Saturday, November 30, 2013

Via GayFamilyValues / FB:


Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 30, 2013

What is 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.
- B. Alan Wallace, "A Mindful Balance"
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Friday, November 29, 2013

James "Wally" Brewster Embajador de los Estados Unidos para la República Dominicana


JMG Guest Post: Carl Siciliano


We deal with a twofold tragedy every day at the Ali Forney Center. The first part is that hundreds of thousands of parents drive their children from their homes because they cannot accept having an LGBT child. The second part is that fewer than one tenth of homeless kids in this country can access a youth shelter bed. Hundreds of thousands of terrified, devastated kids are out on the streets tonight with nowhere safe to lay their heads.

Recently I met a girl in Minneapolis who told me about being out on the streets at 16 in the frozen Minnesota winter. She found a bus driver who would allow her to ride the city bus all night. But one night when he was off duty and she didn't have the bus fare, she shivered in the snow, fearing she would die in the cold. Another boy told me of being thrown out of his home in a suburb of Atlanta by a homophobic aunt. Having nowhere to go, he spent three days and nights in the woods near his house, with no food or water, crying and terrified and wanting to die. Finally he staggered out onto a sidewalk and collapsed of dehydration and was hospitalized.

Many kids turn to prostitution, having no other way to support themselves. Deon became homeless in Houston when he was 15. He also rode the buses all night, and would shower in the morning at a friend's house before heading to school. One night he was propositioned while waiting for the bus, and was offered money for sex. Deeply exhausted from his long nights on the bus, he reluctantly accepted. He told me that he felt so ashamed and humiliated by the experience, that he spent over an hour in the shower at his friends house that morning. He was weeping uncontrollably and didn't want anyone to see him like that. Deon lives with us now. Yesterday he told me that at his job at H&M clothing store, he has a portion of his income taken out of each paycheck. He uses this money to sponsor an orphan in Zimbabwe. He was beaming with pride when he told me this. I am more proud of him than I know how to say.

At the Ali Forney Center we respond to LGBT kids in the most horrifying situations imaginable. We respond with food and shelter, with job training and medical care. We work with kids from all over the country. Last year we cared for over 1,000 kids. As important as it is to house and feed these kids, it is just as important to affirm their basic human worth as LGBT people. It is important to show that they belong to our community, that they are valued and loved.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for the kids who live with us, that they can have the opportunity to be healed of their terrible wounds. And I am thankful for the community of support that allows us to do this beautiful work. I am especially thankful to Joe and the JoeMyGod community for standing by us year after year. I am especially thankful for the amazing support we received last year when Hurricane Sandy destroyed our drop-in center.

I ask you to consider supporting our kids at this time. We have 200 kids on the waiting list for our shelters tonight, and have to rely on the support of the community in this time of sequestration and government cutbacks. Donations can be sent to us by mail at: Ali Forney Center, 224 West 35th Street, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10001. Donations can be made online here.



Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 29, 2013

Shopping the Dharma

We must become aware of how the consumer mentality functions in us and in our spiritual communities and institutions. We need to revive appreciation for the traditional model of a practitioner who lives a life of simplicity and humility, sincerity and endeavor, kindness and compassion. We must choose teachers with these qualities, cultivate these qualities in ourselves, and guide our students in developing them. We must remember that the purpose of a spiritual institution is not to preserve itself, but to facilitate the teaching and practice of a spiritual tradition. We should have only as much institutional structure as needed to do that, no more. This is essential to maintain the vitality of our spiritual traditions and to prevent them from becoming empty shells.
- Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, “Shopping the Dharma”
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Thursday, November 28, 2013

A homossexualidade por Chico Xavier e Divaldo Franco


Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 28, 2013

Giving Thanks

Gratitude, the simple and profound feeling of being thankful, is the foundation of all generosity. I am generous when I believe that right now, right here, in this form and this place, I am myself being given what I need. Generosity requires that we relinquish something, and this is impossible if we are not glad for what we have.
- Sallie Jiko Tisdale, “As If There is Nothing to Lose”
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Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Via JMG: BRITAIN: Supreme Court Rules Against Anti-Gay Bed & Breakfast Owners


Britain's Supreme Court has ruled against the owners of a bed & breakfast who were fined after refusing to rent a room to a gay couple.
Hazelmary and Peter Bull refused to let civil partners Steven Preddy and Martyn Hall stay in a double room at Chymorvah House in Marazion in Cornwall in 2008. The couple, who had already lost cases at Bristol County Court and the Court of Appeal, said they were "saddened". Mr and Mrs Bull have said they regard any sex outside marriage as a "sin". The Bulls denied discriminating against Mr Hall and Mr Preddy, who are from Bristol. Sixty-nine-year-old Mrs Bull and her 74-year-old husband said their decision was founded on a "religiously-informed judgment of conscience". Five Supreme Court justices ruled against them on Wednesday after analysing the case at a hearing in London in October.
In September the Bulls announced that they were closing their inn due to a plummeting occupancy rate. (Tipped by JMG reader Paolo)


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via JMG: KENTUCKY: Gay Couple Fined One Cent For Trespassing During Marriage Protest


A Louisville, Kentucky gay couple has been found guilty of trespassing for refusing to leave the county clerk's office after being denied a marriage license. But the sympathetic jury fined them only one penny.
After three hours of testimony in which their lawyers hailed them for their civil disobedience, while the prosecution urged jurors to stick to the facts, Blanchard and James were convicted Tuesday of trespassing — but fined only a penny. Blanchard called the penalty a vindication of their protest in support of same-sex marriage. “It shows they understood what we were doing,” he said after jurors returned their verdict following 90 minutes of deliberations.
James’ lawyer, Annie O’Connell, said the fine may have been the smallest ever imposed in a criminal trial in Kentucky. Blanchard’s counsel, Ted Shouse, said in court that he had never tried a case in which the maximum penalty — $250 — “was so low and the stakes were so high.” Jessie Halladay, a spokeswoman for the county attorney’s office, said after the verdict that prosecutors had no choice but to take the case to trial. “We respect the right of the defendants to protest, but we also respect the law, and the law doesn’t distinguish what causes are worth breaking the law for,” she said.
The jury had sent the a judge a note asking if they could convict but impose no fine at all. The judge responded that some fine was mandated by the law. The judge then waived the one penny fine and all court costs. Bonus nicety: The arresting officer testified that he had shaken the couple's hands before taking them into custody. (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Corte inglesa decide que fé não justifica discriminação

A Suprema Corte do Reino Unido desenhou limites para a liberdade de religião nesta quarta-feira (27/11). O tribunal decidiu que o direito de exercer a própria fé não autoriza ninguém a discriminar outras pessoas. Os juízes consideraram que os donos de uma pousada violaram a legislação britânica ao negar que dois homens gays dormissem num quarto com cama de casal.
 
A corte analisou o apelo do casal Hazelmary e Peter Bull, que mantêm uma pousada numa cidade litorânea na região da Cornualha, costa oeste da Inglaterra. Os dois são cristãos e afirmam procurar, tanto na vida pessoal como profissional, seguir os ensinamentos da Bíblia. Um deles é o de que sexo só pode ser feito dentro do casamento, que é a união entre um homem e uma mulher. Caso contrário, é pecado. E, para evitar que seus hóspedes pequem, o casal impede que duas pessoas que não são casadas durmam em quartos com uma cama de casal.

A política cristã na pousada não parecia causar muito problema com os hóspedes, até que, em setembro de 2008, Martyn Hall e Steven Preddy resolveram se hospedar lá. Os dois são homens, homossexuais e vivem em união civil. Resolveram aproveitar os últimos dias quentes da Inglaterra na Cornualha e pediram para ficar num quarto com uma cama de casal, como fazem os casais. Não conseguiram. Os donos da pousada negaram dizendo que sexo fora do casamento é pecado e, como os dois homens não eram casados, não poderiam dormir juntos.

A briga foi parar na Justiça. Os donos da pousada perderam em todas as instâncias e, agora com a decisão da Suprema Corte, terão de pagar indenização para Hall e Preddy. A Suprema Corte considerou que a política mantida pela pousada, um estabelecimento voltado a atender ao público, é discriminatória. A legislação britânica estabelece que as uniões civis e os casamentos têm os mesmos direitos e deveres e devem ser tratados da mesma maneira.

A maioria dos juízes considerou que, já que o casamento entre pessoas do mesmo sexo só passou a ser permitido neste ano, a negativa de cama de casal para pessoas não casadas é também baseada na opção sexual. Ainda mais se considerado que a visão cristã de casamento é o relacionamento entre um homem e uma mulher.

Os juízes explicaram que a decisão não significa, no entanto, que a liberdade sexual se sobrepõe à liberdade de religião. Se os donos do hotel tivessem negado estadia a possíveis hóspedes por discordar das suas crenças religiosas, a corte também consideraria que houve discriminação indevida.

A Suprema Corte explicou que a liberdade religiosa, direito garantido na Convenção Europeia de Direitos Humanos, não é absoluta. Ela pode ser limitada para proteger direitos alheios.

O casamento civil e religioso entre pessoas do mesmo sexo foi autorizado no Reino Unido em julho deste ano, depois que lei sobre o assunto foi aprovada no Parlamento britânico. A norma deixou a cargo das igrejas decidirem se aceitam casar gays ou não. A previsão é de que os primeiros casamentos entre homossexuais sejam celebrados no meio do ano que vem, já que a nova lei precisa de regulamentação antes de ser posta em prática.

Atualmente, no continente europeu, dez países permitem que os gays se casem. São eles: Bélgica, Dinamarca, França, Islândia, Holanda, Noruega, Portugal, Espanha, Suécia e Inglaterra. A Escócia deve ser o próximo a autorizar o matrimônio entre duas pessoas do mesmo sexo. Na Irlanda, um dos países mais católicos e conservadores da Europa, o governo já anunciou que deve fazer um plebiscito em 2015 para ouvir a população sobre o assunto.

Já a união civil entre gays é mais aceita no continente. Além dos que permitem o casamento, outros 16 países reconhecem a união estável entre duas pessoas do mesmo sexo. Entre esses, apenas três — República Tcheca, Hungria e Eslovênia — são do Leste Europeu, onde os direitos dos homossexuais ainda são pouco reconhecidos.

Clique aqui para ler a decisão em inglês.

Via JMG: Texas Caves On National Guard


Via press release from Lambda Legal:
After increasing pressure to follow U.S. Department of Defense guidelines, the Texas Military Forces today allowed Lambda Legal's client, Alicia Butler the wife of 1st Lt. Judith Chedville to register for federal military benefits at Camp Mabry. "We are thrilled for Alicia and Judith who just wanted to take steps, like all military families, to access critical support networks and benefits provided to families of servicemembers," Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Paul Castillo said. "Texas Military Forces implements a host of federal benefits programs for all National Guard units in the state and it should be no different for married same-sex couples."
In September, Lambda Legal submitted a letter urging the commanding officer of the Texas Military Forces to abide by U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines and allow married same-sex military couples to register for federal benefits at any military base in the state. Since that first contact, Lambda Legal has engaged in continued aggressive advocacy at all levels to urge this result. I am so pleased to have this spousal ID card and begin to access a range of benefits," Butler said. "My wife served our country and our family needs support like all military families."
The American Military Partner Association reacts:
“We applaud the Texas Military Forces for changing course and the Department of Defense for making sure this issue is resolved in Texas," said Stephen Peters, president of AMPA. "All military spouses, regardless of orientation or gender, deserve to treated with the same dignity, respect, and support for their sacrifices in support of our nation, no matter what state they serve in. We urge the remaining states who have not yet complied with Department of Defense policy to do so quickly and affirm their commitment to all military families."

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 27, 2013

Concern for Others

For modern Buddhists, the world shows us daily that our own awareness cannot thrive indifferent to what is happening to the awareness of others. As the old sociological paradox puts it, people create society, but society also creates people. Our economic and political systems are not spiritually neutral; they inculcate certain values and discourage others. As our awareness becomes more liberated, we become more aware of the suffering of others, and of the social forces that aggravate or decrease suffering.
- David Loy, "Why Buddhism Needs the West"
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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 26, 2013

How to Be

Dogen said: ‘Directly upon encountering the dharma, we will abandon the law of the world.’ In other words, once we discover the true order behind the appearance of things, our lives will no longer be dominated by the conventional values of society—the seeking to outshine, outrace, outgain.
- Henry Shukman, "How to Be in the World"
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Monday, November 25, 2013

JMG Quote Of The Day - Tom Comstock


"I told God, if he's going to save me from death from this and he doesn't send me a boyfriend, I'm going to call a party foul." - Portland resident Tom Comstock, after pieces of lumber speared the cabin of his SUV when he was rear-ended during rush hour traffic. Emergency room doctors gave him a tetanus shot and told him to go buy a lottery ticket. KATU-TV has video and more photos at the link. (Tipped by JMG reader Bobby)

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Reposted from Joe Jervis

The Most Powerful Video on Spirituality and Happiness - Rare Eckhart Tolle Teaching - Must See


Bill Maher New Rules - Kennedy was cooler than Reagan


Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 25, 2013

What the Buddha Never Said

When the Buddha speaks, it is said, he always intends his words to lead to the welfare and happiness of the hearers. But his words are not always tied to the theme of “suffering and its cessation.” To insist on confining them to this topic is to drastically narrow the range of the dharma.
- Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi, "'I Teach Only Suffering and the End of Suffering'"
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Sunday, November 24, 2013

Via Being Liberal / FB:


Via Lady Liberals / FB:


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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 24, 2013

How to Become Lucid

If you’ve ever had a lucid dream before, you may have an idea how this unique state of awareness can open up incredible opportunities for discovery, healing, and growth. The idea is not new: Tibetan Buddhists have practiced lucid dreaming for at least a thousand years, referring to it as dream yoga. Dreams often act like mirrors, presenting you with a reflection of yourself. By becoming conscious in your unconscious, you’re able to explore and deepen the connection to your own inner world.
- Dylan Tuccillo, Jared Zeizel, and Thomas Peisel, "Taking Flight"
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through November 25, 2013
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Saturday, November 23, 2013

His Holiness the Karmapa: The Technology of the Heart



The Heart Is Noble: The Moon


Lua Cheia - Ouro Preto, MG - Nov 16, 2013 / Daniel C. Orey


I want to share with you a feeling I have. I feel that my love does not have to remain within the limitations of my own life or body. I imagine that if I am no longer in the world, my love could still be present. I want to place my love on the moon and let the moon hold my love. Let the moon be the keeper of my love, offering it to everyone just as the moon sends its light to embrace the whole earth. 

- The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out by Ogyen Trinley Dorje

Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient - Tam O'Shaugnessy on Behalf of Sally Ride


Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 23, 2013

Freedom and Choice

Most people equate choice and freedom. It seems so reasonable. Freedom means you are free to choose, right? It means you are free from restrictions. If you can’t choose, then you are not free. And it would seem to follow that the more choice you have, the more freedom you have. But it doesn’t work out that way.
- Ken McLeod, "Freedom and Choice"
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Friday, November 22, 2013

Dalai Lama's guide to happiness

Publicado em 08/10/2013
 
This video looks at 'Buddhism and Happiness', as we ask are they a match made in heaven or something else? This eight minute epic reveals some incredible insights into human behaviour and values that impact our happiness, particularly in this materialistic Western life so many are living, or reaching for.

The Dalai Lama's talk is from his 'the quest for happiness' public talk in Adelaide during his 'Beyond Religion' tour in Australia.

While we would have ideally used footage of Tibetan monks in this video, we were unable to and instead used footage from our recent trip to Burma, where we acknowledge there may be subtle differences in how Buddhism is practiced. We do not mean to offend anyone by this and if you would like to fly us to Tibet to re-film this we'll happily take up the offer.

PLUS... Find us on Facebook to see more than 20,000 smiles!!!


Via JMG: OREGON: Christian Group Files Measure To Legalize Anti-Gay Discrimination


An anti-gay Christian group has filed an Oregon ballot measure that would make it legal for businesses to refuse to provide wedding services to gay people on the grounds of religious belief.
The initiative comes after Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian launched a well-publicized investigation against a Gresham bakery that refused to provide a cake for a marriage between two women. "We are deeply concerned that even Oregon elected officials are becoming hostile towards religious freedom," said Teresa Harke, spokeswoman for Friends of Religious Freedom, a group formed to support the initiative campaign. Harke is also communications director for the Oregon Family Council, a group opposing the proposed initiative that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Jeana Frazzini, executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, the state's major gay-rights organization, said in a statement that "while we are all entitled to our religious beliefs, those beliefs don't entitle any of us to discriminate against others, or disobey laws that are already in place to ensure that everyone is treated equally."
The group must have the wording for the measure approved before it can begin collecting the required 87K signatures to place it on the 2014 ballot. (Tipped by JMG reader Sam)


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 22, 2013

Necessary Failure

Do not fear failure. Whatever happened in the past is past; do not worry about it happening again. Before you meet with success, failure is natural and necessary.
- Master Sheng-Yen, "Being Natural"
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Via The Gaily Grind.com / FB:


JMG Facebook Graphic Of The Day


Source.


Reposted from Joe

Via George Takei / FB:

Ellen Vs Hallmark


Viva Illinois!

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 21, 2013

Perfect Awakening

Being self-aware in the midst of our daily lives provides us with so much material with which to notice the reality of our imperfect selves but, at the same time, to be brought to realize how we are embraced by Ultimate Wisdom and Compassion at all times. There’s no practice a person can specifically do to attain perfect awakening, whether it’s meditation or trying to follow precepts. Of course these are good practices, but we can never totally free ourselves of our blind passions. If we believe we can do it this way, the calculation is a reflection of our ego-selves. Instead, we can be mindful of the dharma as we go about our lives.
- Reverend Patricia Kanaya Usuki, "The Great Compassion"
Read the entire article in the Wisdom Collection through November 22, 2013
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Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Vi JMG: New Site: The Regnerus Fallout


Via press release:
The University of Central Florida (UCF) has ramped up its legal efforts to block the release of over 50,000 documents related to the flawed same-sex parenting study by Mark Regnerus that appeared last year in the publication Social Science Research, housed at UCF. A judge ruled the university had to release the documents, deemed public records under Florida law. Late last week, UCF retained legal counsel and ignored the court order. The Law Office of Andrea Flynn Mogensen, P.A., and Barrett, Chapman & Ruta, P.A – which represents John Becker, the reporter who initially sought the documents under Florida public records law - immediately filed an emergency motion for civil contempt. "What is UCF hiding?" asked Becker. "And why are they fighting tooth and nail - spending taxpayer dollars in the process - to keep these public records under seal?"
Judge Donald Grincewicz ruled on November 13 that emails and documents possessed by UCF related to the Regnerus study’s peer-review process must be turned over to Becker. UCF houses the journal Social Science Research, and the editor of the journal, UCF Professor James Wright, led the peer-review process for the research. Grincewicz has since inexplicably recused himself. And yesterday, an appellate court in Orlando granted a stay in the case until such time as a new judge can be appointed. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation funded the litigation and today launched “The Regnerus Fallout” web site (www.regnerusfallout.org) detailing the flaws, funding, and real purpose of the so-called study.
Visit Regernus Fallout.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

VIa JMG: ILLINOIS: Gov To Sign Marriage Bill Today


 
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn will sign the marriage equality bill today and according to one report he will sign the bill on Abraham Lincoln's desk, which Quinn is quietly having shipped from the state capital to his office in Chicago. Oh-em-Jeebus, the Tea Things will scream. I'll post a live stream of the signing ceremony later today.


Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 20, 2013

Great Responsibility

You see, the past is past, and the future is yet to come. That means the future is in your hands—the future entirely depends on the present. That realization gives you a great responsibility.
- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "The Experience of Change"
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Tuesday, November 19, 2013

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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 19, 2013

A 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.
- Charles Prebish, "Pursuing an American Buddhism"
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Monday, November 18, 2013

Via JMG: Op-Ed Of The Day - Patricia Madrid


"Some will recall that as attorney general, I stopped the Rio Rancho county clerk from issuing marriage licenses. But that had nothing to do with the constitutionality of same-sex marriage and everything to do with individual county clerks acting on their own without the law behind them. I applaud the clerks for asking for a swift resolution by the state Supreme Court of the current checkerboard, where some counties grant marriage licenses and others do not. While I’m hopeful the state Supreme Court will grant marriage equality in New Mexico, I believe that is where the issue should be decided. The Legislature should resist any temptation to continue to make marriage a divisive issue.

"New Mexico has always been a land of freedom, of live and let live, and we all try to apply the Golden Rule — to treat others as we want to be treated ourselves. To me, that speaks directly to the freedom to marry. Marriage has been the cornerstone of my life, and I hope that soon in New Mexico, our gay and lesbian friends, neighbors and family members can have that same mix of celebration and security." - Former New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid, writing for the Albuquerque Journal. (Tipped by JMG reader George)


Reposted from Joe Jervis