Maha Prajnaparamita Sastra
by Gelongma Karma Migme Chödrön | 2001 | 941,039 words
This page describes “punishments for theft” as written by Nagarjuna in his Maha-prajnaparamita-sastra (lit. “the treatise on the great virtue of wisdom”) in the 2nd century. This book, written in five volumes, represents an encyclopedia on Buddhism as well as a commentary on the Pancavimsatisahasrika Prajnaparamita.
Part 3 - Punishments for theft
As the Buddha said, theft (adattādāna) has ten punishments:[1]
1) The owner of the object (dravyapati) is always angry [with the thief].
2) The thief experiences great anxiety.
3) He acts inopportunely (read: fei che hing) and without thinking things out.
4) He is associated with evil people and avoids honest people.
5) He violates the rules of morality (kuśalanimitta).
6) He is punished by the king.
7) He does not retain any wealth. [156c]
8) He plants the causes and conditions (hetupratyaya) of actions engendering poverty (dāridrya).
9) After death, he falls into hell (niraya).
10) If he is reborn among men and manages with difficulty to obtain wealth, the “group of five” (pañcasādhāraṇa)[2] will be the prey of the king (rājan), thieves (caura), fire (agni), water (udaka) or the prodigal son (apriyadāyāda); even [treasures] buried in the earth are lost.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Nandikasūtra in Feer, Extraits, p. 245; T 81, p. 899b16–18.
[2]:
I.e., his entire fortune, see above, p. 679F, n. 1.