San Sarv Bu Pm Finot Pj 2Theft
Pāli / Sanskrit:Adinnādāna
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Adinnādāna Sutta: On Taking What Is Not Given
Background
In the Theravāda Buddhist tradition, the Vinaya Piṭaka records the ethical and disciplinary rules that the Buddha Śākyamuni established for bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. The Adinnādāna Sutta, or “Taking What Is Not Given,” is one of the most basic regulations belonging to the Pārājika, the gravest prohibitions, which if violated lead to expulsion from the Sangha.
Adinnādāna is translated from Pāli: adinna (not given) + ādāna (taking). This is not merely the ordinary command “do not steal,” but a profound concept concerning respect for the property rights and freedom of others. Even a small object, if not given by its owner, is considered a violation of Adinnādāna when taken.
Main Content
The Adinnādāna Sutta states that a monk or nun must not take anything that has not been permitted by its owner, regardless of the object’s value. The important distinction between Adinnādāna and other wrong actions is intention (cetanā). If a monastic intentionally takes another’s property, believing that the object does not belong to him or her and intending to possess it, that action is regarded as a violation of Adinnādāna.
This rule applies to every kind of possession, from precious things such as money, gold, and silver to ordinary things such as water, grass, or a leaf. Even if someone steals another person’s property and leaves it somewhere, anyone who takes it may violate Adinnādāna unless they are certain it has no owner.
Related situations are also regulated: taking property from the living, from the dead, or from public places. In all cases, intention and clear knowledge that the object is not one’s own are the determining factors.
Practical Meaning
Adinnādāna is not only a prohibition serving social order. It expresses a deep ethical principle: respect for the rights and freedom of others.
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