Various Manifestations of Theft

Improper gain constitutes theft. The term "improper" is crucial and significant. A noble person, regardless of what they desire, must acquire it through righteous means—obtaining it openly and honorably through the proper path, never through wicked means or improper acquisition. Therefore, the Buddha taught that before severing the view of self, one must cultivate the Eightfold Path. Without the Eightfold Path, the view of self cannot be severed.

Selling the property of the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha), tax evasion, illegal business operations, and violating national laws and regulations are all acts of theft. True Bodhisattvas and genuine practitioners do not violate national laws and regulations; to a certain extent, they should comply with the rules and systems of the country and locality, not acting contrary to them. Acts of tax evasion infringe upon the interests of the state and all citizens, creating a debt owed to the state and all citizens. In the future, this debt, including principal plus interest, must be repaid to the state and all citizens. The amount is enormous, and the consequences are extremely severe.

Although monasteries are public places generally open to lay Buddhists, there are times when monasteries require tranquility and do not receive lay visitors. If one knowingly goes to a monastery and causes disturbance despite being aware it is not permitted, this also constitutes theft—stealing the time and energy of the monastics, disrupting their practice and various duties. The extent of the loss incurred by the monastery is the extent to which the layperson has stolen.

Items intended as offerings to the Buddha, once mentally determined to be for that purpose, should be set aside temporarily and offered to the Buddha at the appropriate time. Mental determination means the mental faculty (manas) has already decided, equating to relinquishing ownership of the item. Therefore, regardless of whether the item is physically offered to the Buddha, it belongs to the Buddha. If, for some reason, one takes it back for personal use, this is misappropriating the Buddha's property. If one promises to give something to another person and the other accepts, a transfer occurs in the mental faculty of both parties. At that point, regardless of who physically possesses the item, ownership belongs to the recipient. If, by the agreed deadline, one still does not hand over the item and decides not to give it, this constitutes stealing the other person's property.

When eating at a monastery, if the monastery has not stipulated that meals are free of charge, eating without paying is equivalent to stealing the monastery's food as well as the time and labor of the dining hall staff. Frequently visiting the monastery to drink tea with monastics but never bringing tea or reciprocating with appropriate items constitutes debt if the monastics are willingly offering it. If it is not offered willingly by the monastics, it constitutes stealing their tea and time. Casually occupying monastics' time, disrupting their practice and duties, has very negative consequences. The karmic retribution for stealing from monasteries and monastics is many times greater than stealing from laypeople.

If Buddhist scriptures or other items for affinity-building are intentionally placed in certain locations within a monastery for free distribution, they can be taken freely without needing to inform the monastery's management personnel. Certain items are managed by specific individuals; if one wishes to use them, permission must be obtained from those specific persons. If someone who is not the designated manager gives permission, it is still invalid, and taking the item constitutes theft. One must also consider whether the person granting permission has the appropriate authority; it is not acceptable to just seek permission from anyone. If the person granting permission makes an error in judgment, they will also bear responsibility, be subject to karmic consequences, and may even incur guilt.

Everyone, whether at home, in the workplace, at a monastery, or in any public setting, must clearly understand who the owner of each item is and not violate the owner's rights. One should always ask the owner before using anything. This includes respecting the ownership rights of family members—parents, children, and spouses—without infringement or offense. This is the cultivation and virtue of being a person. Living purely inevitably yields pure karmic results.