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404
SÛTRAKRITÂNGA..
sorts of living beings. (This holds good with the five cardinal sins :) killing of living beings, &c., (and with the passions, all down to) the sin of wrong belief. Know this : though these beings have neither mind nor speech, yet as they cause pain, grief, damages, harm, and injury, they must be regarded as not abstaining from causing pain, &c. (9)
Thus even senseless beings are reckoned instrumental in bringing about slaughter of living beings, (&c., all down to) the sin of wrong belief. Beings, whatever their origin, who were sentient (in one existence) will become senseless ones (in another) and vice versâ. Not getting rid of, nor shaking off, nor annihilating, nor destroying their Karman, the thoroughly wicked and ignorant wander from the body of a senseless being into that of sentient ones, or from the body of a sentient being into that of senseless ones, or from the body of a sentient being into that of another, or from the body of a senseless being into that of another. The sentient beings and the senseless ones, both are wrong in their conduct and commit sins through cruelty. The Venerable One has said that such a (creature) is uncontrolled, (&c., all as in 1, down to commits sins. (10)
(The opponent asks): 'What must one do or cause to be done, in order to become controlled and restrained, to avoid and renounce sins?' (The  karya answers): The Venerable One has declared that the cause (of sins) are the six classes of living beings, earth-lives, &c. As I feel pain, so they do. Therefore they should not be injured or killed ?.
"I here abridge the text which is identical with II, 1, 48 ff., p. 351.
