The Buddhas teachings on Views

I would caution against seeing this as enlightened ones do not have any views. They have right views, but are not attached to it.

Eg. see this sutta: SuttaCentral

The Buddha didn’t grant people partial views about how kamma works, but explained it in full. That means the Buddha, having seen the right way kamma works still have the right view, just are not attached to it.

There’s another sutta which I cannot seem to find now of a person who declared that his view that all views are to be abandoned, discarded etc. Buddha asked him, so his current view that all views are to be discarded is also to be discarded? He couldn’t answer properly. This also indicates the subtle difference between clinging to views vs not having views. Anyone remembers the sutta?

Past related discussion: The Smaller Discourse on Quarrelling (Snp4.12)

Sutta asked for: SuttaCentral

“Each maintaining their own view,
the experts disagree, arguing:
‘Whoever sees it this way
understands the teaching;
Here, as often in the Aṭṭhakavagga, jānāti implies different ways of knowing, which may be right or wrong (to degrees). We can “see” things differently, but we can’t “know” them differently.
those who reject this are inadequate.’

So arguing, they quarrel,
saying, ‘The other is a fool, an amateur!’
Which one of these speaks true,
for they all claim to be an expert?”

“If not accepting another’s teaching
makes you a useless fool lacking wisdom, Preferring omako over mago (“beast”), which seems harsh.
then they’re all fools lacking wisdom,
for they all maintain their own view.

1 Like