The Crime of Stealing Another's Valuables

Original text of the Sūtra on the Precepts for Upāsakas, Section Two: 佛告诸比丘。优婆塞以三种取他重物。犯不可悔。一者用心。二者用身。三者离本处。用心者。发心思惟欲为偷盗。用身者。用身分等取他物。离本处者。随物在处。举着余处。

Explanation: The Buddha told the bhikṣus: When an upāsaka takes another person's relatively valuable items by three methods, he commits an unredeemable offense. First, taking another's items with the mind; second, taking another's items with the body; third, the item leaving its original location. Taking with the mind means giving rise to thoughts and deliberating with the intent to steal; taking with the body means using the limbs and parts of the body to obtain another's items; leaving the original location means moving the item from where it originally was to another place.

Original text: 复有三种。取人重物。犯不可悔罪。一者自取。二者教他取。三遣使取。自取者。自手举离本处。教他取者。若优婆塞教人言。盗他物。是人随意取。离本处时。遣使者。语使人言。汝知彼重物处不。答言知处。遣往盗取。是人随语。取离本处时。

Explanation: There are also three ways of taking another person's valuable items that constitute an unredeemable offense. First, taking them oneself; second, teaching others to take them; third, dispatching someone to take them on one's behalf. Taking them oneself means using one's own hands to lift the item away from its original location. Teaching others to take them means if the upāsaka instructs another person, saying: "Go steal his items," and the instructed person takes them at will, then when the item leaves its original location, it counts as stealing. Dispatching someone to take them on one's behalf means saying to the dispatched person: "Do you know where that valuable item is located?" The dispatched person says he knows, and is then sent to steal it. When that person follows one's words, takes the item in hand, and causes it to leave its original location, the offense of stealing is committed.

Original text: 复有五种。取他重物。犯不可悔。一者苦切取。二者轻慢取。三者诈称他名字取。四者强夺取。五者受寄取。重物者。若五钱。若直五钱物。犯不可悔。

Explanation: There are also five ways of stealing another person's valuable items that constitute an unredeemable offense. First, taking by feigning pitifulness, suffering, or being old, weak, sick, or disabled to deceive; second, taking with a contemptuous mind while wielding power and authority from a position of superiority; third, taking by falsely claiming another person's name to deceive; fourth, taking by forceful seizure; fifth, taking by deception—accepting items entrusted by another and not returning them. As for valuable items: if it is five coins, or other items worth five coins, reaching this standard constitutes an unredeemable offense.