眾生無邊誓願度
煩惱無盡誓願斷
法門無量誓願學
佛道無上誓願成

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Dharma Teachings

19 Sep 2025    Friday     1st Teach Total 4475

Setting oneself up as king in a mountain area - is it theft?

In ancient times, occupying mountains as kings meant seizing mountains for oneself, preventing others from using them or passing freely at the foot unless they paid a toll. This was the behavior of robbers and bandits, undoubtedly constituting theft and robbery. Mountains on Earth are owned properties, belonging to the public, and local residents all have the right to utilize them, while outsiders also have the right to pass through. Only when resources are taken from the people and used for the people is it not considered theft; if done for private gain, it is theft.

Occupying mountains as kings is robbery—an open act of violent plunder. Occupying one mountain as a king makes one a robber; occupying a hundred mountains as a king makes one even more of a robber; occupying the mountains, rivers, and territories of an entire nation as a king should be considered grand theft. There are still many people on Earth who commit theft, which is why beings in the three evil destinies are so numerous, compelling the Buddha to establish precepts.

The Moon is uninhabited, and its mineral deposits and other resources are unclaimed objects. Whoever mines or occupies them cannot be faulted. Resources on Earth belong to all global citizens, with ownership divided regionally. They cannot be arbitrarily exploited or occupied, or else wars will erupt to seize and protect these resources.


——Master Sheng-Ru's Teachings
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The Relationship Between Robbery and Theft

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