Taking Unclaimed Property

Original text from the Section on the Five Precepts for Upasakas, Part 2: A man was plowing in a field at Jivana. He removed his garment and placed it on one side of the field. At that time, a lay practitioner looked around and, seeing no one, took the garment away. The plowman saw this from afar and said to the lay practitioner, "Do not take my garment!" The lay practitioner did not hear him and, still thinking the garment was ownerless, took it away. The plowman immediately pursued and caught him, saying, "Does your conduct constitute taking what is not given?" The lay practitioner replied, "I thought it was ownerless, so I took it. How could this be proper?" The plowman said, "This is my garment." The lay practitioner said, "If it is yours, you may take it back."

Explanation: A man was plowing in a field at Jivana. He took off his garment and placed it beside the field. At that moment, a lay practitioner arrived, looked around, saw no one, and took the garment away. The plowman saw this from a distance and called out to the lay practitioner, "Do not take my garment!" The lay practitioner did not hear him and, still believing the garment was unclaimed, took it away. The plowman immediately pursued and caught him, saying, "Do you intend to steal?" The lay practitioner replied, "I thought it was ownerless, so I took it. How could this be wrong?" The plowman said, "This is my garment." The lay practitioner said, "If it is yours, take it back."

Original text: The lay practitioner became doubtful, thinking, "Could I have committed an unpardonable offense?" He immediately went to the Buddha’s dwelling to inquire about this matter. The Buddha, knowing the situation, asked, "With what state of mind did you take it?" The lay practitioner replied respectfully, "I thought it was ownerless." The Buddha said, "You have committed no offense. From now on, when taking objects, carefully consider and discern: some objects may appear unattended, yet they indeed have an owner. If one resolves to steal but does not take the object, it constitutes a minor offense requiring repentance. If one takes an item worth less than five masha, it constitutes a medium offense requiring repentance. If one takes an item worth five masha or more, it constitutes an unpardonable offense."

Explanation: Afterwards, the lay practitioner became doubtful about his actions, wondering, "Could I have committed an unpardonable offense?" He immediately went to the Buddha’s dwelling to consult about this matter. The Buddha, knowing the situation, deliberately asked, "With what state of mind did you take the garment?" The lay practitioner replied that he had taken it believing it was ownerless. The Buddha said, "You have committed no offense. However, from now on, when taking objects in this manner, you must carefully consider and discern: some objects may appear unattended, yet they indeed have an owner. If one resolves to steal but does not take the object, it constitutes a minor offense requiring repentance. If one takes an item worth less than five masha, it constitutes a medium offense requiring repentance. If one takes an item worth five masha or more, it constitutes an unpardonable offense."