ashinpan wrote thus at 11:51 p 17/06/2012:

>Dear Ven. Kumara,
>
>Thanks to Google, I think I have found the article of Ven. Varado in the article archives of http://sasanarakkha.org I wish I found it earlier; then, my paper might have been completed much sooner.

Good that you found it. He wrote a similar piece earlier, and when I ask for his permission to publish it on Sasanarakkha Newszine, he provided that updated version.

>Both Ven. Varado and myself base our arguments on two minor rules of expiation. So our conclusions are also similar. But there are important differences:
>
>1. Ven. Varado thinks that a monk infringing copyrights can incur a minor offense, but I think that even though he may be making millions by selling pirated books, his copyright infringement, by itself, does not incur any Vinaya offense. (See my reasoning at p. 6.)

Perhaps not by letter. But in spirit, since this is not just a matter of copying for personal use, but for the purpose of making money out of it, I would think that it's a dukkata.

>2. Ven. Varado thinks that "for monks vinaya is not a replacement for law but an addition to it," but I believe in the legal autonomy of the Order. Of course, I do not deny that a monk is not only a monk but also a resident of a certain country and accordingly subject to its rules and regulations, but I argue that secular legality is not the business of the Vinaya, nor of the Buddha.(See p. 14-17.)

I think you two don't actually disagree on this point in spirit.

>Well, my paper has already been sent to a journal but I will ask the editor the protocol appropriate in this matter. If possible, I will add some more material to my paper so that I can give credit to, and also criticize, Ven. Varado.

You mean his arguments, right?


peace

Kumâra Bhikkhu

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