The Offense of Causing Death Through Play

Original text of the first section of the Sūtra on the Upāsaka's Five Precepts: 又一小儿喜笑。居士捉击攊。令大笑故。便死。居士生疑。佛言。戏笑故。不犯杀罪。从今不应复击攊人令笑。

又一人坐以衣自覆。居士唤言起。是人言。勿唤我起。便死。复唤言起。起便即死。居士生疑。佛言。犯中可悔罪。汝与药浆时死者。犯戒不可悔。

Explanation: There was another child who loved to laugh. The upāsaka grabbed him and tickled him, causing the child to die from laughing uncontrollably. The upāsaka did not understand what offense he had committed. The Buddha said to him: Because this was merely play and laughter, it does not constitute an offense of killing; but from now on, you should no longer tickle people to make them laugh.

There was a man sitting with his clothing covering his body. The upāsaka called out to him to get up, and the man said: Do not call me to rise, for if I rise, I will die. The upāsaka called him to rise again, and the man died as soon as he rose. The upāsaka did not understand what offense he had committed. The Buddha said to him: You have committed a medium redeemable offense. If you had given him medicine to drink and he died from it, you would have committed an unredeemable offense against the precepts.

A redeemable offense is committed when one kills the other person by mistake without a mind to kill. An unredeemable offense is committed when one kills intentionally, with a mind to kill. In the case of a redeemable offense, because there is no mind to kill, the nature of the mind is not evil and not defiled; the inherent offense is light, and the karmic offense is also light. Through repentance, the inherent offense and karmic offense can be lightened or eliminated, thereby averting the karmic retribution of hell. In the case of an unredeemable offense, because subjectively there is a mind to kill, the nature of the mind is evil, the inherent offense is heavy, and the karmic offense is also heavy. Due to the obstruction of afflictions in the nature of the mind, even repentance cannot remove the inherent offense; the karmic offense cannot be lightened, and the retribution of hell cannot be averted. The severity of all karmic offenses is determined by the nature of the mind.