菩薩戒義疏 2.5

2.5

第二、盜戒，謂不與取。灼然不與取名劫，潛盜不與取名盜，盜彼依報得罪。此戒七眾同犯。聲聞五眾有同有異，同者皆不應盜。異者有三：一、開遮異，如見機得不得等。或復謂見機盜，以無盜心，大士為物，種種運為皆得。聲聞自度必依規矩，大士不畏罪，但令前人有益，即便為之。聲聞人佛滅後盜佛物輕，菩薩恒重。又本應與他外命而反取，豈是大士之心耶？序事中有三，三中各有三，不應有三，就十一句判三也。初六，次四，後一。應中亦三如文，文句同前殺戒。不應中三如前。「盜業」下，第二、別明成業之相，有四句同前。運手取他物離本處成盜業，業是造作為義，重物謂五錢也。律云大銅錢準十六小錢，其中錢有貴賤，取盜處為斷。菩薩之重，重聲聞，二錢已上便重。有人作此說者，今不盡用，取五錢為斷是重。離處盜業決在此時。「而菩薩」第二階明應也。與前大同小異，前明應學常住佛行慈悲，今言孝順行慈悲也。菩薩應學此等事，故言應也。不應者，不應為偷盜及殺生等事，此即誡勸二門也。誡勿令殺盜，勸令行善慈悲孝順，及學常住佛行行等，皆是善法而為孝順也。佛性者，一切眾生皆有當果之性，性是不改為義耳。「而反」第三結不應也。解三寶物如律說。

Second is the precept against stealing, which means taking what is not given. Taking what is not given openly is called robbery; taking what is not given covertly is called theft. Stealing another's circumstantial reward incurs an offense. This precept is committed equally by all seven assemblies. Between them and the five assemblies of śrāvakas there are similarities and differences: the similarity is that neither should steal. The differences are three: First, differences in allowance and prohibition: such as seeing the right occasion and being permitted or not permitted to take, and so forth. Or again, it means that stealing upon seeing the occasion, because there is no intention to steal, allows the mahāsattva to perform all kinds of operations for the sake of beings. A śrāvaka seeking self-deliverance must adhere to the rules, whereas a mahāsattva does not fear offenses: as long as it brings benefit to the other person, he immediately does it. For a śrāvaka, stealing the Buddha's property after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa is minor, whereas for a bodhisattva it is always major. Furthermore, when one ought originally to give one's external life to others, to turn around and take from them—how could that be the mind of a mahāsattva? Within the narration of the matter there are three parts, each of the three having three: under what one should not do there are three, judged according to the eleven phrases: the first six, the next four, and the last one. Under what one should do there are also three as in the text, the phrases being identical to the preceding precept on killing. The three under what one should not do are as before. From “the karma of stealing” downward is the second part: explaining specifically the characteristics of the constitution of karma, having four phrases identical to the preceding. Moving one's hand to take another's property and removing it from its original place constitutes the karma of stealing. Karma has the meaning of purposeful action; “valuable property” means five coins. The Vinaya states that a large copper coin corresponds to sixteen small coins; among coins there are dear and cheap, and the determination is made according to the place where the theft occurred. For the bodhisattva, the gravity exceeds that of the śrāvaka: two coins and above immediately constitute a major offense. Although some advance this explanation, we do not fully adopt it now; taking five coins as the determination constitutes a major offense. Removal from the place definitely fixes the karma of stealing at this moment. “Yet a bodhisattva” is the second stage, clarifying what one should do. It is broadly similar to the preceding with minor differences: the preceding clarified that one should emulate the constantly abiding Buddha in practicing loving-kindness and compassion; here it speaks of filial obedience in practicing loving-kindness and compassion. A bodhisattva should emulate such matters; hence it says “should.” What one “should not do” means that one should not commit stealing, killing living beings, and the like; these are the two gates of admonition and encouragement. Admonition enjoins one not to kill or steal; encouragement urges one to practice wholesome dharmas, loving-kindness, compassion, and filial obedience, and to emulate the practices of the constantly abiding Buddha, all of which are wholesome dharmas that constitute filial obedience. As for “Buddha-nature,” all sentient beings possess the nature of the future fruit; nature simply has the meaning of being unalterable. “Yet, on the contrary” is the third part, concluding what one should not do. The explanation of the property of the Three Jewels is as stated in the Vinaya.