Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Via Lion´s Roar // The Essential Guide to Profound Practices of Tibetan Buddhism

 

New for subscribers: “The Essential Guide to Profound Practices of Tibetan Buddhism” Ebook

In this ebook available exclusively to Lion’s Roar subscribers, nine great dharma teachers including Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Lama Tsultrim Allione, Willa Blythe Baker, and more offer you a glance into the transformative practices of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
 

Via Lion’s Roar// Thich Nhat Hanh’s Hugging Meditation

 

How to Practice Hugging Meditation
Nothing warms the heart like a loving hug. To make the experience even deeper and more healing, the late Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us this practice of hugging meditation he created.

07.05.2022

Via White Crane Institute // A Flemish artist Jérôme (Hieronymus) Duquesnoy

 This Day in Gay History

July 06

Born
Images of the artist himself are almost impossible to find. But I believe the images of the two on the far right were the referenced models which necessitated the punishment of Mssr. Duquesnoy.
1602 -

JÈRÔME DUQUESNOY, was a Belgian sculptor, born on this date (d: 1654); A Flemish artist Jérôme (Hieronymus) Duquesnoy was one of the most renowned sculptors of the 17th century, but for decades after his death he was better known for his conviction and execution on charges of sodomy than for his impish yet polished style of sculpture. Born into a Brussels family of artists at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Jérôme Duquesnoy lived his first twenty years in the shadow of his famous father, Jérôme Duquesnoy the Elder (who re-cast the famous Mannekin Pis [1619], the urinating boy that still stands as Brussels' signature fountain) and his brother François, who showed artistic promise at an early age.

Like his brother he was trained in his father’s studio. After a long stay in the service of Philip IV, he traveled to Florence in 1640 and a year later settled in Rome with his brother. On Francois’s death in 1643, Jérôme returned to Brussels where he carved several statues of the apostles. He was at work on several projects at the cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent, where his best sculptures were executed, when he was, alas,  arrested for sodomy with two acolytes of the church who had served as his models.

The brilliance of his work for the church notwithstanding, he was strangled then burned at the stake, a double death, which, under the circumstances, seems to be a case of clerical overkill and a terrible waste of matches. But you know, the Roman Catholic Church has really strict rules about messing around with children.

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

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Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - July 6, 2022 💌

 

The technique of the witness is to merely sit with the fear and be aware of it before it becomes so consuming that there’s no space left. The image I usually use is that of a picture frame and a painting of a gray cloud against a blue sky. But the picture frame is a little too small. So you bend the canvas around to frame it. But in doing so you lost all the blue sky. So you end up with just a framed gray cloud. It fills the entire frame.

So when you say, 'I'm afraid' or, 'I'm depressed', if you enlarged the frame so that just a little blue space shows, you would say ‘Ah, a cloud.’ That is what the witness is. The witness is that tiny little blue over in the corner that leads you to say, ‘Ah, fear.’

 - Ram Dass -

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Frivolous Speech

 

RIGHT SPEECH
Refraining from Frivolous Speech
Frivolous speech is unhealthy. Refraining from frivolous speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning frivolous speech, one refrains from frivolous speech. One speaks at the right time, speaks only what is fact, and speaks about what is good. One speaks what is worthy of being overheard, words that are reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak frivolously, but I shall abstain from frivolous speech.” (MN 8)

An authentic person is one who even unasked reveals their own faults—how much more so when asked. When asked, however, and obliged to reply to questions, one speaks of one’s own faults fully and in detail. (AN 4.73)
Reflection
The last time we looked at refraining from frivolous speech we focused on holding back from criticizing others. Now we look at the flip side of that—being willing to be forthcoming about your own faults. The idea here is not to put yourself down but to be honest with yourself. It is an example of speaking only what is fact and what is beneficial, since admitting your faults allows you to grow beyond them.

Daily Practice
This is a practice of humility and has to do with cultivating a humble attitude about yourself. It counteracts those qualities of mind that contribute to the inflation of the sense of self, such as pride and conceit, and helps moderate the tendency to aggrandize the self. You need not dwell on your faults, and it is okay to equally acknowledge your strengths, but simply stating both honestly is a form of right speech.

Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Social Action
One week from today: Refraining from False Speech

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Questions?
Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

Via Daily Dharma: Random Acts of Kindness

 We never really know what’s going on with anyone else, but we know what it’s like to be human. So in the face of suffering, what appropriate response is there but compassion?

Taylor Plimpton, “Lessons From a Mostly Good Dog: #3: Be Kind”


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