Did Buddha limit the charter of free inquiry to only a certain group of people?

The Kalama Sutta is often regarded as the Buddha’s charter of free inquiry, emphasizing the importance of questioning and critical thinking in the pursuit of truth. Yet, there are Buddhists who argue that Buddha’s allowance for free inquiry and critical thinking is only for a certain group of people and not for Buddhist in general. One person recently stated, “The Buddha advised (Kalamas) to practice caution with respect to the teachings of gurus that passed through their town. But, when the Buddha was teaching his monks and nuns, he was not so equivocal. The Dhamma as taught by the Buddha was to be understood and practiced. It’s important to understand that the Buddha’s Kalama Sutta is directed to a clan of people that were not students of the Buddha.”

The following is my rebuttal to the interpretation that the free inquiry principle is limited only to the Kalamas and does not apply to the Buddha’s own students.

1. Universality of the Principle of Free Inquiry

While it is true that the Buddha delivered the Kalama Sutta to a specific group, the principles articulated in this discourse are universal. Just as a speech by a contemporary leader, such as Pope Francis, to a group of students in Singapore does not confine its message to that audience alone, the…