..續本文上一頁 that if we have an excess of merit we shall be well and happily born the next time; if an excess of demerit, our next birth will be wretched and full of suffering.

　　136. Q. One chief pillar of Buddhistic doctrine is, then, the idea that every effect is the result of an actual cause, is it not

　　A. It is; of a cause either immediate or remote.

　　137. Q. What do we call this causation

　　A. Applied to inpiduals, it is Karma, that is, action. It means that our own actions or deeds bring upon us whatever of joy or misery we experience.

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　　138. Q. Can a bad man escape from the out-workings of his Karma

　　A. The Dhammapada says: "There exists no spot on the earth, or in the sky, or in the sea, neither is there any in the mountain-clefts, where an (evil) deed does not bring trouble (to the doer)."

　　139. Q. Can a good man escape

　　A. As the result of deeds of peculiar merit, a man may attain certain advantages of place, body, environment and teaching in his next stage of progress, which ward off the effects of bad Karma and help his higher evolution.

　　140. What are they called

　　A. Gati Sampatti, Upâdhi Sampatti, Kâla Sampatti and Payoga Sampatti.

　　141. Q. Is that consistent or inconsistent with common sense and the teachings of modern science

　　A. Perfectly consistent: there can be no doubt of it.

　　142. Q. May all men become Buddhas

　　A. It is not in the nature of every man to become a Buddha; for a Buddha is developed only at long intervals of time, and seemingly, when the state of

　　p. 36

　　humanity absolutely requires such a teacher to show it. the forgotten Path to Nirvâṇa. But every being may equally reach Nirvâṇa, by conquering Ignorance and: gaining Wisdom.

　　143. Q. Does Buddhism teach that man is re-born, only upon our earth

　　A. As a general rule that would be the case, until he had evolved beyond its level; but the inhabited worlds are numberless. The world upon which a person is to have his next birth, as well as the nature of the re-birth itself, is decided by the preponderance-of the inpidual”s merit or demerit. In other words, it will be controlled by his attractions, as science would describe it; or by his Karma, as we, Buddhists, would say.

　　144. Q. Are there worlds more perfect and developed, and others less so than our Earth

　　A. Buddhism teaches that there are whole Sakwalas or systems of worlds, of various kinds, higher: and lower, and also that the inhabitants of each world correspond in development with itself.

　　145. Q. Has not the Buddha summed up his whole doctrine in one gâthâ, or verse

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　　146 A. Yes.

　　146. Q. Repeat it.

　　A.

　　Sabba pâpassa akaranam

　　Kusalassa upasampadâ

　　Sachita pariyo dapanam—

　　Etam Buddhânusâsanam:

　　"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 Vinâya Pitaka, the second that of the Sutta, the third that of the Abhidhamma. They comprise only eight Pâlî words, yet, as the dewdrop reflects the stars, they sparkle with the spirit of all the Buddha Dharma.

　　14S. 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

　　p. 38

　　that we should not merely not be evil, but that we should be positively good.

　　149. Q. Who or what are the "Three Guides" * that a Buddhist is supposed to follow

　　A. They are disclosed in the formula called the Tisaraṇa: "I follow Buddha as my Guide: I follow the Law as my Guide: I f…

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