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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering

 

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RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering When people have met with suffering and become victims of suffering, they come to me and ask me about the noble truth of suffering. Being asked, I explain to them the noble truth of suffering. (MN 77) What is suffering? (MN 9) Separation from the pleasant is suffering. Whoever has what is wanted, liked—pleasant sight-objects, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, or mind-objects—or whoever encounters well-wishers, wishers of good, of comfort, of security, such as mother or father or brother or sister or younger kinsmen or friends or colleagues or blood-relations, and then is deprived of such concourse, intercourse, connection, or union. (MN 9)

Reflection One of the most obvious and common forms of suffering is the pain we feel when separated from something or someone we care deeply about and are thus attached to. In fact, the mental pain of loss that comes from caring is one thing, while the emotional pain of the loss grows in direct proportion to how much attachment there is. It is possible to care deeply about something or someone without being attached.  Daily Practice Practice with easy things first, and work up to more challenging ones. See if you can feel equanimity instead of misery when you must separate from something like a favorite mug that breaks. Then see if you can apply that same approach to more serious matters, such as the breakup of a relationship or the loss of a dearly beloved person. Remember: Pain is inevitable, but how much suffering it causes depends on the level of attachment. Tomorrow: Cultivating Lovingkindness One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Daily Dharma: Complexity Is Essential

 

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Complexity Is Essential If we can’t tolerate complexity, we could find ourselves living in a black-and-white world, holding to black-and-white views and opinions. That’s what gets us into trouble. Linda Modaro and Nelly Kaufer, “Reflective Meditation” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Painting the Buddha’s Eyes By Douglas Bullis An intimate account of Buddha image creation in Sri Lanka. Read more »

Via White Crane Institute // John RUFUS GIFFORD

 

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Ambassador Rufus Gifford and husband Dr. Stephen DeVincent

1974 -

John RUFUS GIFFORD, is an American politician, diplomat, and reality television personality, who currently serves as the chief of protocol of the United States. Between 2013 and 2017, he was the United States Ambassador to Denmark.

Gifford is the son of Charles K. Gifford, a banker who is the chairman emeritus of Bank of America. He grew up in Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts. He graduated from St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire in 1992 and he received his B.A. from Brown University in Rhode Island.

After college, Gifford moved to Hollywood and served as an assistant to producer John Davis. During his time there, he became the associate producer for Daddy Day Care, Life or Something Like It, and Dr. Dolittle 2, and appeared as an actor in the films Garfield: The Movie and The Hiding Place.

In 2012, Gifford was Finance Director for Barack Obama's presidential re-election campaign. Once re-elected, Obama nominated him to be the United States Ambassador to Denmark, a post he held until the end of Obama's presidency. After returning to the United States, he was a candidate for the House of Representatives in 2018, running in Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district. Gifford lost in the Democratic primary to Lori Trahan, who would go on to win the general election.

He was Deputy Campaign Manager for Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.

In August 2013, Gifford's nomination from President Obama to be the next United States Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark was confirmed by the United States Senate. He was sworn into the role on August 15, 2013, and presented his credentials to the Queen of Denmark on September 13, 2013.

In his capacity as the Ambassador, he helped modernize the transatlantic relationship through youth engagement and institution-building, among other bilateral and global issues. He outlined a diplomatic strategy that prioritized non-traditional audiences and people-to-people relationships. As part of a never-before-seen public diplomacy strategy, he was the subject of the documentary series I am the Ambassador. The documentary TV series about his life as an ambassador ran for two seasons, winning the Big Character award at the 2015 TV-Prisen award-show.

As Ambassador, he traveled to Greenland for bilateral meetings on climate change, promoted counter-extremism initiatives and Danish–American trade, and worked to maintain Danish military support in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2016, he accompanied U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx, several American mayors (including current U.S. Secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg), as well as Danish Transport Minister Hans Christian Schmidt on a bike ride around Copenhagen to showcase its success as a "cyclist-friendly city."

Gifford was an integral part of bringing the American art form of Long Form Improvisation to Denmark. In September 2016, he was in the opening show at the first improv theatre in Denmark, Improv Comedy Copenhagen, and said, "No matter what you are doing, you always have to allow time to laugh, smile and have fun. And creating that balance is incredibly important." Gifford served as an honorary board member of the American-Danish Business Council.

In January 2017, Gifford was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Dannebrog by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark for his "meritorious service to the Kingdom of Denmark."

Gifford is out gay, and commentators from GQ, Huffington Post, and L.A. Weekly referred to him as Barack Obama's informal "ambassador to the gay community." He married his husband, Dr. Stephen DeVincent, a veterinarian, in October 2015 in a ceremony at Copenhagen City Hall in Copenhagen, Denmark. They live in Concord, Massachusetts. In 2016, Gifford co-wrote a cookbook with his husband, called The Ambassador's Kitchen. He is a Federal Club Member of the Human Rights Campaign and a Partner in Conservation for the World Wildlife Fund.

Ambassador Gifford is currently the chief of protocol of the United States for the Biden administration.

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