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Via GBF: The "Three Great Turnings" of the Wheel of the Dharma - Danadasa

In Part 1, Danadasa touches on Theravada perspectives, emphasizes the original teachings of the Buddha from the Pali canon, such as the concept of the "two darts": physical pain as inevitable (the first dart) and the additional suffering we create through our mental reactions (the second dart).

Part 2 explores how Mahayana Buddhism builds on early Buddhist teachings to emphasize interconnectedness and engagement with the world.  He contrasts embodied imagination—a tool for liberation—with fantasy, which is mere escapism. Through imagination, we can transform harmful narratives into those fostering peace and well-being.

Part 3 explores the Vajrayana tradition's emphasis on holistic self-acceptance and using all aspects of experience—including anger—as part of the spiritual path. He discusses the contrast between early Buddhism’s emphasis on self-liberation, Mahayana’s interconnectedness, and Vajrayana’s transformative approach that integrates even difficult emotions.

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Watch or listen on our website where you will find full descriptions and summaries: 

To Polarize is to Suffer (Part 1 of 3-part Series)

The Embodied Imagination: Doorways to Freedom (Part 2 of 3-part series)

Everything is Perfectly Imperfect (Part 3 of 3-part series)

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Enjoy 850+ free recorded dharma talks at https://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/

Via LGBTq Nation // Innovations: Life We asked AI to create LGBTQ+ turkeys for Thanksgiving. It did not disappoint.

 

ViA THEM // Omar Apollo on His “Really Erotic” Performance in Luca Guadagnino’s ‘Queer’

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and the First Jhāna

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RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Body A person goes to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty place and sits down. Having crossed the legs, one sets the body erect. One establishes the presence of mindfulness. (MN 10) One is aware: "Ardent, fully aware, mindful, I am content." (SN 47.10)   Mindful, one breathes in; mindful, one breathes out. . . . One is just aware, just mindful: "There is body." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection The path factor of right mindfulness will be explored by going carefully through the meditation instructions found in the classic text Satipatthāna Sutta, or Establishment of Mindfulness Discourse. The first thing we notice about it in this introductory section is how deliberate and intentional the practice is: one goes to a quiet place, sits down, and engages deliberately in the establishment of mindfulness. Daily Practice Mindfulness of the body begins with breathing. Take some time to sit quietly and just breathe in and out. Breathing mindfully simply means bringing full awareness to the various micro-sensations that accompany every in-breath and out-breath. As the refrain prompts us, see if you can attend to these sensations directly, without thinking about them and without clinging in any way by favoring or opposing any sensation.  RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the First Phase of Absorption (1st Jhāna) Having abandoned the five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and abides in the first phase of absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with joy and the pleasure born of seclusion. (MN 4) Reflection Since there are seven days in the week and eight path factors, we dedicate Sundays to practicing both kinds of meditation: mindfulness and concentration. Concentration practice involves focusing the mind on a single object, such as the breath, and returning attention to this focal point whenever it wanders off, which it will do often. All forms of meditation involve some level of concentration, so it is a good thing to practice. Daily Practice Formal concentration practice, involving absorption (Pali: jhāna) in four defined stages, requires more time and sustained effort than occasional practice generally allows and would benefit from careful instruction by a qualified teacher. You may begin on your own, however, simply by practicing to abandon the five hindrances, since jhāna practice only really begins when they temporarily cease to arise.  Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and Abiding in the Second Jhāna 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: Live Playfully

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Live Playfully Life can be like a play with no script. All the more reason to take pleasure in improvising your role, don’t you think? Shunmyo Masuno, “How to Let Things Go” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

The Buddhist Traveler in Chiang Mai By Brooke Schedneck A peek into the over three hundred temples in Thailand’s “Rose of the North.” Read more »

Via White Crane Institute -- WORLD AIDS DAY

 

Noteworthy

World AIDS Day

2024 -

WORLD AIDS DAY: dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people, with an estimated 38.6 million people living with HIV, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history. Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 3.1 million (between 2.8 and 3.6 million) lives in 2005 of which, more than half a million (570,000) were children.

The concept of a World AIDS Day originated at the 1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programs for AIDS Prevention. Since then, it has been taken up by governments, international organizations and charities around the world.

From its inception until 2004, UNAIDS spearheaded the World AIDS Day campaign, choosing annual themes in consultation with other global health organizations. In 2005 this responsibility was turned over to World AIDS Campaign (WAC), who chose Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise as the main theme for World AIDS Day observances through 2010, with more specific sub-taglines chosen annually. This theme is not specific to World AIDS Day, but is used year-round in WAC's efforts to highlight HIV/AIDS awareness within the context of other major global events including the G* Summit. World AIDS Campaign also conducts “in-country” campaigns throughout the world, like the Student Stop AIDS Campaign, an infection-awareness campaign targeting young people throughout the UK.

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation -- Words of Wisdom - December 1, 2024 💌

 

"I'm explicitly making my life a teaching, by expressing the lessons that I've learned through it so it can become a map for other people. Everybody's life could be like that, if they choose to make it so, choose to reflect what they've been through and to share it with others."

>> Want to dive deeper with Ram Dass? Click Here to Receive a Daily Wisdom Text from Ram Dass & Friends.