Taking Unclaimed Property

Original text from the Section on the Five Precepts for Upāsakas, Part 2: There was a man plowing in the fields near the Jetavana Grove. He had taken off his clothes and left them on one side of the field. At that time, a lay disciple arrived, looked around in all directions, and seeing no one, took the clothes away. The plower saw this from afar and called out to the lay disciple, "Do not take my clothes!" The lay disciple did not hear him and, still believing the clothes to be ownerless, proceeded to take them away. The plower immediately pursued and caught him, saying to the lay disciple, "Is it permissible for you to take what is not given?" The lay disciple replied, "I believed them to be ownerless, so I took them. Is that not acceptable?" The plower said, "These are my clothes." The lay disciple responded, "If they are yours, then take them back."

Explanation: A man was plowing in the fields near the Jetavana Grove. He had removed his clothes and placed them on one side of the field. At that moment, a lay disciple arrived, looked around in all directions, and seeing no one, took the clothes away. The plower saw this from a distance and called out to the lay disciple, "Do not take my clothes!" The lay disciple did not hear him and, still believing the clothes to be ownerless, took them away. The plower immediately pursued and caught him, saying, "Do you intend to steal?" The lay disciple replied, "I thought they were ownerless, so I took them. Is that not acceptable?" The plower said, "These are my clothes." The lay disciple responded, "If they are yours, take them back."

Original text: The lay disciple became doubtful, thinking, "Have I committed an unpardonable offense?" He then immediately went to the Buddha's dwelling to inquire about this matter. The Buddha, knowing the situation, deliberately asked, "With what state of mind did you take it?" The lay disciple replied, "I believed it to be ownerless." The Buddha said, "You have committed no offense. From now on, when taking objects, carefully consider and reflect: some objects may appear unattended, yet they indeed have an owner. If one resolves to steal but does not take the item, it constitutes a pardonable offense of minor degree. If one takes the item but its value does not reach five māsaka-coins, it constitutes a pardonable offense of medium degree. If one takes the item and its value reaches five māsaka-coins or more, it constitutes an unpardonable offense."

Explanation: Afterward, the lay disciple became doubtful about his actions, thinking, "Could I have committed an unpardonable offense?" He then immediately went to the Buddha's dwelling to consult on this matter. The Buddha, knowing the situation, deliberately asked, "With what state of mind did you take the clothes?" The lay disciple replied that he had taken them believing them to be ownerless. The Buddha said, "You have committed no offense. However, from now on, when taking objects in this manner, you must carefully consider and reflect: some objects may appear unattended but indeed have an owner. If one resolves to steal but does not take the item, it constitutes a pardonable offense of minor degree. If one takes the item and its value does not exceed five māsaka-coins, it constitutes a pardonable offense of medium degree. If one takes the item and its value reaches five māsaka-coins or more, it constitutes an unpardonable offense."