The Offense of Stealing the Property of the Three Jewels

In a monastery, lay practitioners should not take or use any items without permission, regardless of whether the monastery needs them or not, and certainly should not remove them arbitrarily. This is because all possessions within the monastery belong to the Sangha property of the ten directions, including monastics from worlds beyond the Saha World. Monastics from the worlds of the ten directions all have the right to use these items. If you personally take and use them, you are stealing the belongings of monastics from the worlds of the ten directions, a debt you fundamentally cannot repay. This transgression constitutes karma leading to the hell realms, even the Avici Hell.

Offerings from the ten directions refer to offerings from beings in the ten directions: east, south, west, north, above, below, southeast, southwest, northeast, and northwest. Sangha property of the ten directions means the belongings of monastics from the worlds in these ten directions. Worlds vary in size; large worlds refer to the Buddha-lands in the ten directions surrounding the Saha World, while small worlds refer to the worlds within the ten directions inside the Saha World. For example, a small world within the trichiliocosm of the Saha World includes the Four Continents, the Four Great Oceans, the Seven Golden Mountains, the Heaven of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Trayastrimsa Heaven, the Tusita Heaven, the Yama Heaven, the Nirmanarati Heaven, the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven, and the First Dhyana Heaven. One thousand small worlds form a medium chiliocosm, and one thousand medium chiliocosms form a great chiliocosm.

Anyone who commits this transgression must earnestly repent before the Buddha with utmost sincerity until they see auspicious signs; only then can the karma of stealing the Three Jewels' property be eradicated. For instance: the Buddha may touch your head to comfort you, informing you that the karma has been eliminated; or you may see lotuses blooming; or you may smell a fragrant aroma in the air as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas approach to bestow blessings. Otherwise, this karma remains, and upon death, one will fall into hell to receive retribution.

Intentionally or unintentionally wasting monastery property means wasting and depleting the Sangha property of the ten directions. This transgression is also significant, incurring a debt to the Sangha of the ten directions that is not easily repaid. Therefore, everyone in the monastery should be frugal and avoid waste. If anything is damaged, it must be compensated for immediately. If compensation is delayed, it must be doubled or multiplied. According to the Vinaya, if someone violates a precept and does not repent, after one night, the karma doubles; after two nights, it doubles again, becoming fourfold. The same applies to debts owed to the Three Jewels; they double after each night. Anyone who has ever privately taken any item from the monastery, or damaged property, or wasted resources—including water, electricity, gas, and the like—must find a way to make amends and compensate. For acts constituting theft, not only must compensation be made, but one must also strive diligently every day to repent earnestly and seek to see auspicious signs. To eliminate negative karma and avoid or lessen negative retribution, there are two methods: repentance and remediation, including monetary or material compensation.

Everyone, whether at home, in the workplace, in a monastery, or in any public space, must clearly understand who the owner of each item is and must not infringe upon the owner's rights. When using an item, ask the owner first. This includes respecting the rights of one's own family members; do not infringe upon or violate the ownership rights of one's parents, children, or spouse. This is the cultivation and virtue of being a person. By living purely, one will surely receive pure karmic results.

If the monastery intentionally places items like Buddhist scriptures or other Dharma materials for free distribution in certain locations, these are meant to be freely taken by anyone; you may take them autonomously without needing to inform the monastery's management. Certain items are managed by specific personnel; if you wish to use them, you must obtain permission from those specific individuals. If someone is not the designated manager, even if they give permission, it is invalid; taking the item would constitute theft. You must determine whether a person has the authority and responsibility; it is not acceptable to simply get permission from anyone.

Some lay practitioners come to the monastery and like to take charge on behalf of the monastic teachers, regardless of whether the teachers are willing or have given permission. They seize all authority, making decisions arbitrarily about everything as if they were in their own home—not only managing affairs but also controlling finances and even people. This karma is extremely heavy, and it is uncertain whether it can be purified through repentance.

There are even some who come to the monastery and try to manage even the monastics themselves, expecting monastics to follow their commands regarding what to do or not do, directing monastics to carry out tasks they arrange to satisfy their own greed and desires. This is offending one's superiors, showing contempt for the Three Jewels and their dignity. Monastics are not subject to the management or direction of any layperson; only the monastic’s own teacher has the authority to manage and instruct them, along with the abbot and monastic administrators of the monastery where they reside. Monastics are primarily educated and managed by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions; even protective deities like local earth deities lack the qualification and authority, because monastics are direct disciples of the Buddha, not disciples of protective deities. Monastics may only pay respects to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, not to protective deities. Therefore, if a layperson has overly strong desires for control, they should strive to restrain themselves. If they truly cannot restrain themselves, they should stay away from monasteries and monastics to avoid creating karma leading to hell and suffering hellish retribution.

There are also some laypeople who enjoy wearing monastic robes or using monastic names. Some even pretend to be monastics to receive reverence and various offerings—this is the greatest theft among thefts. There are also lay practitioners who insist on claiming, "We are also part of the Three Jewels," demanding the same treatment as the Three Jewels, infringing upon the reputation and good name of the Three Jewels. The impact is extremely negative; this is great greed and great theft, beyond the scope of repentance. Repentance is of little use, and they will still go to hell.