[84] Now at that time the group-of-six bhikkhus, having gone to a dyer's drying-ground, stole a dyer's bundle of cloth, brought it to the monastery, and divided it among themselves. Bhikkhus said this: "You are of great merit, friends, for much robe-cloth has arisen for you." "Whence, friends, is there merit for us? Just now we went to the dyer's drying-ground and stole the dyer's bundle." "Friends, has not a training rule (sikkhāpada) been laid down by the Blessed One? Why, friends, did you steal the dyer's bundle?" "It is true, friends, that a training rule has been laid down by the Blessed One; but that was for the village, not for the wilderness." "Friends, is it not just the same? It is unbecoming, friends, unsuitable, improper, unworthy of an ascetic, not allowable, not to be done. How indeed, friends, could you steal the dyer's bundle? This, friends, is not for the confidence of those without confidence, nor for the increase of those who have confidence; rather, friends, it is for the lack of confidence of those without confidence, and for the wavering of some who have confidence."
Then those bhikkhus, having rebuked the group-of-six bhikkhus in many ways, informed the Blessed One of this matter. Then the Blessed One, on that ground, in that connection, having had the Saṅgha of bhikkhus convened, questioned the group-of-six bhikkhus: "Is it true, as they say, bhikkhus, that you went to the dyer's drying-ground and stole the dyer's bundle?" "It is true, Blessed One." The Buddha, the Blessed One, rebuked them: "It is unbecoming, foolish men, unsuitable, improper, unworthy of an ascetic, not allowable, not to be done. How indeed, foolish men, could you steal the dyer's bundle? This, foolish men, is not for the confidence of those without confidence … and for the wavering of some who have confidence."
Then the Blessed One, having rebuked the group-of-six bhikkhus in many ways, having spoken in dispraise of being difficult to support … having spoken in praise of the arousing of energy, having given a talk on the Dhamma fitting to that and appropriate to that for the bhikkhus, addressed the bhikkhus: "… And thus, bhikkhus, should you recite this training rule:
Whatever bhikkhu should take, from a village or from the wilderness, what has not been given, in a manner reckoned as theft (theyyasaṅkhāta) — such a taking of what is not given for which kings, having seized a robber, would execute him, or imprison him, or banish him, saying, 'You are a robber, you are a fool, you are deluded, you are a thief' — a bhikkhu taking what is not given in that manner: he too is pārājika, not in communion (asaṃvāsa)."
English translation from the Pali (Siam Raṭṭha edition) — under review, not for citation.