A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Via Gay Politics Report:
How religion helped win marriage equality
Marriage equality advocates engaged people of faith and religious leaders in successful campaigns to win ballot initiatives this year, a turnaround from four years ago when social conservatives dominated religious discussions over California's Proposition 8. A Washington state coalition distributed thousands of buttons bearing the message, "Another Person of Faith Approves R. 74," sparking conversations in which proponents were trained to speak about the issue in terms of love and commitment rather than "gay rights." Ross Murray, director of religion, faith and values at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, helped train thousands of "conversationalists" to speak about the issue and their own faith, and to listen intently to those who described their difficulties supporting marriage equality. “All of us like to be listened to," Murray said. CNN/Belief blog
Marriage equality advocates engaged people of faith and religious leaders in successful campaigns to win ballot initiatives this year, a turnaround from four years ago when social conservatives dominated religious discussions over California's Proposition 8. A Washington state coalition distributed thousands of buttons bearing the message, "Another Person of Faith Approves R. 74," sparking conversations in which proponents were trained to speak about the issue in terms of love and commitment rather than "gay rights." Ross Murray, director of religion, faith and values at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, helped train thousands of "conversationalists" to speak about the issue and their own faith, and to listen intently to those who described their difficulties supporting marriage equality. “All of us like to be listened to," Murray said. CNN/Belief blog
JMG Editorial Of The Day:
From Tom Goldstein at SCOTUSblog:
Reposted from Joe
At their Conference today, the Justices will consider petitions raising federal constitutional issues related to same-sex marriage. These are the most significant cases these nine Justices have ever considered, and probably that they will ever decide.Read the full essay.
I have never before seen cases that I believed would be discussed two hundred years from now. Bush v. Gore and Obamacare were relative pipsqueaks. The government’s assertion of the power to prohibit a loving couple to marry, or to refuse to recognize such a marriage, is profound. So is the opposite claim that five Justices can read the federal Constitution to strip the people of the power to enact the laws governing such a foundational social institution.
The cases present a profound test of the Justices’ judgment. The plaintiffs’ claims are rooted in the fact that these laws rest on an irrational and invidious hatred, enshrined in law. On the other hand, that describes some moral judgments. The Constitution does not forbid every inequality, and the people must correct some injustices (even some grave ones) themselves, legislatively.
The striking feature of these cases – not present in any others I have ever seen – is that that they would have been decided by the Justices’ predecessors one way and would be decided by the Justices’ successors another way.
Labels: LGBT History, LGBT rights, SCOTUS
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 30, 2012
Great Compassion
The
virtues of great compassion are infinite; they could be expounded upon
forever without exhausting them, but it boils down to this: Whoever has
great compassion can extinguish all obstructions caused by past actions
and can fulfill all virtues; no principle cannot be understood, no path
cannot be practiced, no knowledge not attained, no virtue not developed.
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- Zen Master Torei, "Great Compassion"
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 29, 2012
Freedom of Heart
Sometimes
suffering comes through clinging to certain emotional pain or certain
stories; sometimes through not recognizing emptiness, the evanescence of
life, that nothing can be claimed as I or mine. The point of dharma
practice is to pay attention to where there is suffering, see the
clinging and identification, and release it to find a freedom of heart.
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- Jack Kornfield, "The Sure Heart’s Release"
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 28, 2012
A Radical Challenge
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.
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- Donald S. Lopez, "The Scientific Buddha"
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 27, 2012
An Honest, Enlightened Society
Enlightened
society is not an idealized environment. It's an environment that
actually accepts the imperfections of humanity and encourages you to
open your heart and mind and work with other people and situations as
they are. Enlightened society is one in which, as you make friends with
yourself, your communication with other people gets clearer, more
direct, more honest.
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- Pema Chödrön, "No Place to Hide"
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Monday, November 26, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 26, 2012
The Necessity of Love
There
is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile. There is no
denying that our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness
of others. There is no denying that if society suffers, we ourselves
suffer. Nor is there any denying that the more our hearts and minds are
afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. Thus we can
reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we
cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.
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- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "Consider Yourself a Tourist"
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 25, 2012
Shedding Self-Protective Clinging
Too
often Buddhist 'nonattachment' is misconstrued as 'non-loving.' The
purpose of Buddhist practice is not to 'renounce' our families or
community, but to shed habits of self-protective clinging that prevent
us from loving them more unconditionally, powerfully, enjoyably.
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- Lama John Makransky, "Family Practice"
Friday, November 23, 2012
Via JMG: Uganda May Vote On Anti-Gay Bill Today
Earlier this month we learned that Uganda's infamous "Kill The Gays" bill was being pushed to a vote as a "Christmas gift to Christians." Alerts went out yesterday that the bill may be voted upon as soon as today. This morning the BBC reported a claim the the death penalty has been been dropped from the legislation.
A committee of Ugandan MPs has endorsed the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill but dropped the death penalty provision, an MP has told the BBC. MP Medard Segona said "substantial amendments" had been made to the bill but said he was not allowed to reveal further details. Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga recently said the bill would be passed as a "Christmas gift" to its advocates. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda - this bill increases the penalties.Box Turtle Bulletin blogger Jim Burroway is suspicious of these claims because Ugandan legislators have lied about that in the past.
Foreign donors have threatened to cut aid if gay rights are not respected. The bill, tabled by MP David Bahati, proposes longer jail terms for homosexual acts, including a life sentence in certain circumstances. In its original form, those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender" - faced the death penalty. Such offences would now be punished with life imprisonment, it is understood.
The original bill also prohibited the "promotion" of gay rights and called for the punishment of anyone who "funds or sponsors homosexuality" or "abets homosexuality". Mr Bahati has previously said that the death penalty provision would be dropped but this has not been confirmed until now. Mr Segona, who is on the Legal and Parliamentary committee of Uganda's parliament, told the BBC: "I can confirm it has been dropped."
WBS Television in Uganda late yesterday posted another report on YouTube featuring statements by members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, which is charged with marking up the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with recommended changes. There are a few troubling aspects to the report. First, the reporter claims that the death penalty has been removed for “homosexuality acts with minors,” which sounds very suspiciously like several other previous reports, later proven to be false, that the death penalty had been removed. The last time we heard that line, we would quickly learn that the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, in fact, had not removed the death penalty from the bill, but instead had simply obfuscated the death penalty’s presence in the bill. A complete explanation can be found here.All Out's petition campaign against the bill has over 160,000 signatures already. Add your name.
Via JMG: NBC Nixed Marriage Ad By Chelsea Clinton
Chelsea Clinton recorded a spot in support of Washington state's Referendum 74 but NBC News prevented its airing because she works for them as a journalist. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:
Clinton, a vocal proponent of marriage equality, cut the video for a group supporting the Washington state measure, as well as a second video for another group. But NBC, for which Clinton works as a "special correspondent" since last November, "scuttled" the campaign, sources familiar with the ads said. In the weeks before the November elections — where voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington voted on measures relating to same-sex couples’ marriage rights — such prominent support would have been heavily sought. Clinton had supported efforts toward the legislative passage of marriage equality in New York, going so far as to attend and participate in a phone-banking effort in Manhattan before the legislature approved the bill in June 2011.
Labels: Chelsea Clinton, journalism, NBC, Washington state
Via JMG: UN Condemns Gay Death Penalty
Yesterday the United Nations approved a resolution that condemns the killing of LGBT persons either by governments or via "extrajudicial" means such as hate crimes. Via press release from the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission:
An international coalition of organizations dedicated to human rights celebrated yesterday’s historic vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pass resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The vote reversed the events of 2010 when the same body voted to strip the resolution of reference to "sexual orientation." The UNGA also expanded upon its commitment to the universality of human rights by including "gender identity" for the first time in the resolution’s history. The resolution, which is introduced biennially in the Third Committee, urges States to protect the right to life of all people, including by calling upon States to investigate killings based on discriminatory grounds. It was introduced by the Government of Sweden and co-sponsored by 34 states from around the world.IGLHRC notes that the United Arab Emirates attempted to strip "sexual orientation" from the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, just as they did two years ago. (See the photo above for the vote tally on that amendment.) They add: "Another failed effort, led by the Holy See, would have stripped all specific references to groups at high risk for execution; however it was never formally introduced."
The governments of the United States, Brazil, and many others spoke in favor of the resolution. IGLHRC reports that Egypt "spoke frequently" in opposition. Japan broke its long silence on the issue with this declaration: "We cannot tolerate any killings of persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Our delegation voted against the proposed amendment to this paragraph because we think it is meaningful to mention such killings from the perspective of protecting the rights of LGBT people."
Read the full resolution here.
Labels: Brazil, death penalty, Egypt, gay death penalty, hate crimes, IGLHRC, Islam, Japan, religion, United Nations
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 23, 2012
Spiritual Consumerism
Spiritual
experience and goods can certainly reinforce a consuming mind, too, and
it is no surprise to see this happening in a consumer culture.
Marketers are successfully targeting spiritual consumers as a market
niche and figuring out exactly what fulfills their self-centered
yearnings. How many of these products are necessary for spiritual
enlightenment? Probably not one.
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- Stephanie Kaza, "Ego in the Shopping Cart"
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!
The
Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our
parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this
intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen
accidentally.
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- Ajahn Sumedho, "The Gift of Gratitude"
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Marriage-equality push is eyed in 7 states
LGBT
advocates who sense they have the momentum in the fight for marriage
equality are considering new efforts to enact marriage equality in at
least seven states, including Oregon, Illinois, Delaware and Hawaii,
according to this article. Other priorities include expanding employment
protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Anti-gay
activists say it's wrong to assume the American electorate has changed
its mind irreversibly on LGBT issues.
Politico (Washington, D.C.)
Politico (Washington, D.C.)
Monday, November 19, 2012
Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Nate Silver
"I've always felt like something of an outsider. I've always had friends, but I've always come from an outside point of view. I think that's important. If you grow up gay, or in a household that's agnostic, when most people are religious, then from the get-go, you are saying that there are things that the majority of society believes that I don't believe." - Nate Silver, telling Britain's Guardian that his "dorkiness" has helped him succeed.
Via JMG: Rufus Wainwright & Hubby For The Gap
Advertising Age notes the new campaign from Gap:
A stylish film running online in the U.S. and on broadcast outside the States accompanies colorful print ads featuring some famous celebrity pairings, including actors Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, representing "True Love," musician Rufus Wainwright and artistic director Jorn Weisbrodt, who stand for "Married Love," while "Fatherly Love" figures rapper Nas and his famous blues musician pop, Olu Dara. The ads and film were shot by director/DP Peggy Sirota.
Labels: advertising, GAP, gay artists, Rufus Wainwright
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via The Economist / FB:
Daily
chart: Attitudes toward gay marriage are changing—and fast. Across
most of the West, polls show a majority of public opinion in favour of
equality for gays. That said, in 78 countries—mostly in the Muslim
world, Africa and other developing states—gay sex is still a crime.
Today’s chart maps gay marriage rights around the world http://econ.st/10fAJAY
My buddy Andrew C remided me, "Brasil is not presented accurately. Civil unions provide the same 110 rights as marriage and marriage is completely legal in 3 states if I am not mistaken. And the US is so behind on this...what an embarrassment."
My buddy Andrew C remided me, "Brasil is not presented accurately. Civil unions provide the same 110 rights as marriage and marriage is completely legal in 3 states if I am not mistaken. And the US is so behind on this...what an embarrassment."
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 19, 2012
The Force of Gratitude
Gratitude
is a way of undercutting your ego—that is, it is a way of being
Buddhist. It really goes back to interdependence and those basic
Buddhist concepts. There is an awareness that we get now and then about
what we owe to others, and Shinran feels that that should become the
moving force of one’s life. Then the egoism kind of takes care of
itself.
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- Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom, "Beyond Religion"
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 17, 2012
Complete Practice
When
people talk about practicing the buddhadharma, I think they sometimes
fail to realize that the buddhadharma is a comprehensive religious
system. It doesn’t just mean sitting on your meditation cushion and
focusing on your breath. Buddhism is a practice for your whole life.
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- Charles Prebish, "Pursuing an American Buddhism"
Friday, November 16, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 16, 2012
Our Fundamental Goodness
I’ve
found that pointing people to their fundamental goodness will awaken
it. It’s more skillful than pointing to the negative. We are so loyal to
our suffering and to seeing ourselves as damaged that it’s very easy to
use spiritual practice to reinforce our self-judgment. That doesn’t
help people become liberated.
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- Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Via JMG: Catholic Church Gave $2M
Catholic Church Gave $2M To Feed The Homeless Fund Hatred & Fuel Bigotry
NOM Exposed takes note:
Taking up where the Mormons left off in 2008, the Catholic Church – and its affiliate, the Knights of Columbus – have made considerable investments in the marriage fights in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington State and Maine this election cycle – spending nearly $2 million. In addition, a close ally of the Church and past co-conspirator, the National Organization for Marriage, spent more than $5.2 million this cycle. Final campaign figures for Maryland and Maine will be available by the end of the month.That's $11.3 million that didn't go to pay molestation settlements. Time for some more parishes to declare bankruptcy!
Marriage equality opponents across the four states raised $11.3 million. The Catholic Church’s contributions make up 17 percent of that total figure. When you add in the contributions of Church ally NOM, the reality of the coordinated effort becomes clear: the Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and NOM are responsible for funding nearly 65 percent of all anti-equality efforts in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington State and Maine.
Labels: 2012 elections, Catholic Church, hate groups, molestation, NOM, organized crime, religion, Vatican
VIa JMG: Uruguay Considers Marriage
Uruguay, which already has civil unions, began this week considering a move to full marriage equality.
The proposed "marriage equality" law would change Uruguay's nearly-century-old civil code and give married gays and lesbians all the rights and responsibilities of heterosexual married couples, including the possibility of adopting children. It was drafted by gay rights activists in the so-called "Black Sheep Collective" and now has the support of lawmakers in the ruling Broad Front coalition, which decided Wednesday to debate the measure next week in the House of Deputies' constitutional commission. "Today's society is much broader than the heterosexual, and the civil code should reflect this: a marriage institution that applies equally to all," Federico Grana, a member of the collective, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "This goes well beyond homosexuality — it's a law that gives all the same rights and responsibilities."
Labels: LGBT rights, South America, Uruguay
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet :
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 15, 2012
The Real Meaning of Mindfulness
When
mindfulness is equated with bare attention, it can easily lead to the
misconception that the cultivation of mindfulness has nothing to do with
ethics or with the cultivation of wholesome states of mind and the
attenuation of unwholesome states. Nothing could be further from the
truth.
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- B. Alan Wallace, "A Mindful Balance"
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 14, 2012
Take A Moment
As
an experiment, the next time you are doing an errand, stuck in traffic,
or standing in line at the supermarket, instead of being preoccupied
with where you’re going or what needs to be done, take a moment to
simply send loving wishes to all those around you. Often, there is an
immediate and very remarkable shift as we feel more connected and more
present.
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- Joseph Goldstein, "Triumph of the Heart"
Via God / FB:
God says,
"The extra big time bonus winner of SMITE TUESDAY is any US citizen who wants their state to secede from the USA.
These people are still quite mad that their political team didn't win the election. They are sore losers. Rather than just move on, they are signing worthless Internet petitions.
WELL I SHALL SMITE THEM! Their pitiful Internet petitions will be ignored! Their states shall stay part of the USA!! And they shall suffer the agony of defeat and curse their lives every single day.
SMITE!"
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet :
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Monday, November 12, 2012
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma November 12, 2012
Being In Touch
You cannot achieve enlightenment by locking yourself in your room. Transformation is possible only when you are in touch.
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- Thich Nhat Hanh, "The Fertile Soil of Sangha"
Sunday, November 11, 2012
California, USA: After Electoral Wins, Gay Activists Await the Supreme Court
Written by scott on November 11th, 2012 The historic votes of four states this week in favor of gay marriage — an apparent sea change in U.S. public opinion — have sparked the hopes of many Californians who want to turn the tide in the Golden State. But that doesn’t mean advocates of gay marriage want to see Californians vote on another ballot measure here. Instead, they’re counting on a relatively conservative U.S. Supreme Court to make same-sex unions legal throughout the country.
“We shouldn’t have to go state after state after state — it’ll take forever,” said gay marriage activist Billy Bradford of Castro Valley. He said activists are hoping for a ruling similar to the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended all restrictions on interracial marriage, “so we can move on to other things that face this country.”
read the full article here
JMG Quote Of The Day - Maureen Dowd
"Romney and Tea Party loonies dismissed half the country as chattel and
moochers who did not belong in their 'traditional' America. But the more
they insulted the president with birther cracks, the more they tried to
force chastity belts on women, and the more they made Hispanics, blacks
and gays feel like the help, the more these groups burned to prove
that, knitted together, they could give the dead-enders of white male
domination the boot. The election about the economy also sounded the
death knell for the Republican culture wars. Romney was still running in
an illusory country where husbands told
wives how to vote, and the wives who worked had better get home in time
to cook dinner. But in the real country, many wives were urging husbands
not to vote for a Brylcreemed boss out of a ’50s boardroom whose party
was helping to revive a 50-year-old debate over contraception. Just like
the Bushes before him, Romney tried to portray himself as more
American than his Democratic opponent. But America’s gallimaufry wasn’t
knuckling under to the gentry this time." - Maureen Dowd, writing for the New York Times.
Via O Bosque de Berkana / FB:
Poema de Jiddu Krishnamurti
''Eu não tenho nome,
Eu sou como a brisa fresca das montanhas.
Eu não têm abrigo;
''Eu não tenho nome,
Eu sou como a brisa fresca das montanhas.
Eu não têm abrigo;
Sou como as águas errantes.
Eu não tenho nenhum santuário, como os deuses escuros;
Também não estou à sombra dos templos da profundidade.
Eu não tenho livros sagrados;
Também não sou bem-temperado na tradição.
Eu não estou no incenso
Montagem sobre os altares elevados,
Nem na pompa de cerimônias.
Eu não sou nem na imagem de escultura,
Nem no canto rico de uma voz melodiosa.
Eu não sou limitado por teorias,
Nem corrompido por crenças.
Não estou realizado na escravidão das religiões,
Nem na agonia piedosa de seus sacerdotes.
Eu não estou preso por filosofias,
Nem no realizadar no poder de suas seitas.
Eu não sou nem baixo, nem alto,
Eu sou o adorador eo adorado.
Eu sou livre.
Minha canção é a canção do rio
Apelando para o mar aberto,
Errante, errante,
Eu sou a Vida.
Eu não tenho nome,
Eu sou como a brisa fresca das montanhas.''
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Eu não tenho nenhum santuário, como os deuses escuros;
Também não estou à sombra dos templos da profundidade.
Eu não tenho livros sagrados;
Também não sou bem-temperado na tradição.
Eu não estou no incenso
Montagem sobre os altares elevados,
Nem na pompa de cerimônias.
Eu não sou nem na imagem de escultura,
Nem no canto rico de uma voz melodiosa.
Eu não sou limitado por teorias,
Nem corrompido por crenças.
Não estou realizado na escravidão das religiões,
Nem na agonia piedosa de seus sacerdotes.
Eu não estou preso por filosofias,
Nem no realizadar no poder de suas seitas.
Eu não sou nem baixo, nem alto,
Eu sou o adorador eo adorado.
Eu sou livre.
Minha canção é a canção do rio
Apelando para o mar aberto,
Errante, errante,
Eu sou a Vida.
Eu não tenho nome,
Eu sou como a brisa fresca das montanhas.''
Jiddu Krishnamurti
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