Feb. 15 on the solar calendar commemorates Sakyamuni (Sage of the Sakyas), Buddha's death, which occurred around 463 B.C.

Though not generally a major event on Hawai'i's Buddhist calendar, it marks his entry into eternal status for his followers. When Gautama announced his impending death to his disciples, he said: "Enough, Ananda! Do not grieve, do not lament! For have I not taught from the very beginning that with all that is dear and beloved there must be change, separation and severance?"

In the account of the end of his life Buddha made it clear that though he may die, his truth was in his teaching: "Who sees my teaching, sees me."

He urged his disciples to be spiritually independent by making the truth their own and not merely depending on an external authority, declaring: "Be refuges unto yourselves, seeking no external refuge. ..."

The issue of Buddhism is enlightenment, or awakening to the truth of life. It means to question our customary perceptions and viewpoints and to awaken from delusion. Deluded understanding narrows and discourages search and questioning. We are in delusion when we refuse to listen to others' ideas; or when we refuse to dialogue.

The awakening from delusory thinking challenges people to be open-minded, to be flexible but also to be aware of delusive beliefs and opinions. Today we are all familiar with "spin," propaganda and disinformation: intentional efforts by people to mislead others to implement their agendas.

We recall Martin Luther King's plea to judge a person by the content of his/her character rather than by the color of one's skin.

An important feature of Gautama's search for wisdom is not being attached to views, the first step in his Noble Eightfold Path. It means to see things as they really are. Consequently, Buddha urged people to be critical thinkers and to be self-critical about their ideas.

He offered a way of thinking, represented in the Kalama Sutta, "The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry," Gautama declares:

"Come, Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon one's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration, 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas, when you yourselves know: 'These things are good; these things are not blamable; these things are praised by the wise; undertaken and observed, these things lead to benefit and happiness,' enter on and abide in them."

The essential principle here is that one must examine one's thinking, not by depending on external authority, but by what one has learned through tested experience, discussion, and reasoning. Nevertheless, it must be one's own truth; it must become you, as it opens up new horizons in your life.

The Rev. Alfred Bloom, a Buddhist, is an emeritus professor of the University of Hawai'i's religion department.