Three Kinds of Praise for the Crime of Killing

Original text of the first section of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sūtra: 赞叹杀有三种。一者恶戒人。二者善戒人。三者老病人。恶戒人者。杀牛羊。养鸡猪。放鹰捕鱼。猎师围兔。射獐鹿等。偷贼魁脍。咒龙守狱。若到是人所。作如是言。汝等恶戒人。何以久作罪。不如早死。是人因死者。是罪不可悔。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。若恶人作如是言。我不用是人语。不因是死。犯中可悔罪。

Explanation: There are three kinds of praising killing. The first is praising a person of evil precepts, urging and consoling them to die; the second is praising a person of good precepts, urging and consoling them to die; the third is praising and consoling an elderly sick person to die. A person of evil precepts is one who cannot hold the precepts and commits evil karma, such as those who slaughter cattle and sheep, those who raise chickens and pigs, those who release hawks to catch fish, hunters who trap rabbits, those who shoot deer and other such evil people, as well as thieves and executioners, and those who cast spells on dragons and guard prisons.

If an upāsaka goes to the dwelling places of these people and says to them: "You evil people, why do you commit evil deeds for so long? You might as well die early." If these people kill themselves because of these words, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense. If those people do not die because of these words, he commits a middling, redeemable offense.

Original text: 若赞叹是人令死。便心悔。作是念。何以教是人死。还到语言。汝等恶人。或以善知识因缘故。亲近善人。得听善法。能正思惟。得离恶罪。汝勿自杀。若是人受其语不死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: If the upāsaka praises and urges these people to die, but afterwards regrets it, thinking in his mind: "How could I induce them to die?" Then he goes again to their dwelling place and says to them: "You people who commit evil deeds, perhaps in the future, through the conditions of meeting good spiritual teachers, by drawing near to good people, you will be able to hear wholesome dharma, be able to think correctly, and be able to leave behind evil sins. Do not kill yourselves." If those people accept his words and do not die, the upāsaka commits a middling, redeemable offense.

Why can one not even urge evil people who commit evil deeds to kill themselves? Because the Buddha-dharma does not abandon a single person; whether they are good or evil, all are universally delivered. If an evil person has the opportunity to meet a good spiritual teacher who transmits wholesome dharma, and believes, accepts, and practices it, they can eliminate their evil karma, transform their own mind, and thereby change their destiny in the three evil destinies. Even if they do not meet a good spiritual teacher, nor hear wholesome dharma, they may still reflect on their own evil conduct, repent little by little, turn their mind toward goodness, and thereby also change their destiny.

Original text: 善戒人者。如来四众是也。若到诸善人所。如是言。汝持善戒有福德人。若死便受天福。何不自夺命。是人因是自杀死者。犯不可悔罪。若不自杀者。中罪可悔。若善戒人作是念。我何以受他语自杀。若不死者。是罪可悔。若教他死已。心生悔言。我不是。何以教此善人死。还往语言。汝善戒人。随寿命住。福德益多故。受福益多。莫自夺命。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: A person of good precepts is one whose mind is good and who holds the precepts; they are the fourfold assembly of the Tathāgata. If the upāsaka goes to the dwelling places of these people and says to them: "You are people of merit who hold good precepts; if you die, you will enjoy the blessings of the heavens. Why do you not take your own life?" If these people kill themselves because of this, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense; if they do not kill themselves, the upāsaka commits a middling, redeemable offense. If the person of good precepts thinks thus: "Why should I listen to his words and kill myself?" and does not kill themselves, the upāsaka commits a redeemable offense.

If the upāsaka, after inducing these people to kill themselves, regrets what he said and did, saying: "I was wrong. How could I induce these good people to kill themselves?" Then he returns to their dwelling place and says to them: "You good people should live out your natural lifespans; in this way your merit will increase even more, and the blessings you enjoy in future lives will also be greater. Do not take your own lives." If those people do not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling, redeemable offense.

Original text: 老病者。四大增减。受诸苦恼。往语是人言。汝云何久忍是苦。何不自夺命。因死者。是罪不可悔。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。若病人作是念。我何缘受是人语自夺命。若语病人已。心生悔。我不是。何以语此病人自杀。还往语言。汝等病人。或得良药。善看病人。随药饮食。病可得差。莫自夺命。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: Those who are old and sickly, because of the disharmony caused by the increase and decrease of the four great elements, suffer various afflictions in body. The upāsaka goes to the sick person's dwelling and says to the sick person: "Why do you endure such suffering for so long? Why do you not kill yourself?" If the sick person dies because of this, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense; if the sick person does not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling, redeemable offense. If the sick person thinks thus: "Why should we listen to his words and kill ourselves?" If the upāsaka, after saying those words to the sick person, feels remorse in his mind, saying: "I was wrong. Why did I speak to the sick person like that, telling them to kill themselves?" Then he returns to the sick person's dwelling and says to them: "You sick people, if you can obtain good medicine, or meet someone very skilled at treating illness, take the medicine, regulate your diet, and the illness can be cured. Do not kill yourselves." If the sick person does not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling, redeemable offense.

Original text: 余上七种杀。说犯与不犯。同如上火坑。若人作人想杀。是罪不可悔。人作非人想杀。人中生疑杀。皆犯不可悔。非人人想杀。非人中生疑杀。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: As for the last seven kinds of killing not yet explained in detail above—killing by striking with a pestle, killing by snare, killing by making a pit trap, killing by touching, pushing into fire, killing in water, and pushing into a pit—if one were to determine guilt or innocence, and what kind of offense is committed, the determination is the same as that for the smokeless fire pit killing described above; one can refer to and compare it oneself to know.

If what is killed is a human being, and one also kills the other person while perceiving them as a human, this offense is irredeemable. If one deliberately kills a human while perceiving them as a non-human, as well as killing a human while being uncertain whether they are human or not, all constitute irredeemable offenses. If one deliberately kills a non-human while perceiving them as a human, as well as killing a non-human while being uncertain whether they are non-human or not, all constitute middling, redeemable offenses.