四分律刪繁補闕行事鈔 2.70

2.70

初中，盜佛物者。正望佛邊，無盜罪。由佛於物無我所，心無惱害故。但得偷蘭，以同非人物攝故。《十誦》：盜天神像衣，結偷蘭。《涅槃》亦云：造立佛寺，用珠華鬘供養，不問輒取，若知不知，皆犯偷蘭。若有守護主者，三寶物邊，皆結重罪；無守護主，望斷施主福邊結罪。故《鼻奈耶》云：若盜佛塔、聲聞塔等幡蓋，皆望斷本施主福邊結罪。故《五百問》中，塔上掃土，淨地棄之，不得惡用。《摩得勒伽》云：盜非人廟中物，有守護者犯重。《十誦》：盜佛圖物，精舍中供養具，若有守護，計直成犯。《善生》中，亦從守塔人得重罪，不望佛邊結之。所以約守物人結者，如盜人物中分別。必盜而供養，無犯：《薩婆多論》盜佛像，《十誦》中偷舍利；並淨心供養，自作念言，彼亦是師，我亦是師，如是意者，無犯。《摩得伽》中，盜佛像舍利，不滿五故，偷蘭；滿五犯重。《薩婆多》云：謂轉賣者，若佛塔中鳥死，及得餘物，但供塔用，餘用犯盜。

First, regarding the theft of the Buddha’s property: strictly with respect to the Buddha, there is no offense of theft, because the Buddha has no sense of "mine" toward property and his mind is without distress or injury. One incurs only a sthūlātyaya, because it falls under the category of non-human beings. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: stealing the robes of an image of a deva incurs a sthūlātyaya. The Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra also states: if someone builds a Buddhist monastery and uses pearls and flower garlands to make offerings, and another takes them arbitrarily without asking, whether knowing or not knowing, both incur a sthūlātyaya. If there is a custodian, then concerning the property of the Three Jewels, a major offense is established in all cases; if there is no custodian, the offense is established with respect to severing the donor's merit. Therefore the Vinaya states: if one steals banners, canopies, and the like from a stūpa of the Buddha or a stūpa of a śrāvaka, the offense is established in all cases with respect to severing the original donor's merit. Thus in the Five Hundred Questions: when sweeping dust on a stūpa, it must be discarded on clean ground and must not be put to bad use. The Mātṛkā states: stealing property in a shrine of non-human beings incurs a major offense if there is a custodian. The Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: stealing property of a stūpa or offering utensils in a vihāra, if there is a custodian, an offense is established by calculating the value. In the Upāsakaśīla-sūtra, one also incurs a major offense based on the stūpa keeper, not established with respect to the Buddha. The reason it is established based on the person guarding the property is as distinguished under the theft of human property. If one steals it solely to make offerings, there is no offense: the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā discusses stealing a Buddha image, and the Daśādhyāya-vinaya discusses stealing relics; if in both cases one makes offerings with a pure mind, thinking to oneself, "That is a teacher, and I also am a teacher," with such an intention, there is no offense. In the Mātṛkā: stealing a Buddha image or relics, if not reaching five [māṣakas], it is a sthūlātyaya; if reaching five, it is a major offense. The Sarvāstivāda states: this refers to reselling them; if a bird dies in a Buddha stūpa, or other property is obtained, it may only be used for offerings to the stūpa, and other uses incur theft.