Six Categories of Homicide

The Original Text of the First Section of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sutra: The Buddha addressed the bhikkhus: There are three ways of taking a human life that constitute killing. First, doing it oneself. Second, instructing others to do it. Third, sending an envoy to do it. Doing it oneself means personally taking another's life. Instructing others means telling another person with words: 'Seize this person, bind them, and take their life.' Sending an envoy means telling another person (often a subordinate, someone under one's authority): 'Do you know so-and-so? You seize this person, bind them, and then kill them.' When this envoy, following the upāsaka's words, takes that person's life, the upāsaka commits an unrepentable offense.

Explanation: The Buddha told the bhikkhus: Those who violate the precept against killing do so in three ways: The first is killing personally oneself. The second is inciting others to kill. The third is sending someone (to act in one's place) to kill. Killing personally oneself means the upāsaka personally takes another's life. Instructing others to kill means using words to tell another person: 'Seize that person, bind them, and kill them.' Sending an envoy to kill means saying to another person (often a subordinate, someone belonging to oneself): 'Do you know so-and-so? You seize him, bind him, and then kill him.' When this envoy, complying with the upāsaka's words, kills so-and-so, the upāsaka commits the unrepentable karmic offense.

The focus here is on the distinction and the cause-and-effect relationship between instructing others to kill and sending an envoy to kill. What is the difference between instructing others to kill and sending an envoy to kill? Instructing is inciting and instigating; ultimately, the one who directly kills and violates the precept is the person instructed. The instructor and the instructed have an equal relationship, but the instructor bears greater sin. Sending an envoy to kill means dispatching one's own envoy to kill according to one's orders; it is killing done as a substitute for oneself. The principal killer is the upāsaka himself. The dispatched person is subordinate, following orders and completing the task. The dispatcher is the principal offender, the dispatched is an accomplice who also bears guilt. Whether instructing others to kill or sending an envoy to kill, the principal offender and the source of the sin is the upāsaka himself. Therefore, the upāsaka commits the unrepentable offense of killing. This karmic offense is even heavier than killing personally oneself because, although the result is the killing of one person in both cases, by inciting and dispatching others to kill, one further instigates others to create evil karma, defiles their mind and karmic conduct, creates evil affinities with people, and plants seeds of evil karma.

Original Text: Furthermore, there are three ways of taking a human life. First, using internal form. Second, using non-internal form. Third, using both internal and non-internal form. Internal form means an upāsaka strikes another with his hand, or uses his foot or any other body part, thinking thus: 'May he die because of this.' If that person dies because of it, it is an unrepentable offense. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of it, it is also an unrepentable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of it, it is a medium offense that is repentable.

Explanation: There are also three ways of killing a person. The first is killing using one's own internal form, meaning using the body to kill. The second is killing using non-internal form, meaning using killing tools outside the body. The third is killing using both internal and non-internal form, meaning killing by hand while holding a weapon. Internal form refers to the upāsaka's physical body. Using a part of the physical body to strike and kill, such as hitting with the hand, kicking with the foot, butting with the head, or striking with any other body part, while simultaneously thinking: 'I will kill him like this.' If the person who was struck dies as a result, the upāsaka commits the unrepentable karmic offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the beating, the upāsaka also commits the unrepentable karmic offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from it, the upāsaka commits a medium repentable karmic offense.

Original Text: Using non-internal form means if a person uses wood, tile, stone, knives, spears, arrows, blocks of pewter, blocks of lead-tin alloy, and hurls them from a distance at that person, thinking thus: 'May he die because of this.' If that person dies because of it, it is an unrepentable offense. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of it, it is also an unrepentable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of it, it is a medium offense that is repentable.

Explanation: Regarding killing using non-internal form, if an upāsaka uses wood, tile shards, stones, knives, spears, arrows, blocks of pewter, blocks of lead-tin alloy, and hurls them from a distance at that person, while simultaneously thinking of causing that person to die from being struck, if that person truly dies as a result, the upāsaka commits the unrepentable karmic offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the attack, the upāsaka also commits the unrepentable karmic offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from this attack, the upāsaka commits a medium repentable karmic offense.

Original Text: Using both internal and non-internal form means if one uses his hand to grasp wood, tile, stone, knives, spears, arrows, blocks of pewter, blocks of lead-tin alloy, or a piece of wood to strike another, thinking thus: 'May he die because of this.' If that person dies because of it, this offense is unrepentable. If he does not die immediately but later dies because of it, it is also an unrepentable offense. If he does not die immediately and later does not die because of it, it is a medium offense that is repentable.

Explanation: Regarding killing using a combination of internal and non-internal form, if an upāsaka uses his hand to hold wood, tile, stones, knives, spears, arrows, blocks of pewter, blocks of lead-tin alloy, or uses a piece of wood to strike and kill, while simultaneously thinking of causing that person to die from the beating, if that person truly dies as a result of the beating, the upāsaka's killing offense is unrepentable. If that person does not die immediately but later dies from the beating, the upāsaka also commits an unrepentable offense. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die from it, the upāsaka commits a medium repentable offense.