MN 30 The Shorter Simile of the Heartwood

Notice the treatment of the brahmin Pingalakoccha’s question by the Buddha. When this question of “Are there other teachers also enlightened?” was put to him on other occasions, he has answered it in the same way: “Let that be, I shall teach you the Dhamma.” This question often comes up today with the multitude of teachings and teachers but an affirmative answer (if given on the basis of ratiocination) is not reliable, while an enlightened Teacher is simply not interested in such abstract questions. The only Dhamma which is really valuable is that which changes one’s life for the better, making for fewer defilements, more happiness, and better relations with other people. So the Buddha told the brahmin to listen to the Dhamma that he would speak. And he spoke about those who go forth from home to homelessness and then become pleased about: great gain, honour and renown, perfect virtue, perfect concentration, knowledge and vision; thus giving that brahmin a standard whereby he could judge whether all those other (non-Buddhist) teachers were enlightened or not, for pride in these things cannot be hidden. The Sutta ends with the dramas which are superior to knowledge and vision - and the reasons why the four jhānas and the five kinds of mundane direct knowledge are superior.