Can dharma teachings and Buddhist sutras written by individuals on paper be burned?

Personal writings that are not Buddhist sutras or mantras may be burned directly. As for Buddhist sutras, mantras, and the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, if they truly cannot be repaired or preserved, and cannot be given away to others as a source of connection, one must recite the mantra for extinguishing offenses before burning them. If they can be repaired intact, preserved, or given away to others, they must not be burned under any circumstances. Some people, upon seeing monastics in temples burning damaged Buddha statues and sutras, think that they too may burn Buddhist sutras. Watching how others do things is only observing surface appearances; in reality, the way others handle matters and their underlying intentions are not easy to discern. At times, when others do something, they commit no offense and violate no precepts—nothing is wrong at all. Yet when you yourself do the same thing, it constitutes an offense and a violation of the precepts. Because people's intentions differ, their merit differs, their spiritual cultivation differs, and their precepts and responsibilities differ, the results and karmic retributions differ as well. One must not casually imitate what others do.