What is an inherent offense?

Whenever one creates unwholesome karma, it is because of an evil mind and afflictive mind, and it all belongs to a bad mental disposition; therefore it all carries inherent evil (intrinsic wrongdoing). The retribution for inherent evil is the same whether or not one has received the precepts. Because sentient beings all have the afflictive obstructions (kleśāvaraṇa) of greed, hatred, and delusion, all sentient beings undergo retribution within the cycle of the six realms of rebirth, and in particular, beings in the three evil realms constitute the vast majority. For those who have not received the precepts, their mental disposition does not accord with the precepts; when they violate the Dharma, the retribution on the level of mental disposition is the same as that of one who violates the precepts.

For example, even if a person has not received the five precepts, after killing someone they must still descend into hell to repay the evil retribution; upon emerging from hell, when they meet that person, they must still repay a life to the one who was killed. It is the same with killing animals—all of it carries wrongdoing, requiring one to undergo retribution and repay with a life. Violating precepts in other respects is the same: whatever evil retribution one should undergo, one will still undergo it. If one has not received the five precepts, but one's bodily, verbal, and mental actions accord with the five precepts and one's mental disposition is wholesome, one will receive wholesome retribution, gaining blessings and enjoying happiness. Moreover, the sentient beings one has benefited will also repay him with corresponding benefits.

However, there is still a slight difference between receiving the precepts and not receiving them: if one who has received the precepts violates them, there is an additional offense—the offense of violating the precepts. Knowingly and deliberately violating them is itself a failure to respect the precepts, and thus carries wrongdoing. Those who knowingly and deliberately violate, compared with those who violate without knowing, have heavier afflictions, and therefore their retribution is somewhat heavier.