Scoring Sheet on Demerits

100 Demerits

-         Cause one’s death

-         Violate a woman’s chastity

-         Praise another for drowning his or her child

-         Stop the family lineage

 

50 Demerits

-         Induce one abortion

-         Break up one marriage

-         Abandon another’s remains

-         Cause another to be homeless

-         Cause another to commit a serious crime

-         Teach another to do great evil

-         Make a speech that harms many people

-         Steal another’s wife or daughter

 

30 Demerits

-         Create slander to dishonor another

-         Reveal private secrets of another

-         Encourage another to sue

-         Break another’s religious vow

-         Go against an elder

-         Offend father or older brother

-         Cause the separation of family

-         In times of famine to save grains without sharing

 

10 Demerits

-         Dishonor a virtuous person

-         Recommend an evil person

-         Flatten another’s grave (Graves in China are built as mounds)

-         Mistreat an orphan or widow

-         Take in an unchaste woman

-         Keep a murder weapon in the household

-         Speak harshly towards parents, teachers and wise people

-         Prepare poison

-         Punish a criminal improperly

-         Destroy writings on the truth

-         Have evil thoughts while reciting the sutras

-         Teach false knowledge

-         Talk non-virtuously

-         Kill an animal that can serve man

 

5 Demerits

-         Sneer and slander spiritual teachings

-         Not clear an injustice when given an opportunity to do so

-         Turn away a sick person seeking help

-         Block a road or bridge

-         Write lewd articles

-         Write a lewd song

-         Speak harshly with others

-         Kill one animal that cannot serve man

 

3 Demerits

-         Get angry over words not to one’s liking

-         Scold one who does not deserve it

-         Break up relations through double talk

-         Cheat an ignorant person

-         Destroy another’s success

-         Rejoice in another’s worry

-         Rejoice in another’s loss of wealth and name

-         Wish a rich person to be poor

-         Blame heaven and others for one’s own misfortune

-         Be greedy in making money

 

1 Demerit

-         Cover another merit

-         Urge another to fight

-         Generate though to harm another

-         Help another to do evil

-         Not stop another from stealing small items

-         Not comfort another in fright or worry

-         Not care about the hardship of human or animal

-         Steal one small needle or grass

-         Throw away papers with words (spiritual writings)

-         Waste food

-         Break a promise

-         Cause another to be drunk

-         Not help another who is hungry or cold

-         Miss one word in reciting sutra

-         Turn away a monk begging for food

-         Turn away a beggar

-         Recite sutras or go to the temples while drinking alcohol or eating foods with the five pungent spices (garlic, onion, etc, which give one bad breath)

-         Eat the meat of an animal that works for man

-         Kill a minute life form (bugs, etc)

-         Spill a bird’s nest and break the eggs

-         Misuse funds

-         Be in debt

-         Damage temple and statues, etc

-         Use false weights

-         Sell a butcher’s knife, fish nets, etc

-         Use one’s position to take bribes and other money

-         Keep lost articles

-         Take goods while safekeeping them for others