Four Criteria that Assure The Words of The Buddha

Suppose a Monk were to say: ‘Friends, I heard and received this from The Perfectly Enlightened One’s own lips: these are The Teachings, this is the discipline, this is the Master’s Teaching’, then, Monks, you should neither approve nor disapprove his words. Then, without approving or disapproving, his words and expressions should be carefully noted and compared with the Suttas (discourses) and reviewed in the light of the discipline.

If they, on such comparison and review, are found not to conform to the Suttas (discourses) or the discipline, the conclusion must be: ‘Assuredly this is not the word of The Buddha, it has been wrongly understood by this Monk’, and the matter is to be ignored.

But where on such comparison and review they are found to conform to the Suttas (discourses) or the discipline, the conclusion must be: ‘Assuredly this is the word of The Buddha, it has been rightly understood by this Monk.’

Suppose a Monk were to say: In such and such place there is a community with elders and distinguished Teachers. I have heard and received this from that community, then, Monks, you should neither approve nor disapprove his words …

Suppose a Monk were to say: In such and such a place there are many elders who are learned, bearers of the tradition, who know The Teachings, the discipline, the training guidance …

Suppose a Monk were to say: In such and such a place there is one elder who is learned ... I have heard and received this from that elder… But where on such comparison and review they are found to conform to the Suttas (discourses) and the discipline, then the conclusion must be: ‘Assuredly this is the word of The Buddha, it has been rightly understood by this Monk.’

(Reference: DN 16)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how to confirm whether The Teachings one learns are The Words of The Buddha or not.

He advises that a Practitioner should consult his discourses and if it is discovered that The Teachings do not match to his discourses, one can conclude that “assuredly this is not the word of The Buddha, it has been wrongly understood, and the matter is to be ignored”.

But if having consulted The Buddha’s discourses and it is discovered that The Teachings do match to his discourses, one can conclude that “Assuredly this is the word of The Buddha, it has been rightly understood”.

The way to confirm The Words of The Buddha is to ensure one is learning and practicing The Teachings from a reliable source of The Pāli Canon with references so that you can independently confirm that what you are learning are the discourses as spoken by The Buddha. If the source of The Teachings is not located in discourses of The Pāli Canon, there is no confidence that what is being shared are The Words of The Buddha and one can ignore those Teachings as not being spoken by The Buddha.