Veemamka Sutta

Translated by Dhammacaro

Veemamka Sutta was spoken by the Buddha whilst he was staying at Jetavana temple. This is about the answer given by the Buddha to the question: how can ordinary people know that you became enlightened, or the Buddha. This is a doubt which a lot of people had, when Buddhism was widely spread in North India. Even nowadays a lot of people doubt that the Buddha really existed, he was a real person or was he just a story.

How can we know that he was a real Buddha, an enlightened one? The answer the Buddha gave is very interesting; it can be very good guidance for us now. Here is what the Buddha said:

Ordinary people can know that through their own seeing and hearing (learning). For example, can they see or hear that my teaching is wrong, or do I guide people the wrong way, on the path leading to suffering? They can prove my teachings whether they are skillful or unskillful. They can also see if I am distracted by worldly conditions or not. My teachings are always in support of loving-kindness, generosity, responsibility, truthfulness and mindfulness. These can be proved through practice; they can come and see for themselves. Then they will know by themselves if “I am an enlightened one or not”.

This sutta aims to welcome all people to learn and practise the Buddha’s teachings and then they will know if it is beneficial to their life or not. It is fair enough to test the teachings before following or applying them in daily life as the Buddha always said ‘come and see for yourself’. Seeing and hearing (learning) are the best test; seeing is believing and occasional hearing or learning (Dhamma) is auspicious.