Why is sniffing a flower considered to be stealing?
score:1
In my understanding, this story illustrates a different point. The key verse is:
To a person unblemished, constantly searching for purity, a hair-tip's worth of evil seems as large as a cloud.
Meaning, when we cultivate purity, we shouldn't stop at the literal fulfillment of precepts, we should take it all the way to perfection (paramita) and ensure that in our mind there's not even a trace of egoistic/indulging intent.
This level of perfectionism is excessive for lay people, but for professional practicioners of dharma, this level of scrutiny is minimum requirement for developing the right level of detachment from this world, before Jhana practice can come to fruition.
Upvote:0
It's like if a person, maintaining his live by sensuality, lives on pleasure gained bt sensuality, would take the Dhamma, make use of it for his/here livelihood, which run out in the same way.
Maintaining one selfs needed pleasure, entertaining, by unrightouse means. Such counts as stealing, because the sacrify for it has not been done.
One should not make an effort everywhere,
should not be another's hireling,
should not live dependent on another,
should not go about
as a trader in the Dhamma.
That is why it is good to stay in ones own range.
Maintaining one livelihood, physical and mental, within the wrong range is very risky and destructs the certain economies, leads to inbalance and the hawk might catch.
It's very compassionated by a certain Deva if pointing out such dangers.
(Maybe it is understood good in that unusual way of comparison)
[Note: This is a gift of Dhamma, not meant for commercial purpose or other low wodily gains by means of trade and exchange]
Upvote:3
I guess one possibility is that "steal" is an inaccurate translation, and that a better translation might centre more on the "conceal" and "stealth" meanings of the words (e.g. concealing or taking a scent by stealth, secretly ... and observed only by a deva).
Another possibility is that it's taking what is not given: what is given (by lay-people to bhikkhus) are "requisites" -- food, medicine. The scent of a flower is not a requisite; taking the scent might be considered a sensual craving.
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