Stealing the Sins of Sentient Beings, Stealing the Sins of Humans

Original text of Section Two of the Sūtra on the Five Precepts for Upāsakas: 盗无足众生者。蛭虫于投罗虫等。人取举着器中。居士从器中取者。犯不可悔。选择如上。盗二足三足众生者。人及鹅雁。鹦鹉鸟等。是诸鸟在笼樊中。若盗心取者。犯不可悔。余如上说。

Explanation: One who steals footless sentient beings—for example, stealing leeches, yutouluo worms, and the like—if someone catches them and places them in a vessel, and the upāsaka takes them from the vessel, he commits an irredeemable offense. As for selecting footless sentient beings from the vessel, it is the same as stated above: if one selects them but does not take them away, it is an expiable offense; if one takes them away, it is an irredeemable offense. Stealing two-legged and three-legged sentient beings, such as humans as well as geese, wild geese, parrots, and other birds—when these birds are in cages, if one takes them with a thieving mind, it is an irredeemable offense; the rest is as stated above.

 Original text: 盗人有二种。一者担去。二者共期。若居士以盗心。担人着肩上。人两足离地。犯不可悔。若共期行。过二叟步。犯不可悔。余皆如上说。

Explanation: There are two circumstances of stealing a human being: one is carrying the person away on one's shoulder, the other is coercing the person to walk along together. If one carries a person on one's shoulders and the person's two feet leave the ground, one commits an irredeemable offense. If one coerces the person to walk along together and exceeds two double-paces, one commits an irredeemable offense. The remaining circumstances are as stated above.

 Original text: 盗四足者。象马牛羊也。人以绳系着一处。以盗心牵。将过四叟步。犯不可悔。若在一处卧。以盗心驱起。过四叟步。犯不可悔。多足亦同。

Explanation: Stealing four-legged sentient beings, such as stealing elephants, horses, cattle, and sheep—if the owner has tied the being in a place with a rope, and the upāsaka, with a thieving mind, leads it away, having walked the distance of four double-paces (the number of steps for four-legged beings), he commits an irredeemable offense. If the four-legged being is lying in a place, and the upāsaka, with a thieving mind, drives it up and it walks four double-paces, he commits an irredeemable offense. The case of beings with more than four legs is the same.

Original text: 若在墙壁篱障内。以盗心驱出过群。四叟步者。犯不可悔。余如上说。若在外放之。居士以盗心念。若放牧人入林去时。我当盗取。发念之机。犯中可悔。若杀者。自同杀罪。杀已取五钱肉。犯不可悔。

Explanation: If the four-legged sentient beings are within walls or fenced enclosures, and the upāsaka, with a thieving mind, drives them out beyond the herd, exceeding four double-paces, he commits an irredeemable offense. The remaining circumstances are as stated above.

If the four-legged beings are set loose in the wild, and the upāsaka, with a thieving mind, thinks: "When the herdsman goes into the forest, I will steal them"—at the moment this thought arises, he commits a moderately expiable offense. If he kills these beings, it is naturally the same as the offense of killing. If, after killing them, he takes meat worth five coins, he commits an irredeemable offense of stealing.