The Buddha’s Teaching in 4 Lines

One of the most simple and core teachings of the Buddha is:

Not committing any misdeeds whatsoever
Practicing virtue in abundance
Taming one’s mind completely
This is the teaching of the buddha.

This verse beautifully sums up the essence of everything the Buddha taught. Why have we spent so much time talking, when we have this pith instruction? I don’t know what we have been trying to learn for so many years when we haven’t learned these four lines completely. If we actually learned and fully lived them, I’m sure we could attain liberation from samsara. Nirvana would not be that far away.

The Buddha says “not committing any misdeeds whatsoever,” but that would be very difficult to do right away. However, it is possible to reduce our misdeeds and negative actions. For example, if you’re committing a lot of negative actions every day, maybe cut that down by 20%, so you’re only committing 80% of those misdeeds. Then slowly go down to 70% and then to 50%. And then, maybe, one day you will not be committing any misdeeds whatsoever. That is our goal, it is not where we are right now. If you try to start from 100%, it’s not possible. If you start from here, where we are now, then that’s how we achieve our goal, day by day.

“Practicing virtue in abundance.” Do something good, something positive for yourself. When you do something positive, it actually affects your mind. You become more proud of yourself, more uplifted, more joyful. So doing something positive is not just for others, it is also doing something for yourself. Not committing negative actions is also for ourselves, if we think about it. So, do something positive every day. It makes your mind more calm and clear. And that will help others.

“This is the teaching of the Buddha.” These are the words of the Buddha, and what Buddha taught as being essential to all practice. All trainings on the path are included here. Remembering these three lines is the same as remembering the 84,000 dharmas.

What is one positive thing you can do for someone today?

How would it feel to do that? Wonderful. But don’t stop there, keep it going!

You could adapt these 4 lines from the Buddha to your own style, and then memorize them. Or put them to music and sing them to yourself every day. You could put your adapted verse up on your refrigerator door. If you see these 4 lines every day, you’ll probably memorize them easily. Then you’ll be able to connect with Buddha’s key teaching anytime. 

This article is based on teachings given by Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche at Shakyamuni Festival, on Saga Dawa Düchen, May 23, 2024, at Nalanda West in Seattle, Washington.