The Crime of Homicide through Reckless Play

Original text from Section One of the Upāsaka Five Precepts Sutra: There was a child who liked to laugh. A lay devotee caught him and tickled him, causing him to laugh excessively, and he died. The lay devotee became doubtful. The Buddha said: Because it was done in jest and laughter, he did not commit the offense of killing. From now on, he should not tickle people to make them laugh again.

Another person was sitting covered with his own clothes. A lay devotee called out, "Get up." The man said, "Do not call me to get up, or I will die." The lay devotee called again, "Get up." Upon getting up, the man died immediately. The lay devotee became doubtful. The Buddha said: He committed a medium-level repentable offense. If the man had died after you gave him medicinal broth, you would have committed an unrepentable offense against the precept.

Explanation: There was another child who enjoyed laughing. A lay devotee grabbed him and tickled him, causing the child to die from excessive laughter. The lay devotee was unsure what offense he had committed. The Buddha said to him: Because this was done in play and jest, he did not commit the offense of killing. From now on, he should not tickle people to make them laugh.

There was a person sitting covered with his own clothes. A lay devotee called out to him to get up. The man said: "Do not call me to get up, or I will die." The lay devotee called again for him to get up. The man got up and died immediately. The lay devotee was unsure what offense he had committed. The Buddha said to him: You committed a medium-level repentable offense. If you had given him medicinal broth and he died, you would have committed an unrepentable offense against the precept.

Committing a repentable offense occurs when one causes death without intent to kill. Committing an unrepentable offense is intentional killing, done with the intent to kill. For a repentable offense, because there is no intent to kill, the mind is not evil, it is not defiled, the inherent sin is light, and the karmic sin is also light. Through repentance, the inherent sin and karmic retribution can be reduced or eliminated, thereby avoiding hellish karmic retribution. For an unrepentable offense, because there is subjective intent to kill, the mind is evil, the inherent sin is heavy, and the karmic sin is also heavy. Because the mind is obscured by mental afflictions, even with repentance, the inherent sin cannot be eradicated, the karmic sin cannot be reduced, and hellish retribution is unavoidable. The severity of all karmic offenses is determined by the mind.