, transgresses with the wife of another and speaks falsehood; and he encourages others to do the same. Will it lead to their damage and suffering for a long time?
«Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? When hatred arises in a person, is it for their welfare or for their harm? «
– «For your harm, Bhante.»
– «Kālāmas, a person who is full of hate, overcome by hate, with a mind obsessed by it, destroys life … and encourages others to do the same. Will it lead to their damage and suffering for a long time?
– «Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? When the deception arises in a person, is it for their welfare or for their damage? «
– «For your harm, Bhante.»
– «Kālāmas, a person who is deceived, overcome by illusion, with a mind obsessed by it, destroys life … and encourages others to do the same. Will it lead to their damage and suffering for a long time?
– «Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? Are these things healthy or not healthy? «-» Unhealthy, Bhante. « – «Censurable or irreproachable? «-» Censurables, Bhante. « – «Censored or praised by the wise? «-» Censored by the sage, Bhante. «Accepted and undertaken, do they lead to harm and suffering or not, or how do they take it?» – «Accepted and undertaken, these things lead to harm and suffering. So we take it. «
«Thus, Kālāmas, when we said: ‘Come, Kālāmas, do not follow the oral tradition … But when you realize:» These things are not healthy; these things are guilty; these things are censored by the wise; these things, if undertaken and practiced, lead to harm and suffering, «then you must abandon them,» this is why this was said.
«Come, Kālāmas, do not go by oral tradition, by lineage of teaching, by rumors, by a collection of scriptures, by logical reasoning, by inferential reasoning, by reasoned reflection, by acceptance of a view after meditating on it, by competition apparent from an orator, or because you think: ‘The ascetic is our guru’. But when they know for themselves: ‘These things are healthy; these things are irreproachable; these things are praised by the wise; these things, if they are accepted and undertaken, lead to well-being and happiness, then you must live according to them.
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? When non-greed arises in a person, is it for their welfare or for their harm?
– «For your welfare, Bhante.»
– «Kālāmas, a person without greed, not overcome by greed, his mind not obsessed by it, does not destroy life, takes what is not given, transgresses with the wife of another, or speaks falsehood; nor does it encourage others to do the same. Will it lead to your well-being and happiness for a long time? «
– «Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? When the non-hatred arises in a person, is it for their welfare or for their harm?
– «For your welfare, Bhante.»
– «Kālāmas, a person who has no hatred, is not overcome by hatred, his mind is not obsessed by it, does not destroy life … nor encourages others to do the same. Will that lead to your well-being and happiness for a long time?
– «Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? When the illusion does not arise in a person, is it because of their well-being or damage?
– «For your welfare, Bhante.»
– «Kālāmas, a person who has not been rejected, is not overcome by deception, his mind is not obsessed by it, does not destroy life … nor encourages others to do the same. Will that lead to your well-being and happiness for a long time?
– «Yes, Bhante.»
– «What do you think, Kālāmas? Are these things healthy or not healthy? «-» Healthy, Bhante. « – «Censurable or irreproachable? «-» Without guilt, Bhante. «» Censored or praised by the wise? «-» Praised by the sages, Bhante. « «Accepted and undertaken, do they lead to well-being and happiness or not, or how do they take it?» – «Accepted and undertaken, these things lead to well-being and happiness. So we take it. «
-Therefore, Kālāmas, when we said: ‘Come, Kālāmas, do not follow the oral tradition … But when you know for yourselves: «These things are healthy; these things are irreproachable; these things are praised by the wise; These things, if accepted and carried out, lead to well-being and happiness, «then you must live according to them,» that is why this was said.
«Then, Kālāmas, that noble disciple, who therefore has no longing, lacks ill will, is not confused, understands clearly, is always attentive, inhabits a quarter with a mind imbued with loving kindness … with an imbued mind of compassion … with a mind imbued with altruistic joy … with a mind imbued with equanimity, as well as the second quarter, the third quarter and the fourth quarter. Thus, up, down, through, and everywhere, and for all as to himself, dwells in the whole world with a mind imbued with equanimity, vast, exalted, without measure, without enmity, without ill will.
This noble disciple, Kālāmas, whose mind is thus without enmity, without ill will, uncontaminated and pure, has gained four guarantees in this very life.
«The first guarantee that he has won is this: ‘If there is another world, and if there is the fruit and the result of good and bad actions, it is possible that, with the disintegration of the body, after death, I will be reborn. in a good destiny, in a celestial world «.
«The second guarantee that he has won is this: ‘If there is no other world, and there is no fruit and result of good and bad actions, still here, in this same life, I remain in happiness, without enmity and without ill will, free of problems.
«The third security that he has gained is the following: ‘Let us suppose that evil comes to someone who does evil. Then, when I do not have bad intentions towards anyone, how can suffering afflict me, since I do not do any wrongdoing?
«The fourth security that he has gained is this: ‘Let us suppose that evil does not reach the one who does evil. So, right here, I see myself purified in both aspects.
«This noble disciple, Kālāmas, whose mind is thus without enmity, without ill will, uncontaminated and pure, has gained these four guarantees in this very life.»
«That’s right, Blessed One! That’s right, lucky! This noble disciple who has his mind in this way without enmity, without ill will, without stain, and pure, has gained four guarantees in this very life.
«The first guarantee that you have won … as before, until … The fourth security you have won is this: ‘Suppose that evil does not come upon the evil one. So, right here, I see myself purified in both aspects.
«This noble disciple, Bhante, whose mind is thus without enmity, without ill will, without spot and pure, has gained these four guarantees in this very life.
«Excellent, Bhante! … We take refuge in the Blessed One, in the Dhamma and in the Sangha of the bhikkhus. May the Blessed One consider us lay followers who from now on have taken refuge for life. «
How easy it would be to adopt this sutta and tear out the lie. First step to eradicate ignorance, the sole objective of any existence in Samsara.
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