Via Daily Dharma

Mind Control | March 3, 2015 My life is uncomfortable only when I am not capable of controlling my mind. If I am in charge of my mind, then I can live comfortably even in hell. - Kim Iryop, "Mind Control" Read More →

Via JMG: CALIFORNIA: Christian Activist Files Ballot Measure For Executing All Homosexuals

 

A Christian activist named Matt McLaughlin has filed a proposed ballot measure with the California Attorney General's office which would ask voters to approve the death penalty for homosexuality.  Wonkette has tried to identify McLaughlin:

The ballot initiative filing with the AG’s office offers little in the way of clues to McLaughlin’s identity, but there is an address that matches that of a lawyer by that name and address on avvo.com. When we looked the address up, it turned out to be a Mail Box Express store in Huntington Beach. Huh. That is definitely not a law office! In approximately four minutes of thorough searching, we also couldn’t come up with any legal cases involving a Matthew G. McLaughlin, and then we suddenly had to go read all of the think pieces about what color that dress was (#TeamGoldAndWhite), so we got distracted.
We DID get a hit on a Matt McLaughlin, lawyer, same Mail Box Express address, BOOM, who in 2004 submitted a citizen ballot initiative to give bibles to all public school kids in California, grades 1-12, because “great literature.” That initiative was way less crazy than the “sodomite” one (although still very crazy), and, as a Literate Person and also A English Major, we see the value of learning about how the Bible has impacted Western literature. More to the point, that initiative included an opt-out provision. However. Groups like the Anti-Defamation League and Americans United for Separation of Church and State were extremely suspicious, and McLaughlin didn’t collect the required number of signatures, so it didn’t go anywhere.

In order for the gay death penalty to be put to California voters, the backers of an initiative must pay the $200 filing fee (which has been done in this case) and then collect petition signatures equal to 5% of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election. Per the results of the 2014 election, McLaughlin must gather about 366K names. Below is opening text of his Sodomite Suppression Act.

Labels: 5150, batshittery, California, Christian Love, crackpots, gay death penalty, get the net, hate speech, loony tunes, Matt McLaughlin, religion

Reposted from  Joe Jervis

Via JMG: Nebraska Turns Cerulean

 

The color will shift to mustard should the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issue a stay. In January the Eighth Circuit declined to lift the stay in Missouri, which is shaded sapphire due to the legality of same-sex marriage in St. Louis and its recognition statewide. The Eighth Circuit will hear oral arguments in the cases out of Missouri, Arkansas, and South Dakota in May.

Labels: Eighth Circuit Court, marriage equality, Nebraska

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia- Flor del día- Flower of the day 2/03/2015:

O planeta Terra está atravessando um nódulo karmico. Estamos colhendo o plantio que fizemos durante um determinado ciclo do tempo. Temos fracassado em nossa tentativa de criar união; temos fracassado em nossa tentativa de sermos felizes. E o que podemos fazer para não piorar a situação? Ser felizes! Porque somente uma pessoa feliz não destrói. Mas, me refiro à felicidade autêntica – aquela que vem de dentro – e que está intimamente relacionada com a capacidade de criar união. Esse é o segredo para criarmos uma cultura de paz e prosperidade, e consequentemente é o caminho para o fim da crise de sustentabilidade.

El planeta Tierra está atravesando un nudo kármico. Estamos cosechando la siembra que hicimos durante un determinado ciclo del tiempo. Hemos fracasado en nuestro intento de crear unión; hemos fracasado en nuestro intento de ser felices. ¿Y qué podemos hacer para no empeorar la situación? ¡Ser felices! Porque solamente una persona feliz no destruye. Pero me refiero a la felicidad auténtica - aquella que viene desde adentro - y que está íntimamente relacionada con la capacidad de crear unión. Este es el secreto para crear una cultura de paz y prosperidad, y consecuentemente es el camino para el fin de la crisis de sustentabilidad.

Planet Earth is passing through a karmic nodule. We are harvesting the crops we have sown over a certain cycle of time. Our attempts to create union and to be happy have failed. So what can we do to avoid making the situation worse? Be happy! Only a happy person does not cause destruction. Here I am referring to true happiness; the happiness that comes from within, which is intimately related to our capacity to create union. This is the secret to creating a culture of peace and prosperity and, therefore, it is the path that will end the sustainability crisis.

Via Daily Dharma

The Mindfulness Solution | March 2, 2015 It is useful to distinguish between mindfulness as a mental state on one hand and the unskillful pursuit of this state on the other. Consider the case of a person plunging into the jungle, in search of a beautiful and healing flower, he gets torn up by thorns and battered by branches in the process. The problem is not that the flower itself is harmful; what is harmful is only the means of pursuing it. - Andrew Olendzki, "The Mindfulness Solution" Read More →

Via Gay Star News / FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia- Flor del día- Flower of the day 1/03/2015

“Às vezes parece que a vida gira em torno de comida, sexo e dinheiro. Ao mesmo tempo em que precisamos desses elementos para o nosso desenvolvimento neste plano, em algum momento, eles podem tornar-se tóxicos, justamente por serem os principais amortecedores da experiência humana na Terra. Então, o que é uma necessidade legítima da experiência pode, em algum momento, ser distorcido e se tornar uma compulsão. Isso ocorre porque, através desses elementos, você sente um alívio - sua angústia existencial é temporariamente amenizada.”

“A veces parece que la vida gira en torno a la comida, el sexo y el dinero. Si bien necesitamos de estos elementos para nuestro desarrollo en este plano, en algún momento, ellos pueden volverse tóxicos, justamente porque son los principales adormecedores de la experiencia humana en la Tierra. Entonces, lo que es una necesidad legítima de la experiencia puede, en algún momento, ser distorsionado y convertirse en una compulsión. Esto ocurre porque a través de estos elementos, sientes un alivio - tu angustia existencial se ameniza temporalmente.”

“At times, it seems like life revolves around food, sex and money. While these elements are necessary for our development on this planet, at some point, they turn into poison, as they are the main devices we use to numb our human experience on Earth. At a given moment, a legitimate need for these experiences may become distorted into a compulsive habit. This occurs because these elements make us feel a temporary relief from our existential anguish.”

Via Dialy Dharma

Holding Anger | March 1, 2015 It is not easy to refrain from repressing or indulging our anger. Our challenge is to embrace it with mindfulness and genuine caring. - Shuzen Harris, Sensei, "Holding Anger" Read More →

Via God / FB:

Via Daily Dharma

One Essential Step | February 28, 2015 One essential step in learning to more genuinely see each other is to bother to look. If someone yells at us, or annoys us, or dazzles us with a gift, we do pay attention to them. Our challenge then is to see them as they are, not as we project or assume them to be. But if they don’t make much of an impression on us, we have a different challenge; it is all too easy to look right through them. - Sharon Salzberg., "A More Complete Attention" Read More →

Via Freedom to Marry

A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. #LLAP " -Nimoy's final tweet; Feb 22

https://www.facebook.com/freedomtomarry.org/photos/a.215294370092.270234.40484170092/10155312022125093/?type=1&theater

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia- Flor del día- Flower of the day 28/02/2015

LOKAH SAMASTAH SUKHINO BHAVANTHU:
Que todos os seres, em todos os mundos, sejam felizes.
“Rezar pelo seu irmão é uma das características do amor maduro. Rezar para que o seu irmão seja feliz e livre; para que tenha todas as suas necessidades atendidas - essa é uma das características do Divino em nós. Porque o Divino em nós ama a todos, serve a todos, e se move em direção à união e à construção. O que caracteriza a maturidade espiritual é exatamente a capacidade de se doar e de se tornar um canal de bênçãos. A bênção é um desejo profundo de que o outro seja feliz - é quando esse mantra ecoa e age através de você de verdade.”

LOKAH SAMASTAH SUKHINO BHAVANTHU:
Que todos los seres, en todos los mundos, sean felices.
“Rezar por tu hermano es una de la características del amor maduro. Rezar para que tu hermano sea feliz y libre, para que tenga todas sus necesidades atendidas – esta es una de las características del Divino en nosotros. Porque lo Divino en nosotros ama a todos, sirve a todos, y se mueve en dirección a la unión y a la construcción. Lo que caracteriza la madurez espiritual es exactamente la capacidad de donarse y de tornarse un canal de bendiciones. La bendición es un deseo profundo de que el otro sea feliz – es cuando ese mantra hace eco y actúa a través tuyo de verdad.”

“Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu*:
May all beings, in all worlds, be happy. Praying for your brothers and sisters is one of the characteristics of mature love. Pray that your brother and sister may be happy and free, and have all of his or her needs met. This is one of the attributes of the Divine within us, who loves everyone, serves all, and moves towards union and creation. What characterizes spiritual maturity is precisely the ability to give of oneself and become a channel of blessings. A blessing is a deep desire to see the other happy. It happens when this mantra echoes within you and acts through you truthfully."

Via Daily Dharma

A Radical Challenge | February 27, 2015 The Buddha presented a radical challenge to the way we see the world, both the world that was seen two millennia ago and the world that is seen today. What he taught is not different, it is not an alternative, it is the opposite. That the path that we think will lead us to happiness leads instead to sorrow. That what we believe is true is instead false. That what we imagine to be real is unreal. A certain value lies in remembering that challenge from time to time. - Donald S. Lopez, Jr., "The Scientific Buddha" Read More →

JMG MEXICO: Marriage Rights On The March

 

Buzzfeed reporter J. Lester Feder today examined the complex and rapidly changing status of same-sex marriage across Mexico's 31 states.

Courts in more than two-thirds of Mexico’s 31 states have granted same-sex couples the right to marry over the past two years in a series of rulings that will likely make marriage equality a reality nationwide in the near future. The wave of rulings throughout Mexico hasn’t caused the uproar that has followed rulings in the United States over the past year striking down state laws barring same-sex couples from marrying. Couples have not rushed to marry nor have conservatives organized major protests.

This is in part because the technicalities of Mexican law have meant these decisions have been much more narrow in their immediate impact. Each decision applies only to the individuals who have brought the cases, and other same-sex couples will still have to sue in order to marry. It takes multiple cases meeting certain technical requirements for the courts to nullify a state law in Mexico — a hurdle that has not yet been met. But with new rulings being announced almost every week — judges in six new states ruled in favor of marriage equality in the first two months of 2015 alone — it seems almost inevitable that this day is coming, say legal experts who have closely followed the litigation.

Same-sex marriages legally conducted in any Mexican jurisdiction are recognized by every state and by the federal government. Hit the first link and read the full report.

Labels: LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mexico

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Today in "there are still things in this world so beautiful that it makes me weep":

2CELLOS - LIVE at Exit Festival 2014 [FULL CONCERT] 

 

Via JMG: Donny Osmond Slams NPH: "No Class"

Osmond's Wikipedia page notes that he performed in a loincloth for over 2000 performances of Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat. But that was classy! 

RELATED: In 2008 Osmond wrote about same-sex marriage in a now-deleted response (check the URL) to a fan on his personal website. An excerpt:

"There are many gay individuals that are members of our church. I know many of them. In fact, some of my best friends are gay. You ask how I react regarding their marriages. Well, I do support our Church leaders who say that we can accept those with gay tendencies in our church as long as they do not act upon their temptations. Everyone has tenancies to succumb to temptation, but we all have the same standard given to us by our Father in Heaven. Whether we may be tempted to be immoral with members of our own sex or of the opposite sex, we are expected to live chaste lives. This is very well explained not only in the Book of Mormon, but in the Bible as well."

Osmond also included this quote from a Mormon document:

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets. We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

Labels: Donny Osmond, hypocrisy, Neil Patrick Harris, Oscars

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia- Flor del día- Flower of the day 26/02/2015

“O movimento em direção à Verdade implica em reconhecer aquilo que é mentira. Então o que não é Verdade vai caindo, até que sobra somente a Verdade. Essa é a essência do processo de autoconhecimento que tenho oferecido e que às vezes chamo de “desvendar do amor”. Porque o amor é uma manifestação da Verdade, que é a essência. A Verdade é; ela está em tudo. Ela sempre existiu e sempre existirá; está presente no início, no meio e no fim, e ao mesmo tempo, nunca teve início e nunca terá fim.”

“El movimiento en dirección a la Verdad implica reconocer aquello que es mentira. Entonces lo que no es Verdad va cayendo, hasta que sobra solamente la Verdad. Esa es la esencia del proceso de autoconocimiento que vengo ofreciendo y que a veces llamo “develar del amor”. Porque el amor es una manifestación de la Verdad, que es la esencia. La Verdad es, ella está en todo. Siempre existió y siempre existirá, está presente en el inicio, en el medio y en el fin, y al mismo tiempo, nunca tuvo inicio y nunca tendrá fin.”

"Moving towards the truth implies recognizing what is a lie. So what is not true starts to fall away, until only the truth is left. This is the essence of the process of self-investigation that I propose, which I sometimes call the ‘unveiling of love.’ Love is a manifestation of the truth; the truth is the essence of love. The truth simply is. It is in everything. It has always existed and will always exist. It has been here since the beginning, it exists now, and will be here until the end. At the same time, the truth has no beginning and no end."

The Mouse

"If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality."

- Desmond Tutu

VIa Daily Dharma

Using Habit Against Itself | February 26, 2015 Each step may seem to take forever, but no matter how uninspired you feel, continue to follow your practice schedule precisely and consistently. This is how we can use our greatest enemy, habit, against itself. - Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, "Tortoise Steps" Read More →