Massacre by Pit Execution Without Gunpowder Smoke

Original Text of the First Section on the Five Precepts for Upāsakas: Killing by means of a smokeless fire pit. If an upāsaka knows that a person is coming along this path, and beforehand makes a smokeless fire pit on it, covering it with sand and earth, and verbally states: 'Because this person is coming along this path, I have made this pit.' If that person dies because of this, it is an unpardonable offense. If the person does not die immediately but later dies because of it, it is an unpardonable offense. If the person does not die immediately and later does not die because of it, it is a pardonable offense of medium gravity.

Explanation: The situation of killing using a smokeless fire pit is: if an upāsaka knows that the person to be killed is coming along a certain path, he prepares a smokeless fire pit on the path in advance, covers it with sand and earth, and afterward says verbally: 'Because this person is coming along this path, I have set up this fire pit.' If that person dies due to falling into the fire pit, the upāsaka commits the unpardonable offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately but later still dies because of it, the upāsaka likewise commits the unpardonable offense of killing. If that person does not die immediately and later does not die because of it, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of killing of medium gravity.

Original Text: If one makes a smokeless fire pit for another person, and a human dies, it is unpardonable. If a non-human being dies, it is a pardonable offense of medium gravity. If an animal dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity.

Explanation: Making a smokeless fire pit for another person to kill, if a human dies due to falling into the fire pit, one commits the unpardonable offense of killing; if a non-human being falls into the fire pit and dies, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of killing of medium gravity; if an animal falls in and dies, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of killing of minor gravity.

Why is it that for the same fire pit, when different beings fall in and die, the upāsaka receives different offenses? First, it is because the beings belong to different categories, have different merits, and possess different intrinsic value; thus, the loss after death is different, and killing them naturally results in different offenses. Humans are more noble and valuable than non-human beings, and non-human beings are more noble and valuable than animals; killing a human incurs the greatest offense, while killing an animal incurs the smallest offense. Value refers to the size of the contribution one can make to the world, the magnitude of benefit to sentient beings, and the scale of worldly and transcendental achievements one can attain. Second, it is because the upāsaka's purpose and intention differ; offenses committed intentionally and unintentionally are naturally different. If the upāsaka's target is a human and he has the intent to kill a human, the death of a human results in a heavy offense. If his target is not a non-human being or an animal, and he has no intent to kill non-human beings or animals, then the death of a non-human being or animal constitutes accidental killing, and the offense is minor.

Original Text: If a pit is made for a non-human being, and a non-human being dies, it is a pardonable offense of medium gravity. If a human dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity. If an animal dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity. If a pit is made for an animal, and an animal dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity. If a human falls in and dies, or if a non-human being falls in and dies, both are pardonable offenses of minor gravity.

Explanation: If the smokeless fire pit was made for a non-human being, and a non-human being dies because of it, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of killing of medium gravity. If a human falls in and dies, he commits the pardonable offense of killing of minor gravity; if an animal dies because of it, it is also a pardonable offense of killing of minor gravity.

If a smokeless fire pit is made for an animal, and an animal dies because of it, one commits the pardonable offense of killing of minor gravity. If a human falls in and dies, or a non-human being falls in and dies, both are pardonable offenses of killing of minor gravity.

Setting up a fire pit for a non-human being indicates an intent to kill a non-human being. However, because non-human beings are not sufficiently noble and are not vessels of the Dharma, killing a non-human being results in a pardonable offense of medium gravity, not the highest unpardonable offense of major gravity. If a human accidentally falls into the fire pit and dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity, because the upāsaka did not intend to kill a human; it was caused by the human mistakenly entering the pit. The upāsaka merely provided the means to fall into the fire pit. If an animal mistakenly enters the fire pit and dies, it is even more so a pardonable offense of minor gravity. If there was an intent to kill an animal, and regardless of which type of being dies because of it, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity, because animals are not sufficiently noble nor vessels of the Dharma; killing them is a minor offense. The deaths of humans and non-human beings are accidental killings, also constituting minor offenses.

Original Text: If an upāsaka makes a pit not specifically for one type of being, intending that all who come shall fall in and die: if a human dies, it is an unpardonable offense; if a non-human being dies, it is a pardonable offense of medium gravity; if an animal dies, it is a pardonable offense of minor gravity. If none die, he commits the pardonable offense of preparatory action for the three [types]. This is called killing by means of a smokeless fire pit.

Explanation: If an upāsaka sets up a smokeless fire pit not specifically for a certain type of being, but mentally hopes that all who come to the fire pit will be killed without distinction. If a human dies because of it, he commits the unpardonable offense of killing; if a non-human being dies because of it, he commits the pardonable offense of killing of medium gravity; if an animal dies because of it, he commits the pardonable offense of killing of minor gravity. If none die, the upāsaka commits the pardonable offense of preparatory action for the three [types]. This describes the situation of setting up a smokeless fire pit for killing.

Setting up the fire pit with the intent to kill all beings who pass by, including humans, means there is an intent to kill humans. The death of a human thus results in the unpardonable offense of major gravity. The intent to kill non-human beings and animals, resulting in their deaths, incurs pardonable offenses of medium and minor gravity respectively. The "three preparatory actions" refer to setting up the smokeless fire pit for the purpose of killing the three types of beings.