Dhondrub wrote:Dudes- I have no clue what you are talking about: nobody here is complaining to be "only a layperson".
And I can assure you Mr. Mingyur that I totally rejoice in every virtue you attempt.
Also I didn`t say you are bigot.
Best
Tashi
I also apologize or any misunderstanding or miscommunications. I feel at this resolution that now would be the proper time to return to the 5 precepts as a whole, opposed to one specific one. Or, perhaps, a different specific one? Haha. I merely want to avoid things becoming negative. We are all in fact Brothers and Sisters in the Sangha, we are supposed to unite and strengthen each other since walking the path of the Bodhisattva can be difficult, if not nearly impossible, if done alone.
Actually, as far as returning to the original topic, I'll take a chance to ask you all something, something which I know is just my trying to find a loophole (ah, samsaric nature!), but it may be interesting to discuss anyway.
I have heard that the vow to not steal is the easiest one to break fully, even more than intoxicants. It was explained to me the reason it is so easy, is because there is no "partial break" as there are in other vows, and so much qualifies as stealing. Taking anything that isn't explicitly labeled as free or you do not have permission to take is considered stealing.
So, in this modern age of Buddhism, where does the Intellectual Property/Piracy debate come in. I have long been a supporter of Piracy, moreso in music than any other platform, mainly since a lot of artists have shown increased personal revenue from things like concert tickets and merchandise, while lower profits for record companies, which I also think is good because I have heard how corrupt they are.
Now, you have to understand, from an absolute position, piracy is not theft. The original, physical CD is purchased, and then the data on that CD is copied and disbursed. Theft would be stealing the physical copy and not paying for it. I want to stress that again,
piracy is not theft. People (the government and corporations) are often speak out against piracy saying something like "you wouldn't steal a car!" But it isn't stealing, it's copying data. If you asked someone if they thought it was wrong to copy pages out of a book to show other people who would be interested, I think we know what the general answer would be. Also, something we seem to forget, is that many people download these pirated albums either so they can hear it before the release date and then buy it when it comes out, or sample an entire album before purchasing it. Many times musicians will only release select songs-they think will appeal to the most people- to the public, and often times, someone will buy an album hoping the rest of the album is like those select songs, and it turns out not to be. A lot of music artists I know personally (some of which have a moderate level of success in their own obscure specialty) do not consider piracy theft. Many of them say the reason anyone charges for a CD is to cover the cost of making the CD, and for the promotions to sell it in the first place, and in the end the artists get very, very little money back for it.
So, thoughts?