The Killing Offense of the Smokeless Fire Pit

Original text of the first section of the Sūtra on the Precepts for Upāsakas (Upāsaka Five Precepts Sūtra):无烟火坑杀者。若优婆塞知是人从此道来。于中先作无烟火坑。以沙土覆上。若口说。以是人从此道来。故我作此坑。若是人因是死者。是犯不可悔罪。若不即死。后因是死。犯不可悔罪。若不即死。后不因死。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: The case of killing with a smokeless fire pit is as follows: if an upāsaka knows that the person to be killed will come along a certain road, he prepares a smokeless fire pit in the road in advance, covers it with sand and soil, and then says aloud: "Because this person will come along this road, I have set up this fire pit." If that person dies from falling into the fire pit, the upāsaka commits an unpardonable offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later dies as a result, the upāsaka likewise commits an unpardonable offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die as a result, the upāsaka commits a middling, pardonable offense of killing.

Original text:为人作无烟火坑。人死者不可悔。非人死者。是中罪可悔。畜生死者。下罪可悔。

Explanation: If one makes a smokeless fire pit for others in order to kill people, and a human being dies from falling into the fire pit, one commits an unpardonable offense of killing; if a non-human falls into the fire pit and dies, the upāsaka commits a middling, pardonable offense of killing; if an animal falls in and dies, the upāsaka commits a lesser, pardonable offense of killing.

Why is it that when the same fire pit causes the death of different kinds of sentient beings, the upāsaka incurs different offenses? First, it is because the categories of sentient beings differ, their merit differs, and their intrinsic value differs; consequently, the loss incurred by their death differs, and the offense incurred by killing them naturally differs. Humans are more noble and valuable than non-humans, and non-humans are more noble and valuable than animals; killing a human incurs the greatest offense, while killing an animal incurs the least. Value refers to the magnitude of the contribution one can make to the world, the magnitude of benefit to sentient beings, and the magnitude of worldly and transcendent attainments one can achieve. Second, it is because the upāsaka's purpose and intention differ; offenses incurred with intent and without intent naturally differ. The upāsaka's intended target is a human being, and he has the intent to kill a human; if a human dies, the offense is grave. His target is not non-humans or animals, and he has no intent to kill non-humans or animals; thus, if non-humans or animals die, it counts as accidental killing, and the offense is lesser.

Original text:为非人作坑。非人死者。是中罪可悔。人死是下罪可悔。畜生死者。犯下可悔罪。若为畜生作坑。畜生死者。是下罪可悔。若人堕死。若非人堕死。皆犯下罪可悔。

Explanation: If the smokeless fire pit was made for non-humans, and a non-human dies as a result, the upāsaka commits a middling, pardonable offense of killing. If a human being falls in and dies, he commits a lesser, pardonable offense of killing; if an animal dies as a result, he likewise commits a lesser, pardonable offense of killing.

If the smokeless fire pit was made for animals, and an animal dies as a result, one commits a lesser, pardonable offense of killing. If a human being falls in and dies, or a non-human falls in and dies, in both cases it is a lesser, pardonable offense of killing.

Setting up a fire pit for non-humans means one has the intent to kill non-humans; but because non-humans are not sufficiently noble and are not suitable vessels for the Path, killing a non-human incurs a middling, pardonable offense, not the gravest unpardonable offense. If a human being accidentally falls into the fire pit and dies, it is a lesser, pardonable offense, because the upāsaka had no intent to kill a human; it resulted from the person's own accidental entry into the fire pit, and the upāsaka merely provided the means for falling into the fire pit. If an animal accidentally enters the fire pit and dies, it is an even lesser, pardonable offense. If one has the intent to kill an animal, then no matter which category of sentient being dies as a result, it is a lesser, pardonable offense, because animals are not noble and are not suitable vessels for the Path; killing them is a lesser offense, while humans and non-humans count as accidental killing, which is also a lesser offense.

Original text:若优婆塞不定为一事作坑。诸有来者。皆令堕死。人死者。犯不可悔。非人死者。中罪可悔。畜生死者。下罪可悔。都无死者。犯三方便可悔罪。是名无烟火坑杀也。

Explanation: If the upāsaka did not set up the fire pit for any particular category of sentient being, but in his mind hoped that all who came to the fire pit would be killed without exception. If a human being dies as a result, he commits an unpardonable offense of killing; if a non-human dies as a result, he commits a middling, pardonable offense of killing; if an animal dies as a result, he commits a lesser, pardonable offense of killing. If none of them die, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of three means [of killing]. This describes the offense of killing by setting up a smokeless fire pit.

Setting up a fire pit with the intent to kill all sentient beings who pass by, including human beings, means one has the intent to kill humans; if a human dies, one commits the gravest unpardonable offense; if one intends to kill non-humans and animals, and non-humans and animals die, one commits middling and lesser pardonable offenses. The "three means" refers to setting up a smokeless fire pit for the purpose of killing three kinds of sentient beings.