[Buddha-l] Nirvana Sutra Chapter 19

[Joy Vriens]

Hi James,

         "How does one go about stealing the teachings of the Buddha? 
Especially since Brahma encouraged him to teach, and it seems copyright 
hadn't been invented yet?"

“The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his 
head to say this is mine and found people simple enough to believe him 
was the true founder of civil society. What crimes, wars, murders, what 
miseries and horrors would the human race have been spared, had some one 
pulled up the stakes or filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow 
men: "Do not listen to this imposter. You are lost if you forget that 
the fruits of the earth belong to all and the earth to no one!”― 
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract and The Discourses

For modern day versions of Rousseau's story we have the failed attempt 
(of Microsoft I believe) to buy the electronic rights of the artworks of 
every museum, and the Google project to scan all the works in libraries. 
*http://tinyurl.com/aqwmh6q*
I believe there also was a discussion on this list where it was pointed 
out (by Chris Fynn?) that some yoga asanas had been copyrighted.

Joy
<http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57565923-93/documentary-throws-the-book-at-google-scanning-project/>/
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