The Three Kinds of the Sin of Killing by Praise

Original text of the first section of the Sūtra on the Characteristics of the Five Precepts for Upāsakas: 赞叹杀有三种。一者恶戒人。二者善戒人。三者老病人。恶戒人者。杀牛羊。养鸡猪。放鹰捕鱼。猎师围兔。射獐鹿等。偷贼魁脍。咒龙守狱。若到是人所。作如是言。汝等恶戒人。何以久作罪。不如早死。是人因死者。是罪不可悔。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。若恶人作如是言。我不用是人语。不因是死。犯中可悔罪。

Explanation: There are three kinds of killing by encouragement. The first is encouraging those of evil precepts and urging them to die; the second is encouraging those of good precepts and urging them to die; the third is encouraging the elderly and sick and urging them to die. Those of evil precepts are people who cannot keep the precepts and commit evil karma, such as those who slaughter cattle and sheep, those who raise chickens and pigs, those who release hawks to catch fish, hunters who trap rabbits, those who shoot deer and such evil people, as well as thieves and executioners, and those who curse dragons and guard prisons.

If an upāsaka goes to where these people live and says to them: "You evil people, why do you commit evil deeds for so long? You might as well die early." If these people kill themselves because of these words, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense. If those people do not die because of these words, he commits a middling redeemable offense.

Original text: 若赞叹是人令死。便心悔。作是念。何以教是人死。还到语言。汝等恶人。或以善知识因缘故。亲近善人。得听善法。能正思惟。得离恶罪。汝勿自杀。若是人受其语不死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: If an upāsaka encourages and urges these people to die, but afterwards regrets it, thinking: "How could I induce them to die?" He then goes again to their dwelling and says to them: "You who commit evil deeds may in the future, through the conditions of meeting a good spiritual teacher, draw near to good people, hear the good Dharma, be able to think correctly, and thereby eliminate the evil karma and sins you have committed—do not kill yourselves." If those people accept his words and do not die, the upāsaka commits a middling redeemable offense.

Why can one not even urge evil people who commit evil deeds to kill themselves? Because the Buddha's Dharma does not abandon a single person; whether they are good or evil, all are universally delivered. If an evil person has the opportunity to meet a good spiritual teacher who transmits the good Dharma, and believes, accepts, and practices it, they can eliminate evil karma, transform their own mind, and thereby change their destiny in the three evil destinies. Even if they do not meet a good spiritual teacher, nor the good Dharma, they may still reflect on their own evil deeds, repent little by little, turn their minds toward goodness, and thereby change their destiny.

Original text: 善戒人者。如来四众是也。若到诸善人所。如是言。汝持善戒有福德人。若死便受天福。何不自夺命。是人因是自杀死者。犯不可悔罪。若不自杀者。中罪可悔。若善戒人作是念。我何以受他语自杀。若不死者。是罪可悔。若教他死已。心生悔言。我不是。何以教此善人死。还往语言。汝善戒人。随寿命住。福德益多故。受福益多。莫自夺命。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: Those of good precepts are people with good minds who keep the precepts; they are the four assemblies of disciples of the Tathāgata. If an upāsaka goes to their dwelling and says to them: "You are people of merit who keep good precepts; if you die you will enjoy the merit of heavenly beings—why not kill yourselves?" If these people kill themselves because of this, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense; if they do not kill themselves, the upāsaka commits a middling redeemable offense. If those who keep good precepts think: "Why should I listen to his words and kill myself?" and do not kill themselves, the upāsaka commits a redeemable offense.

If after inducing these people to kill themselves, the upāsaka regrets what he said and did, saying: "I was wrong; how could I induce these good people to kill themselves?" He then returns to their dwelling and says to them: "You good people should live out your lifespans; in this way your merit will further increase, and the merit you enjoy in future lives will be even greater—do not kill yourselves." If those people do not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling redeemable offense.

Original text: 老病者。四大增减。受诸苦恼。往语是人言。汝云何久忍是苦。何不自夺命。因死者。是罪不可悔。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。若病人作是念。我何缘受是人语自夺命。若语病人已。心生悔。我不是。何以语此病人自杀。还往语言。汝等病人。或得良药。善看病人。随药饮食。病可得差。莫自夺命。若不因死者。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: The elderly and sick, because of the disharmony caused by the increase and decrease of the four great elements, suffer various afflictions in body. If an upāsaka goes to the sick person's dwelling and says to the sick person: "Why do you endure such suffering for so long? Why not kill yourself?" If the sick person dies because of this, the upāsaka commits an irredeemable offense; if the sick person does not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling redeemable offense. If the sick person thinks: "Why should we listen to his words and kill ourselves?" If after speaking those words to the sick person, the upāsaka feels remorse in his mind, saying: "I was wrong; why did I speak to the sick person like that, urging them to kill themselves?" He then returns to the sick person's dwelling and says to them: "You sick people, if you can obtain good medicine, or meet someone very skilled in treating illness, take the medicine and regulate your diet, the illness can be cured—do not kill yourselves." If the sick person does not die because of this, the upāsaka commits a middling redeemable offense.

Original text: 余上七种杀。说犯与不犯。同如上火坑。若人作人想杀。是罪不可悔。人作非人想杀。人中生疑杀。皆犯不可悔。非人人想杀。非人中生疑杀。是中罪可悔。

Explanation: As for the last seven kinds of killing not yet explained in detail above—killing by striking (核杀), killing with snares (弶杀), killing by digging pits (作阱杀), killing by contact (触杀), pushing into fire, killing in water, and pushing into pits—if one determines guilt as to whether an offense was committed or not, and which offense was committed, it is the same as the determination for the smokeless fire pit killing described above; one may compare and know for oneself.

If one kills a human, and also regards the other as a human when killing, this offense is irredeemable. If one deliberately kills a human regarding them as a non-human, and if one is uncertain whether the other is human and kills the human, all are irredeemable offenses. If one deliberately kills a non-human regarding them as a human, and if one is uncertain whether the other is non-human and kills the non-human, all are middling redeemable offenses.