法苑珠林 74.8

74.8

As the Nirvāṇa Sūtra states: 'If someone builds a Buddhist monastery and offers pearl garlands to it, anyone who takes them without asking—whether knowingly or unknowingly—incurs an offense of preliminary theft.' Furthermore, the Vinaya-vibhāṣā states: 'If one steals banners or flowers from a stūpa of the Buddha or a stūpa of a śrāvaka, one incurs a grave offense with respect to the donor, because one severs that donor's merit.' Furthermore, the Daśādhyāya-vinaya states: 'If one steals property from a Buddhist shrine or offering utensils from a monastery, if there is a custodian in charge, one's offense is calculated according to the owner as a grave offense.' According to the Daśādhyāya[-vinaya], stealing a Buddha's śarīra, and according to the Sarvāstivāda-vinaya-vibhāṣā, stealing a Buddha image, if done with a pure mind for the purpose of making offerings, thinking to oneself, 'He was a disciple, and I too am a disciple'—in such cases, although taken without asking, no offense is incurred in offering to them. (This refers to cases where the donor's intention is open; if the donor's intention is restricted, one incurs a grave offense.) If one follows the Mātṛkā-śāstra, it states: 'If one steals a Buddha image or śarīra in order to resell it for a livelihood, one commits an exceedingly grave offense.'