The Buddha clearly says to his followers here Investigate. Verify. Experiment. Let yourself be guided by free empirical research. With meticulous precision. With trial & error. To assess the path, To taste the fruit, its result. Free of ritual. Free of dogma. Without theology. Without philosophy. Without bias. The Buddha speaks as follows: donāt go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies ,by agreement through pondering views, by probability by the thought, āThis contemplative is our teacherā When you know for yourselves that,ā These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happinessā ā then you should enter & remain in them.