Six Categories of Homicide

Section One of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sūtra:

The Buddha told the Bhikkhus: There are three ways of committing the offense of killing by taking a human life. First, committing it oneself. Second, inciting others to kill. Third, dispatching an emissary to kill.

Committing it oneself means personally taking another’s life.

Inciting others to kill means instructing another with words, saying: "Seize this person, bind them, and take their life."

Dispatching an emissary to kill means telling another (often a subordinate, someone under one’s authority): "Do you know so-and-so? You seize this person, bind them, and then kill them."

When the emissary follows these words and takes that life, the Upāsaka commits an unpardonable offense.

Explanation: The Buddha told the Bhikkhus: Those who violate the precept against killing commit murder in three ways: The first is personally committing the act oneself. The second is inciting others to kill. The third is sending someone (as a substitute) to kill.

Personally committing it oneself means the Upāsaka personally takes another’s life.

Inciting others to kill means using speech to tell another person: "Seize that person, bind them, and kill them."

Dispatching an emissary to kill means telling another (often a subordinate, someone under one’s authority): "Do you know so-and-so? You seize him, bind him, and then kill him." When this emissary complies with the Upāsaka’s words and kills that person, the Upāsaka commits the unpardonable karma of killing.

The key point here is the distinction and the implications between inciting others to kill and dispatching an emissary to kill. What is the difference between inciting others to kill and dispatching an emissary to kill?

Inciting is abetting and urging; ultimately, the direct killer and the violator of the precept is the one incited. The inciter and the incited are in an equal relationship, but the inciter bears greater guilt.

Dispatching an emissary to kill means deploying one’s own agent to kill according to one’s orders; it is killing by proxy. The principal killer is the Upāsaka themselves. The dispatched person is following orders and completing a task; the dispatcher is the principal offender, and the dispatched is an accomplice who also bears guilt.

Whether by inciting others to kill or dispatching an emissary to kill, the principal offender and the source of the offense is the Upāsaka themselves. Therefore, the Upāsaka commits the unpardonable offense of killing. This karma is even heavier than personally killing, because although the result is the same (killing one person), by inciting or dispatching others to kill, one also causes others to create unwholesome karma, defiles their mind and actions, creates negative karmic connections with others, and plants seeds of unwholesome karma.

Original Text:

Furthermore, there are three ways of taking a human life. First, using internal form. Second, using non-internal form. Third, using both internal and non-internal form.

Using internal form means the Upāsaka strikes another with the hand, or uses the foot or any other body part, with the thought: "May he die because of this." If he dies because of this, it is an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of this, it is also an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of this, it is a medium offense that can be repented.

Explanation: There are another three ways of killing a person: The first is using one’s own "internal form," meaning killing with one’s body. The second is using "non-internal form," meaning killing with tools or weapons outside the body. The third is using both "internal and non-internal form," meaning killing by using the hand to wield a weapon.

"Internal form" refers to the Upāsaka's physical body. Using a part of this body to kill, such as striking with the hand, kicking with the foot, butting with the head, or striking with any other body part, while simultaneously thinking: "Strike him dead like this." If the person struck dies as a result, the Upāsaka commits the unpardonable karma of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the beating, the Upāsaka also commits the unpardonable karma of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from it, the Upāsaka commits a medium offense that can be repented.

Original Text:

Using non-internal form means if a person uses wood, tile, stone, knives, spears, arrows, tin blocks, lead-tin alloy blocks, to hurl from afar at that person, with the thought: "May he die because of this." If he dies because of this, it is an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of this, it is also an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of this, it is a medium offense that can be repented.

Explanation: Regarding killing using non-internal form: If the Upāsaka uses wood, tiles, stones, knives, spears, arrows, tin blocks, lead-tin alloy blocks to hurl from afar at that person, while simultaneously thinking of causing that person's death by the hurling, and if that person indeed dies as a result, then the Upāsaka commits the unpardonable karma of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the hurling, the Upāsaka also commits the unpardonable karma of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from the hurling, the Upāsaka commits a medium offense that can be repented.

Original Text:

Using both internal and non-internal form means if one uses the hand to grasp wood, tile, stone, knives, spears, arrows, tin blocks, lead-tin alloy blocks, or wooden blocks to strike another, with the thought: "May he die because of this." If he dies because of this, it is an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of this, it is also an unpardonable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of this, it is a medium offense that can be repented.

Explanation: Regarding killing using a combination of internal and non-internal form: If the Upāsaka uses the hand to grasp wood, tiles, stones, knives, spears, arrows, tin blocks, lead-tin alloy blocks, or uses a wooden block to strike and kill, while simultaneously thinking of causing that person's death by the striking, and if that person indeed dies as a result of the strike, then the Upāsaka's killing offense is unpardonable. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the strike, the Upāsaka also commits an unpardonable offense. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from it, the Upāsaka commits a medium offense that can be repented.