From The Depth Of My Heart To My Mother - ChNNR

[dzogchungpa]

I'm not a prude when it comes to downloading a Buddhist Studies dissertation here or a Game of Thrones episode there.

I'm shocked, shocked I say!

[Grigoris]

This kind of harm can come from misunderstanding dharma in general.

Really? I tend to disagree. Sutta, for example, are unlikely to lead to major problems unless one purposefully tries to misconstrue them. Tantra, written in a coded language, are a different story altogether. Dzogchen? How many people do you know of that have misconstrued Dzogchen teachings in regard to karma (for example)?

[Johnny Dangerous]

This is a great thread to bring this up since it's coming up, how do people feel in general about all the stuff available on sites like libgen.info? I mean seriously so many Dharma books available, but is it ethical/desirable to come about "ownership" of them this way or not?

[dzogchungpa]

Well, to clarify the issues, there are at least two:

1. Reading restricted texts for which you have not received permission or whatever the correct term is. This is strictly a Buddhist issue, I think.
2. Downloading pirated ebooks, which could be seen as a moral and/or a legal issue, and therefore also a Buddhist issue.

[Jinzang]

What kind of harm? Do you actually know of someone who was harmed in that way?

There's two types of harm. First, as explained to me, if you hear pointing out instructions too soon they become a cliche. Instead of having the effect they would have had if you heard them when you were ready to understand them, they just become a phrase to toss around, not much different than a fortune cookie. The second is the danger that they might be misunderstood. And if your pride prevents you from admitting that you have misunderstood them, you've effectively vaccinated yourself against the truth. This problem is not limited to dzogchen, you also see it in Zen, Theravada, and probably outside Buddhism.

Obviously if you teach the truth widely, there's both the chance that it can be understood or misunderstood. If ChNNR does so, that's his choice. Other teachers advise differently, but that's a metter of judgement, not of right or wrong.

[dzogchungpa]

What kind of harm? Do you actually know of someone who was harmed in that way?

There's two types of harm. First, as explained to me, if you hear pointing out instructions too soon they become a cliche. Instead of having the effect they would have had if you heard them when you were ready to understand them, they just become a phrase to toss around, not much different than a fortune cookie. The second is the danger that they might be misunderstood. And if your pride prevents you from admitting that you have misunderstood them, you've effectively vaccinated yourself against the truth. This problem is not limited to dzogchen, you also see it in Zen, Theravada, and probably outside Buddhism.

Obviously if you teach the truth widely, there's both the chance that it can be understood or misunderstood. If ChNNR does so, that's his choice. Other teachers advise differently, but that's a metter of judgement, not of right or wrong.

That makes a lot of sense to me. I do think that the benefit of calling attention to the availability of this text online outweighs the harm.