145. Q. Has not the Buddha summed up his whole doctrine in one gāthā, or verse?
A. Yes.
146. Q. Repeat it?
A. Sabba pāpassa akaranm,
Kusalassa upasampadā
Sachitta pariyo dapanam—
Etam Buddhānusāsanam.
"To cease from all evil actions,
To generate all that is good,
To cleanse one's mind:
This is the constant advice of the Buddhas."
147. Q. Have the first three of these lines any very striking characteristics?
A. Yes: the first line embodies the whole spirit of the Vinaya Pitaka, the second that of the Sutta, the third that of the Abhidhamma. They comprise only eight Pālī words, yet, as the dew-drop reflects the stars, they sparkle with the spirit of all the Buddha Dharma.
148. Q. Do these precepts show that Buddhism is an active or a passive religion?
A. To "cease from sin" may be called passive, but to "get virtue" and "to cleanse one's own heart," or mind, are altogether active qualities. Buddha taught that we should not merely not be evil, but that we should be positively good.
149. Q. Who or what are the "Three Guides"[[2]] that a Buddhist Is supposed to follow?