Does this break the second precept?

I paid the bus fare on my way to someone’s house. However, on the way back home I couldn’t pay due to technical difficulties. When I was on the bus on the way back home, I was trying to pay the bus fare using Apple Pay on my phone but the payment wasn’t going through even though I tried again and again. The bus driver told me to try it at the back since there was another place to pay at the back. So I went to the back and I tried to pay using Apple Pay again and again and it didn’t work. Then I got to my destination and I tried to pay again and it didn’t work so I just left the bus. I was trying to pay and get it to work again and again to avoid breaking the second precept. So, I don’t think I broke it.

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I looked this up on google and basically learned that my return trip should count as a transfer because the time I got off the bus and the time I got on the bus again was within the two hour limit so it should count as transferring buses and that I wouldn’t have to pay on my way back home.

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Your intention (cetanā), as you clarified, was good, Based on what the Blessed One said in AN 6.63 (Bhk. Sujato transl.):

The commentary clarifies the following:

“Cetanāhanti cetanaṃ ahaṃ.”
I say ‘intention’ is volition.

“Idha sabbasaṅgāhikā saṃvidahanacetanā gahitā.”
Here, the volition that organizes or coordinates everything is taken.

“Cetayitvāti dvārappavattacetanā.”
Having intended, (this refers to) the volition that arises at the sense doors.

“Manasāti cetanāsampayuttacittena.”
By ‘mind,’ it means the consciousness associated with volition.

(Translated via gpt 4o)

In your case:

  • You had the honest intention to pay (wholesome cetanā).
  • You made multiple attempts to fulfill your obligation (wich shows no deliberate intention to steal or avoid payment).
  • You later discovered that the return trip was actually covered under the transfer policy (there was no theft involved at all—the service was rightfully yours to use within the transfer window, meaning you weren’t even using an unpaid service).

From the perspective of the second precept (adinnādānā veramaṇī), there was no intention to take what was not given. Your cetanā was clearly directed toward paying the fare, as evidenced by your repeated attempts. The commentary’s explanation of “cetayitvā” (having intended) shows that the moral weight of an action is determined by the intention behind it.

Hence, no, this does not break the second precept. Without the intention to take what is not given, there is no violation of the second precept.

Some measures could be helpful to maintain sīla (ethical conduct) if similar situations happen to you in different circumstances. You might consider carrying backup payment methods in the future (such as cash, etc.) and make sure to check the transfer rules in advance (to avoid unnecessary worry). If you’re still concerned, you could make a small donation to a charity linked to transportation to ensure positive outcomes, as generosity is essential, or perhaps ask the staff for more details (to be knowledgeable about everything related to transportation within this service). Remember that each challenging situation becomes an opportunity to strengthen our practice of the Noble Eightfold Path in daily life.

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Thank you so much for the detailed answer. Yes, I will try to carry backup payments in the future.

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A pārājika 2 offence was nullified because a cloth that was taken was not owned.
However, there would still be offences committed for trying to take it. Probably a hullaccaya for coming close to an offence… minimum dukkaṭa offence.

The way you could avoid all would have been to determine to call the bus company (and maybe told the driver), that you would pay it back. I think then there would be no offence or partial offence.

The tricky thing was that you could not “give the ride back”.
However, if it were a candy bar, you would not take the candy bar.
It might be interesting to find out why the transaction did not work. Was it because there was a transfer already outstanding and the system detected it? Or were you out of money in apple pay?

So next time make a determination to make good on the deal before leaving the bus. That would been the best thing to do. And as stated above, have a back up plan ready for next time.

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