Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Intoxication

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Intoxication Intoxication is unhealthy. Refraining from intoxication is healthy. (MN 9) What are the imperfections that defile the mind? Negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind. Knowing that negligence is an imperfection that defiles the mind, a person abandons it. (MN 7) One practices thus: “Others may become negligent by intoxication, but I will abstain from the negligence of intoxication." (MN 8) One of the dangers attached to addiction to intoxicants is indecent exposure of one's person. (DN 31)

Reflection The arguments put forward in the early Buddhist texts against intoxication were mostly practical ones. In this case there is the recognition that when you lose control of yourself through some form of intoxication, the chances increase that you will do something foolish or embarrassing that you will regret later. Better to undertake the commitment to abstain from the kind of negligence that leads to such behaviors. Daily Practice See if, through introspection, you can discern the point at which intoxication begins to show up in your experience. If you are a drinker, investigate the moment between the first and second swig, or the first and second glass, or whatever point you can notice when the mind begins to get a little sluggish. If you don’t drink, try the same experiment with some other form of intoxication. There are many to choose from. Tomorrow: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via White Crane Institute // ARNOLD "ARNIE" ROTH

 

	Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989
This Day in Gay History
April 11

Noteworthy 1982 - ARNOLD "ARNIE" ROTH is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer J. M. DeMatteis and artist Mike Zeck and first appeared in Captain America #268, published in April 1982. Arnie is a childhood friend of Steve Rogers, the civilian identity of the costumed superhero Captain America. Decades later, the pair are reacquainted after Arnie is targeted by Captain America's adversaries Helmut Zemo and the Red Skull. Later in his life, Arnie would assist with the "Captain America Hotline" created to field tips pertaining to national security before dying of bone cancer .Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Jim Shooter instituted a "No Gays in the Marvel Universe" policy in the 1980s, in response to public backlash against a scene in The Hulk #23 (1980) in which Bruce Banner is accosted and threatened with rape by two men at a YMCA. LGBT expressions in comic books were also restricted by the Comics Code Authority, a system of comic book content regulation. Consequently, the sexual orientation of LGBT characters in comics published by Marvel could for many years only be communicated through subtext, as in the case of Northstar in Alpha Flight, and Mystique and Destiny in Uncanny X-Men. Arnie was the first openly gay character to appear in a mainstream superhero comic. The character was conceived by DeMatteis as part of his effort to develop Captain America's supporting cast and explore how the character "had surrounded himself with people who represented American diversity", though as a result of editorial dictates at Marvel and the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, DeMatteis was forced to communicate Arnie's sexuality exclusively through imagery and subtext. Though the tragic bent of stories featuring the character has been the subject of criticism, he has been praised as a positive media representation of gay men in the context of a 1980s media landscape characterized by homophobia and backlash against gay men amid the HIV/AIDS crisis. Arnie Roth made his first appearance in Captain America #268 (April 1982) as an unnamed pedestrian who happens to see Steve Rogers on a date with Bernie Rosenthal. He is formally introduced in Captain America #270 (June 1982), where he is retroactively established as Steve's childhood friend. Arnie departed Captain America in issue #306 (June 1985) and would not return until Captain America #428 (June 1994), written by Mark Gruenwald and drawn by Dave Hoover. The character would continue to make appearances in the comic until his death in Captain America #443 (September 1995). Stuart Vandal of The Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe speculated that the character's death was likely a consequence of Marvel's floating timeline, and the reality that it was increasingly implausible for a character born in the 1920s to be alive in stories set in the modern era. Arnie has appeared occasionally in flashbacks to Steve's past. In 2012, he appeared in Captain America volume 7, issue 3 written by Rick Remender and penciled by John Romita Jr., and in 2024 appeared in Avengers Academy: Marvel Voices #21 written by Anthony Oliveira and penciled by Carola Borelli. Easton notes that the relationship between Arnie and Steve "reverses stereotypes while reinforcing those of hegemonic masculinity", noting that while as children Arnie takes the traditionally masculine role as Steve's protector, as adults it is the "soft, less fit, and more vulnerable" Arnie who must be protected by Captain America. Tabak similarly notes how this role reversal and Arnie's awareness of Captain America's secret identity repurposes "imagery and language of the closet and of coming out [...] towards a superhero's own 'closeted' identity", noting how "invoking that similarity between the superhero experience and that of gay men in America serves to enrich the bond between Arnie and Steve".

|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8| Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute "With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989! www.whitecraneinstitute.org |8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|