The Buddhist attitude of mind

Among the founders of religions the Buddha (if we are permitted to call him the founder of a religion in the popular sense of the term) was the only teacher, a human being, pure and simple. He attributed all his realization, attainments and achievements to human endeavour and human intelligence. A man and only a man can become a Buddha. Every man has within himself the potentiality of becoming a Buddha, if he so wills it and endeavours. We can call the Buddha a man par excellence. He was so perfect in his ‘human-ness’ that that he came to be regarded later in popular religion almost as ‘super-man’.
Man’s position, according to Buddhism, is supreme. Man is his own master, and there is no higher being or power that sits in judgment over his destiny. ‘One is one’s owe refuge, who else could be the refuge?’ said the Buddha. He admonished his disciples to ‘be a refuge to themselves’, and never to seek refuge in or help from anybody else. He taught, encouraged and stimulated each person to develop himself and to work out his own emancipation, for man has the power to liberate himself from all bondage through his own personal effort and intelligence. The Buddha says: ‘You should do your work, for the Tathāgatas only teacher the way.’ If the Buddha is to be called a ‘saviour’ at all, it is only in the sense that he discovered and showed the path to liberation, Nirvana. But we must treat the Path ourselves.
It is on this principle of individual responsibility that the Buddha allows freedom to his disciples. In the mahāparinibbāna sutta, the Buddha says that he never thought of controlling the Sanga (Order of Monks), nor did he want the Sanga to depend on him. He said that there was no esoteric doctrine in his teaching, nothing hidden in the ‘closed-fist of teacher’ (ācariya muṭṭhi), or to put is in other words, there never was anything ‘up his sleeve’.
The freedom of thought allowed by the Buddha is unheard of elsewhere in the history of religions. This freedom is necessary on his own realization of truth, and not on the benevolent grace of a god or any external power as a reward for his obedient good behavior.
The Buddha once visited a small town called Kesaputta in the kingdom of Kosala. The inhabitants of this town were known by the common name Kālāma. When they heard that the Buddha was in their town, the Kālāmas paid him a visit, and told him: ‘Sir, there are some recluses and brāhmaṇas who visit Kesaputta. They explain and illumine only their own doctrines, and despise, condemn and spurn others’ doctrines. Then come other recluses and brāhaṇas, and they, too, in their turn, explain and illumine only their own doctrines, and despise, condemn and spurn others’ doctrines. But, for us, Sir, we have always doubt and perplexity the truth, and who spoke falsehood.’ Then the Buddha gave them this advice, unique in the history of religions:
‘Yes, Kālāmas, it is proper that you have doubt, that you have perplexity, for a doubt has arisen in a matter which is doubtful. Now, look you Kālāmas,(1) do not be led by reports, or (2)tradition, or (3)hearsay. (4)Be not led by the authority of religious texts, (5)nor by mare logic or inference, (6) nor by considering appearances, (7) by the delight in speculative opinions, (8) nor by seeming possibilities, nor (9) by the idea: (10)‘this is our teacher’. But, O Kālāmas, when you know for yourselves that certain things are unwholesome (akusala), and wrong, and good, then accept them and follow them.’ The Buddha went even further. He told the bhikkhus that a disciple should examine even the Tathāgata (Buddha) himself, so that he (the disciple) might be fully convinced of the true value of the teacher whom he followed.

To continue---
From the book of what the Buddha taught written by WALPOLA RAHULA