諸經要集 14.15

14.15

第一盜佛物者。如涅槃經云。造立佛寺。用珠華鬘供養。不問輒取。若知不知皆得方便盜罪。又鼻柰耶論云。若盜佛塔聲聞塔中幡花。皆望施主結重罪。為斷彼福故。又十誦律云。若盜佛圖物精舍中供養具。若有守護主。計主犯重罪。如十誦偷佛舍利。薩婆多論。盜佛像。並為淨心供養。自念云。彼亦弟子。我亦弟子。如是之人。雖不語取供養。皆不犯罪（此謂施主情通者不犯局者犯重也）若依摩德勒伽論云。為轉賣活命故。盜佛像舍利者。犯大重罪（其法物者准佛可知。故四分律下文云。時有人盜他經卷。佛言。佛語無價。准紙墨計滿五錢。犯重罪。自外可知）第二盜僧物者。如五分律云。貸僧物不還。計直犯重。又觀佛三昧經云。盜僧鬘物者。過殺八萬四千父母等罪。又寶梁經云。寧噉身肉終不得用三寶物。又依方等經云。花聚菩薩云。五逆四重我亦能救。盜僧物者我不能救。又大集經濟龍品云。時有諸龍。得宿命心自念過業。涕泣雨淚。來至佛前各如是言。我憶往昔。於佛法中。或為俗人。親屬因緣。或復聽法因緣。所有信心。捨施種種花果飲食。共諸比丘依次而食。或有說言。我曾𭋝噉四方眾僧花果飲食。或有說言。我往寺舍布施眾僧或復禮拜。如是𭋝噉。乃至七佛已來。曾作俗人有信心人。為供養故。施諸花果種種飲食。比丘得已。迴施於我。我得便食由彼業緣。於地獄中經無量劫。大猛火中或燒或煮。或飲洋銅。或吞鐵丸。從地獄出墮畜生中。捨畜生身生餓鬼中。如是種種備受辛苦。佛告諸龍。此之惡業與盜佛物等無差別。比五逆業其罪如半。然此罪報難可得脫。於賢劫中值最後佛。名曰樓至。於彼佛世罪得除滅。述曰。何故盜用僧物。其罪偏重耶。答曰。隨盜一物。即望十方凡聖。上至諸佛下及凡僧。隨境無邊還結無邊等罪。微塵尚可知數。此人罪報不可測量。所以者何。為其施主。本捨一毫一粒。擬供十方出家凡聖。令其食用日夜修道。不欲供俗。是以鳴鐘一響。遐邇同飡。凡聖受用俱成道業。冥資施主得益無邊。惟斯福利功齊法界。招善既多獲罪寧少。今見愚迷眾生。不簡貴賤。不信三寶。苟貪福物將用資身。或食噉僧食。受用花果。或騎僧雜畜。將僧奴逐。或借貸僧物經久不還。見僧屢索反加凌毀。或倚官形勢伺求僧過。如是等損具列難盡。靜思此咎豈不痛心。今惜不與者。非是慳惜不惠。為慈愍白衣慮受來苦。若當與者。非直損俗。亦罪及知事。未來生處同受其殃。故佛本行經云。一念之惡。能開五不善門。一惡能燒人善根。二從惡更生惡。三為聖人所呵。四退失道果。五死入惡道。既知不易。誠為大誡。後時取受。省己用之。

The first is stealing the property of the Buddha. As the Nirvāṇa-sūtra says: When a Buddhist monastery has been built and adorned with pearls and flower garlands as offerings, if one takes them without asking, whether knowing or unknowing, in both cases one commits the preliminary offense of theft. Furthermore, the Vinaya-vibhāṣā says: If one steals banners and flowers from a Buddha stūpa or a śrāvaka stūpa, a grave offense is incurred in relation to the donor, because of severing their merit. Furthermore, the Daśabhāṇavāra-vinaya says: If one steals the property of a Buddhist shrine (stūpa) or offering implements in a monastery, if there is a caretaker, calculating against the owner, one incurs a grave offense. As in the Daśabhāṇavāra on stealing the Buddha's relics, and the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra on stealing a Buddha image, if it is done with a pure mind to make offerings, thinking to oneself, "That person is a disciple, and I too am a disciple"—for such a person, although taking it to make offerings without asking, in all cases no offense is committed. (This means that if the donor's disposition is open-minded, no offense is committed; if it is restrictive, one incurs a grave offense.) If based on the Mātṛkā-śāstra, it says: If one steals a Buddha image or relic in order to resell it for a livelihood, one incurs an extremely grave offense. (As for Dharma property, it can be understood by analogy to that of the Buddha; thus the text below in the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya says: Once there was someone who stole another's sūtra scroll, and the Buddha said, "The Buddha's words are priceless; calculating based on the paper and ink to reach the full value of five coins, one incurs a grave offense." The rest can be understood from this.) The second is stealing the property of the Saṃgha. As the Mahīśāsaka-vinaya says: If one borrows the property of the Saṃgha and does not return it, calculating its value, one commits a grave offense. Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei jing says: One who steals garland-property of the Saṃgha commits a crime exceeding that of killing eighty-four thousand parents. Furthermore, the Baoliang jing (Ratnarāśi-sūtra) says: Better to consume one's own flesh than ever to use the property of the Triratna. Furthermore, relying on the Vaipulya-sūtra, the Bodhisattva Puṣpakūṭa said: "I can save even those of the five heinous deeds and four grave offenses; but one who steals the property of the Saṃgha, I cannot save." Furthermore, the Chapter on Saving Nāgas in the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra says: At that time there were nāgas who attained knowledge of past lives, and reflecting on their past karma, weeping and shedding tears like rain, they came before the Buddha and spoke respectively thus: "We recall that formerly, within the Buddha's Dharma, whether as laypeople through kinship connections or through the connection of listening to the Dharma, whatever faithful minds we had, we gave away various flowers, fruits, food, and drink, and ate them together with the bhikṣus in turn. Some spoke saying: 'I once surreptitiously consumed the flowers, fruits, food, and drink of the Saṃgha of the four quarters.' Some spoke saying: 'I went to monasteries to give alms to the Saṃgha or to pay homage, and in this way surreptitiously consumed them. Even across the time of the Seven Buddhas, having been faithful laypeople, we offered various flowers, fruits, and food and drink for the sake of making offerings; after the bhikṣus received them, they redirected and gave them to us, and upon receiving them we ate them.' On account of those karmic conditions, in the hells through immeasurable kalpas, in great raging fires we were burned or boiled, or drank molten copper, or swallowed iron pellets. Emerging from hell, we fell among the animals; shedding our animal bodies, we were born among the hungry ghosts. In various ways such as these, we fully endured bitterness and toil." The Buddha told the nāgas, "This evil karma is no different from stealing the property of the Buddha; compared with the karma of the five heinous deeds, its crime is like half. Yet this retributive punishment is hard to escape; in the Auspicious Kalpa, when encountering the final Buddha, named Ruci, in the time of that Buddha your sins will be eliminated." The author states: Why is the sin of stealing and using the property of the Saṃgha especially grave? The answer is: As soon as one steals a single item, in relation to the ordinary and noble beings of the ten directions—from the Buddhas above down to ordinary monks below—in accordance with the boundless realm, an equal, boundless sin is incurred. The number of minute dust motes could still be known, but this person's sinful retribution is immeasurable. Why is this? Because when the donors originally gave a single hair or a single grain, they intended it as an offering to the ordinary and noble renunciants of the ten directions, so that they might consume it and cultivate the Path day and night; they did not wish to offer it to the laity. Therefore, when the bell sounds a single strike, near and far dine together; the usage by both ordinary and noble alike completes the work of the Path, invisibly aiding the donors to obtain boundless benefit. Only such merit and benefit have efficacy equal to the Dharmadhātu. Since it brings so much good, could the guilt incurred be small? Now we see deluded, foolish sentient beings, regardless of noble or lowly, having no faith in the Triratna, who covetously grasp at merit-producing property to support their own bodies: either eating the Saṃgha's food, consuming its flowers and fruits, or riding the Saṃgha's various livestock, or driving and employing the Saṃgha's servants; or borrowing the Saṃgha's property and failing to return it for a long time, and upon seeing the Saṃgha repeatedly demand it, they instead insult and abuse them; or relying on official power and prestige, they spy out and seek the faults of the Saṃgha. Harm and losses such as these cannot be fully listed; when calmly reflecting on this blame, how could the heart not ache? Now, that we are parsimonious and do not give it to them is not out of stinginess and failure to bestow; it is out of compassionate pity for white-robed laypeople, fearing they will suffer future pain. If one were to give it to them, it would not merely harm the laity, but the guilt would also reach the monastic administrators, and in future birthplaces they would suffer its calamity together. Therefore, the Buddhacarita-sūtra says: A single thought of evil can open five unwholesome gates: first, evil can burn up a person's roots of goodness; second, from evil further evil is born; third, one is rebuked by the noble ones; fourth, one regresses and loses the fruits of the Path; fifth, upon dying one enters the evil destinies. Since we know this is no simple matter, it truly serves as a great warning. When taking and receiving in later times, examine yourself before using it.