How to Make Amends After Stealing

If one intends to steal something, the act of stealing is accomplished as soon as the item is moved from its original location. Transferring it from the left hand to the right hand constitutes a change in position, thus removing it from its original place. As long as the owner cannot locate the item, fails to recognize it, or does not become suspicious, it is considered removed from its original location. For the same item, if its position changes, a cultivated person would not casually claim or take it. An uncultivated person, however, will take it regardless of where it is, whether it belongs to them or not, paying no heed to anything else—even disregarding who it belongs to or whether it is useful—and will treat it as their own, using it freely.

The act of stealing is almost unavoidable for everyone, as it occurs too casually. Indulging in such afflictions results in significant personal loss, requiring repayment of at least a thousandfold, and also incurs the karmic retribution of poverty. Stealing from temples or from virtuous individuals is not merely a thousandfold repayment; ten thousand times is still insufficient, and it could potentially amount to hundreds of thousands, millions, billions, or even immeasurable times more. When contemplating theft, one must carefully consider the consequences to avoid severe loss. Furthermore, never steal from public organizations or the state, as the number of people requiring compensation would be too great to repay, leading to poverty across lifetimes. When working for a group without pay, wages, or rewards, there is no need to complain, as this may well be repaying a debt.

Question: Many, many years ago, I stole a box of toothpicks from a restaurant. If I now buy a new box to compensate, does this count as repaying the debt?

Answer: Beyond compensating with the original item at its original price, interest should also be added, because the value of goods has changed over time; the same item is now devalued, and one box today cannot match the value of one box from the past. Additionally, the owner’s loss and the impact of the incident must be considered, requiring considerably more compensation. Furthermore, the original item may have been useful and valuable to the owner at the time, but even if compensated tenfold or a hundredfold now, the original owner might no longer find it useful or valuable, rendering the compensation futile. Compensation should be determined based on what the original owner currently needs.

Sometimes, the emotional distress of the other party must also be taken into account. Some people suffer little emotional impact from losing an item, while others are deeply affected. In rare cases, individuals may develop mental illness or even lose their lives, as emotional harm can outweigh material loss. Those with weak psychological resilience or poor emotional states should never be provoked, as provoking them could lead to various mental health issues that cannot be compensated for with money alone.

Can the merit gained from giving alms by relinquishing possessions offset the loss of merit from past theft? This requires case-by-case analysis, depending on the value of the items involved and the mindset behind both actions. Setting aside the value of the items, the mindset—such as the attitude and breadth of mind in giving—determines the magnitude of merit gained. Similarly, the mindset during the theft—whether there was remorse, for instance—determines the severity of the karmic offense and the extent of merit lost. By comparing the two, along with karmic interest, one can determine whether the offense and merit can cancel each other out.