San Lo Bi Vb Pj 2Theft
Pāli / Sanskrit:Adinnādāna
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The Sutta on Taking What Is Not Given (Adinnādāna)
Background
In the Theravāda tradition, the Adinnādāna Sutta, taking what is not given, is recorded in the Vinaya Piṭaka, specifically in the Pātimokkha, the basic ethical code for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. This is not a discourse in the ordinary sense, but a rule with clearly defined consequences. The sutta was spoken in the context of the Buddha establishing rules of practice for the Sangha when he recognized that wrongful actions needed to be regulated by communal discipline.
Unlike discourses that seek liberation through direct teaching, the Vinaya Piṭaka concerns the external conditions that help the mind of practice become purified. Adinnādāna is one of the violations of a fundamental human principle, taking something not permitted, thereby affecting harmony in the Sangha and the community’s trust in the Order.
Main Content
Adinnādāna is translated as “taking what is not given.” In the Pātimokkha, it is one of the five basic precepts (Pañcasīla) and one of the ten unwholesome actions to be avoided (Dasasīla) that all followers of the Buddha-Dharma should observe. For a bhikkhu, taking anything not permitted by its owner, whether a blade of grass, a grain of rice, or a utensil, constitutes an offense.
This rule is institutionalized in the spirit of protecting the property of others and building trust. According to related suttas, this action violates not only personal ethics but also destroys the foundation of the community, for if the Sangha becomes known as not respecting people’s property, it will lose material support from the laity. This is a reciprocal relationship: the Sangha practices in order to embody the Dharma, and laypeople provide food and requisites to support that practice.
The sutta clearly identifies the situations and degrees of seriousness of the offense. Intention (cetanā) is the decisive factor: there must be the intention to take what is not given for a true offense to be constituted. Even specific situations such as taking from someone unconscious, from an animal, or in darkness are carefully considered.
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