13. Freedom of thought.

At times referred to as the Buddha's Charter of Free inquiry this discourse was given by the Buddha to the Brahmin Kalamas at Kesaputta. 2500 years ago, preaching against blind belief in Buddha gave prominence to and encouraged the spirit of free inquiry and independence of thought and action, subject to sound judgment. He trained his disciples in the art of questioning as well as in the finer points of debate and discussion. Pointing out the dangers of haphazard thinking the Buddha teaches the Kalamas the art of reasoning for the sole purpose of arriving at true understanding of the Buddha's teaching of the Four Noble Truths.