Lzh Dg Bu Pm 2 Pj 2Theft
Pāli / Sanskrit:Adinnādāna
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Adinnādāna Sutta: The Violation of Taking What Is Not Given
Background
Adinnādāna, a Pāli term meaning “taking what is not given” (a-dinna-ādāna), is one of the fundamental offenses prescribed in the Vinaya Piṭaka of the Theravāda tradition. This offense is classified among the gravest moral violations and is also found within the system of the five basic precepts (Pañcasīla) that all followers of the Buddha-Dharma are to observe.
The Vinaya texts were compiled to build a community of monks and nuns with firm discipline, where every action is clearly regulated so as to create peace and trust. Taking what is not given reflects an act that violates another’s ownership, transgressing integrity (sīla) and goodness within the monastic community.
Main Content
Adinnādāna as defined in the Vinaya Piṭaka is not merely ordinary theft. It includes any act involving what another has not permitted, even the smallest object, provided there is the intention to take possession for oneself or for another. According to the detailed rules in the Pātimokkha, the solemn code, this act is considered one of the four Pārājika offenses, the gravest offenses leading to the loss of monastic status.
For an act to be fully considered Adinnādāna, five factors must be present: the object must not be one’s own; the object must belong to another; there must be the intention to possess it; the act of taking must be carried out; and one must clearly know that the act is taking what has not been given.
The Vinaya texts also indicate different degrees of violation depending on the value of the object taken and the motive behind the act. Nevertheless, the essence of violating another’s rights always remains the core of this offense, reflecting the basic principle of respect and of not harming other beings.
Practical Meaning
Keeping the precept of Adinnādāna is not merely following a formal rule, but training in integrity (ahirikā), a sense of shame before wrong actions (hiri), and moral caution (ottappa). This precept builds the foundation for mutual trust in the monastic community and in society.
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