Item 2 in Five Buddhist Precepts

Refrain from Taking What Is Not Given

Undertake not to take property, labour or value without legitimate consent.

Position
2
Form
Prohibition
Obligation
Strong duty
Wording status
Editorial paraphrase
Intended audience
Lay Buddhist practitioners
Last reviewed
28 June 2026

Names and terminology

Canonical name: Refrain from Taking What Is Not Given

Original term: Adinnādānā veramaṇī

Source wording

Editorial paraphrase: Undertake not to take property, labour or value without legitimate consent.

Editorial paraphrase

Literal meaning

Undertake not to take property, labour or value without legitimate consent.

Broader interpretation

Interpretation depends on the framework's historical purpose, intended audience and relationship to its other principles.

Ethical purpose

To shape conduct or character in a way consistent with the wider ethical framework.

Modern application

Modern application requires attention to consent, rights, evidence, foreseeable harm and changing social conditions.

Criticism and difficult cases

Application can become difficult when this principle conflicts with another duty, when harm is indirect, or when ancient social assumptions do not fit modern conditions.

Truth By Reason analysis

Truth By Reason assesses this principle according to evidence, rights, intentions, foreseeable consequences and consistency with the treatment of all affected beings.

Ethical themes

  • Property
  • Justice
  • Non-stealing

Sources