RELATED: As Aaron approached Babe Ruth's record late in the 1973 season, he had received so many death threats that the editor of the Atlanta Journal quietly had an obituary written.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
JMG Quote Of The Day - Hank Aaron
RELATED: As Aaron approached Babe Ruth's record late in the 1973 season, he had received so many death threats that the editor of the Atlanta Journal quietly had an obituary written.
Via JMG: Mississippi And Alabama Sex Education Programs Claim That Gay Sex Is Illegal
The New Republic reports:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
Mississippi’s sex-ed curriculum is not notable for its progressive nature. But one thing you can’t say about the Magnolia State is that it follows the advice of some conservative parents who want schools to totally ignore homosexuality. In fact, state law mandates that the subject be discussed, at least briefly: Students are to be told that homosexual activity is illegal. Mississippi, whose governor just signed a noxious anti-gay bill, is not the only state with such a clause in its sex ed curriculum. Neighboring Alabama requires that instructors teach that “homosexuality is not a lifestyle acceptable to the general public and that homosexual conduct is a criminal offense." In fact, the Supreme Court rendered all state laws against gay sex unenforceable in 2003, when it struck down an anti-sodomy law in Texas.(Tipped by JMG reader Jake)
Simplicity
| April 9, 2014
I dream of simplicity, but I'm as far
from it as ever. That is my practice, how to be in the world and remain
simple. One day perhaps I'll accept the fact that I am never going to
find the simple life. Maybe the first step toward simplicity will be to
accept that my life will never be simple even if I go live in a cave and
subsist on green nettles like Milarepa.
—Peter Matthiessen, "Emptying the Bell"
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Thich Nhat Hanh: On Homosexuality
Thich Nhat Hanh: On Homosexuality
Thich Nhat Hanh, the noted Zen monk, poet, teacher who is the inspiration behind Deer Park Monastery and the Plum Village tradition, shares these words about the Buddhadharma’s view of “homosexuality” in the latest book, ANSWERS FROM THE HEART.
excerpt from Thay’s new book Answers from the Heart
Q. What is the Buddhist view of homosexuality?
A.
The spirit of Buddhism is inclusiveness. Looking deeply into the nature
of a cloud, we see the cosmos. A flower is a flower, but if we look
deeply into it, we see the cosmos. Everything has a place. The base-the
foundation of everything-is the same. When you look at the ocean, you
see different kinds of waves, many sizes and shapes, but all the waves
have water as their foundation and substance. If you are born gay or
lesbian, your ground of being in the same as mine. We are different, but
we share the same ground of being. The Protestant theologian Paul Tillich
said that God is the ground of being. You should be yourself. If God
has created me as a rose, then I should accept myself as a rose. If you
are a lesbian, then be a lesbian. Looking deeply into your nature, you
will see yourself as you truly are. You will be able to touch the ground
of your being and find peace.
If
you’re a victim of discrimination, then your way to emancipation is not
simply by crying out against injustice. Injustice cannot be repaired by
recognition alone, but by your capacity to touch the ground of your
being. Discrimination, intolerance, and suppression stem from lack of
knowledge and lack of understanding. If you’re capable of touching the
ground of your being, you can be released from the suffering that has
been created in you through discrimination and oppression.
Someone
who discriminates against you, because of your race or the color of your
skin or your sexual orientation, is ignorant. He doesn’t know his own
ground of being. He doesn’t realize that we all share the same ground of
being; that is why he can discriminate against you.
Someone
who discriminates against others and causes them to suffer is someone
who is not happy with himself. Once you’ve touched the depth and the
nature of your ground of being, you’ll be equipped with the kind of
understanding that can give rise to compassion and tolerance, and you
will be capable of forgiving even those who discriminate against you.
Don’t believe that relief or justice will come through society alone.
True emancipation lies in your capacity to look deeply.
When you
suffer because of discrimination, there’s always an urge to speak out.
But even if you spend a thousand years speaking out, your suffering
won’t be relieved. Only through deep understanding and liberation from
ignorance can you be liberated from your suffering.
When you
break through to the truth, compassion springs up like a stream of
water. With that compassion, you can embrace even the people who have
persecuted you. When you’re motivated by desire to help those who are
victims of ignorance, only then are you free from your suffering and
feelings of violation. Don’t wait for things to change around you. You
have to practice liberating yourself. Then you will be equipped with the
power of compassion and understanding, the only kind of power that can
help transform an environment full of injustice and discrimination. You
have to become such a person-one who can embody tolerance,
understanding, and compassion. You transform yourself into an instrument
for social change and change in the collective consciousness of
mankind.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Answers from the Heart: Practical Responses To Life’s Burning Questions (Berkeley: Parallax Press, 2009), 119-122.
Via Sangha Virtual - Thich Nhat Hanh - Brasil
Qual é a visão budista sobre a homossexualidade?
Pergunta: Qual é a
visão budista sobre a homossexualidade?
Thich Nhat Hanh: O espírito do Budismo é a inclusividade.
Olhando profundamente a natureza de uma nuvem, vemos o cosmos. Uma flor é uma
flor, mas se olharmos profundamente para ela, veremos o cosmos. Tudo tem um
lugar. A base, o fundamento de tudo, é o mesmo. Quando você olha para o oceano,
você vê diferentes tipos de ondas, muitos tamanhos e formas, mas todas as ondas
têm a água como seu fundamento e substância.
Se você nasceu gay ou lésbica, o fundamento
do ser é o mesmo que o meu. Nós somos diferentes, mas compartilhamos o mesmo
fundamento do ser. O teólogo protestante Paul Tillich disse que Deus é o
fundamento do ser. Você deve ser você mesmo. Se Deus me criou como uma rosa,
então eu deveria me aceitar como uma rosa. Se você é lésbica, então, seja
lésbica. Olhando profundamente em sua natureza, você vai ver-se como você
realmente é. Você será capaz de tocar o solo do seu ser e encontrar a paz.
Alguém que discrimina contra vocês, por causa
de sua raça ou a cor de sua pele ou sua orientação sexual, é ignorante. Ele não
conhece o seu próprio fundamento do ser. Ele não percebe que todos partilham a
mesma base do ser, é por isso que ele pode discriminá-lo. Alguém que discrimina
os outros e faz com que eles sofram é alguém que não está feliz consigo mesmo.
Uma vez que você tocou a profundidade e a natureza do seu fundamento do ser,
você vai ser equipado com o tipo de entendimento que pode dar origem a
compaixão e tolerância, e você será capaz de perdoar até mesmo aqueles que o discriminam.
Não acredite que o alívio ou a justiça virá através de sociedade por si só.
Verdadeira emancipação reside na sua capacidade de olhar profundamente. Quando
você sofre por causa da discriminação, há sempre uma vontade de falar. Mas
mesmo se você passar mil anos falando, o seu sofrimento não será aliviado.
Somente através da compreensão profunda e libertação da ignorância você pode
ser libertado de seu sofrimento.
Às vezes, aqueles nos discriminam agem em nome de Deus, da verdade. Podemos pertencer
ao terceiro mundo, ou podemos pertencer a uma raça em particular, podemos
ser pessoas de cor, podemos ser gays ou lésbicas, e nós temos sido discriminados por milhares de anos. Então como nos libertar do
sofrimento de sermos vítimas de discriminação e opressão? No cristianismo, é dito
que Deus criou tudo, inclusive o homem, e não há uma distinção entre o criador
e a criatura. A criatura é algo criado por Deus. Quando eu olho para uma rosa, uma
tulipa, ou um crisântemo, eu sei, eu vejo, eu penso, que esta flor é uma
criação de Deus. Porque eu tenho praticado como um budista, eu sei que entre o
criador e a criatura, deve haver algum tipo de ligação, caso contrário, a criação não seria
possível. Assim, o crisântemo pode dizer que Deus é uma flor, e eu concordo,
porque deve haver o elemento "flor" em Deus, para que a flor possa se tornar
realidade. Assim, a flor tem o direito de dizer que Deus é uma flor.
A pessoa branca tem o direito de dizer que Deus é branco, e o negro também tem o
direito de dizer que Deus é negro. Na verdade, se você for para a África, vai
ver que a Virgem Maria é negra. Se você não fizer a estátua da Virgem Maria negra, não inspirará as pessoas. Porque
para os negros, "black is beautiful", de modo que uma pessoa negra
tem o direito de dizer que Deus é preto, e na verdade eu também acredito que Deus seja negro, mas Deus não
é só preto, Deus também é branco, Deus é também uma flor. Assim, quando uma
lésbica pensa em seu relacionamento com Deus, se ela pratica profundamente, ela
pode descobrir que Deus é também uma lésbica. Caso contrário, como você poderia
estar lá? Deus é uma lésbica e Deus é gay também.
Deus não é menos. Deus é lésbica, mas também gay, negro, branco, crisântemo. É porque você não
entende isso, que discrimina.
Quando você discriminar o negro ou o branco, ou a flor, ou a
lésbica, você discrimina contra Deus, que é a bondade fundamental em você. Você
cria o sofrimento ao seu redor, e você cria o sofrimento dentro de si mesmo, e
é a ilusão, a ignorância, que é a base de sua ação, a sua atitude de
discriminação.
Via Armário X: O Budismo e a homossexualidade
O Budismo e a homossexualidade
por Marco Antonio García
Nos
últimos anos o Budismo virou a religião da moda nos paises ocidentais.
São diversas revistas e livros falando sobre os benefícios da meditação,
yoga e outras praticas budistas. Mas o que o budismo pensa a cerca da homossexualidade? Como nós homossexuais
somos vistos por esta religião milenar? Estas e outras perguntas
fundamentais para se entender o budismo foram respondidas pela
Associação Brasil Soka Gakkai Internacional (http://www.bsgi.org.br/) e pela Lama Chagdud Khadro, diretora da Escola Nyingma do Budismo Vajrayana – Chagdud Gonpa (http://www.odsal-ling.org/), exclusivamente para o Armário X. Via Salon: “Anti-Christian religious bigotry” is apparently what conservatives are now calling LGBTQ rights
Topics:
Video,
lgbtq rights,
Gay Rights,
equal marriage,
Marriage equality,
Religion,
Christianity, Life News, News
NOM President Brian Brown (Credit: Wikipedia)
In
lamenting the demise of Arizona’s anti-LGBTQ discrimination bill and
recent victories to secure other basic protections for LGBTQ
individuals, National Organization for Marriage President Brian Brown
encouraged his fellow bigots to try to change the frame on these debates by accusing LGBTQ rights advocates of pushing “anti-Christian bigotry”:
But not every person of faith shares Brown’s bigoted paranoia.
Kansas state Rep. Louis Ruiz, a practicing Catholic, is the sponsor of a LGBTQ rights protection bill in his state. A month after his colleagues floated a proposal to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into state law, Ruiz introduced a counter measure, asking his colleagues, “What’s our message when we have these type of discriminatory bills that come out at either the federal or the state level? We’re defeating our own purpose as a country that wants to be inclusive. To me, this is a no-brainer.”
So, when [LGBTQ people and their allies] bring up discrimination, we need to turn it on its head and say, this is about anti-religious, specifically in some cases, anti-Christian religious bigotry, and there’s no place for this in this country. The discrimination is there, but right now what’s happening is the discrimination is coming from those that want to punish, repress and marginalize individuals and organizations that stand up for their religious beliefs.Referencing a New Mexico photographer who refused to shoot a gay couple’s commitment ceremony (the Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear her case, probably because of anti-Christian bigotry), Brown said, “Whether it’s being forced to photograph a ceremony that you don’t agree with, forced to create a same-sex marriage wedding cake that you don’t agree with, whatever it is, that’s a very different thing than saying this is somehow Jim Crow all over again. In fact, it’s the reverse.”
But not every person of faith shares Brown’s bigoted paranoia.
Kansas state Rep. Louis Ruiz, a practicing Catholic, is the sponsor of a LGBTQ rights protection bill in his state. A month after his colleagues floated a proposal to enshrine anti-LGBTQ discrimination into state law, Ruiz introduced a counter measure, asking his colleagues, “What’s our message when we have these type of discriminatory bills that come out at either the federal or the state level? We’re defeating our own purpose as a country that wants to be inclusive. To me, this is a no-brainer.”
Ruiz
said at the time that he believes his own faith is well protected, and
wants to see those protections extended to others: “If you look at the
bills that people are trying to pass that would permanently enshrine
open discrimination against gay and lesbian Kansans, can you think of a
better reason why we should introduce something [like this LGBTQ
anti-discrimination bill]?”
Katie McDonough is an assistant editor for Salon, focusing on lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@saloVia JMG: LBJ's Daughters: Our Father Would Likely Have Supported Same-Sex Marriage
Katie Couric interviewed Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Bird Johnson Robb, the daughters of late President Lyndon B. Johnson, and asked them about their father's civil rights legacy in the light of the current battle for same-sex marriage.
“I think my father felt very strongly that when there was bigotry anywhere, prejudice anywhere, all of us lose out,” Johnson said. “Because it's just one more expression of hate.” For her part, Robb said she didn’t know what her father would say, because same-sex marriage was not an issue when he was in public life. “It's hard to project what Daddy would have thought about that because that wasn't an issue that had come upon the stage at that time,” Robb said. “But I know he really wanted everybody to be able to live up to the best that God gave them.” Both Robb and Johnson said they personally believe gay marriage should be allowed. “I certainly think that, if God made you a homosexual, that you should have love and affection with somebody,” Robb said. “And I would not want to deny anybody that opportunity to be happy.”This week marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, which some historians consider to be the crowning achievement of the LBJ administration. Watch the interview below.
Via JMG: Anti-Gay Group Targets Mozilla
According to pro-gay advocates, it’s theoretically acceptable for companies like Mozilla to hire Christians as long as they are never permitted to assume leadership roles. The same people who claim to support equal treatment for everyone want to deny access to employment opportunities based on personal convictions – in effect a new “glass ceiling” for a faith-driven worldview. Faith Driven Consumer reached out to Mozilla to clarify what their policy is toward faith-driven employees, asking them to respond to three specific questions:Last last month as the controversy was at its peak, Mozilla posted a statement affirming its corporate support of marriage equality. That statement also addresses the questions posed today by Faith Driven Consumer.
1. Will faith-driven employees be discriminated against and forced into the closet for their personal views on marriage? 2. Is there a “pro gay marriage” litmus test for working at Mozilla? 3. Will the next CEO be required to openly express support for gay marriage as a condition for being hired? While we wait to hear back, let’s make sure they HEAR from YOU.
Mozilla’s mission is to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just. This is why BOTH Mozilla Corporation and Mozilla Foundation support equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally.Faith Driven Consumer doesn't need to "wait to hear back" from Mozilla as anybody with a computer can learn their position. But that doesn't fuel the outrage machine, does it? The hypocrisy of boycotting companies for supporting marriage equality and then making this kind of demand is truly mind-numbing.
We realize that not everyone in our community or who uses our products will agree with this. But we have always maintained that as long as you are willing to respect others, and come together for our larger mission, you are welcome. Mozilla’s community is made up of people who have very diverse personal beliefs working on a common cause, which is a free and open internet. That is a very rare and special thing.
Mozilla has always worked to be a welcoming community, committed to inclusiveness and equality for all people. One voice will not limit opportunity for anyone. That was true yesterday and will be true tomorrow.
Labels: boycotts, Brendan Eich, Christianists, Faith Driven Consumer, hypocrisy, Mozilla, religion, technology
Via Daily Dharma
All Politics are Local
| April 8, 2014
Why do I consider it so crucial to
balance the outer aspects of nonviolence and compassion with the inner
support of contemplative practice? Because in the end, all politics are
local, and we cannot love life and humanity if we do not love each
other, one on one.
—Lama Surya Das, "Why Sit?"
Monday, April 7, 2014
VIa UTNE: Free Your Mind: Practice Vipassana Meditation
After
years of heavy addiction, Chris Grosso found himself literally on his
knees, utterly lost and broken. Grasping for life, he needed to find a
new path, one that went beyond conventional religious or spiritual
doctrine—one free of bullshit. Indie Spiritualist
(Beyond Words Publishing, 2014) empowers readers to accept themselves
as they are, in all their humanity and imperfect perfection. In this
excerpt learn the basics of vipassana meditation, a simple relaxation
practice that can be done by anyone and in any setting.
While I personally practice many different types of meditation—never feeling like I have to stay within the confines of only one tradition—I typically respond with vipassana, as I’ve found it to be the most universally applicable form of meditation around. Any form of meditation that resonates with you—whether guided, mantra, movement, and so forth—will definitely be of benefit.
I adore meditation because there are countless ways to meditate, with no particular style being any better than another. It’s all about what resonates with you. You can find many free guided meditations online by searching Google or YouTube, as well as by visiting your local library. Most meditation practices are to spirituality what Bob Ross was to painting—very laid back and go with the flow. And while your practice may not provide you with happy little trees, it will over time create a greater sense of peace, clarity, and serenity in your life, and that’s sorta like happy little trees, right?
Through years of drug addiction, I did considerable damage to myself, resulting in heavy bouts of depression and anxiety. For years, I relied on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications to keep me in a somewhat balanced state, but after cultivating a dedicated meditation practice I eventually found myself at a place where, under doctor supervision, I was able to taper off the medication and no longer needed it.
Let me make it perfectly clear, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, and so forth. I recognize that they were very necessary in my life at that time, as I was very chemically off-balance. There is nothing unspiritual about taking prescribed medication when needed, because our own mental and emotional well-being must come first before we can truly help others.
Whether we are on medication or not, meditation practices will certainly help us to not only cultivate more calm in our lives, but also to handle things like stress, anxiety, and depression in gentler ways. For the benefit of those who are new to meditation, I’m providing these simple guided instructions for the practice of vipassana.
Vipassana Meditation
Besides being asked, “What’s an Indie Spiritualist?” the second most common question I’m typically asked is “What type of meditation do you practice?”While I personally practice many different types of meditation—never feeling like I have to stay within the confines of only one tradition—I typically respond with vipassana, as I’ve found it to be the most universally applicable form of meditation around. Any form of meditation that resonates with you—whether guided, mantra, movement, and so forth—will definitely be of benefit.
I adore meditation because there are countless ways to meditate, with no particular style being any better than another. It’s all about what resonates with you. You can find many free guided meditations online by searching Google or YouTube, as well as by visiting your local library. Most meditation practices are to spirituality what Bob Ross was to painting—very laid back and go with the flow. And while your practice may not provide you with happy little trees, it will over time create a greater sense of peace, clarity, and serenity in your life, and that’s sorta like happy little trees, right?
Through years of drug addiction, I did considerable damage to myself, resulting in heavy bouts of depression and anxiety. For years, I relied on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications to keep me in a somewhat balanced state, but after cultivating a dedicated meditation practice I eventually found myself at a place where, under doctor supervision, I was able to taper off the medication and no longer needed it.
Let me make it perfectly clear, however, that there is absolutely nothing wrong with taking prescribed medication for conditions like anxiety, depression, and so forth. I recognize that they were very necessary in my life at that time, as I was very chemically off-balance. There is nothing unspiritual about taking prescribed medication when needed, because our own mental and emotional well-being must come first before we can truly help others.
Whether we are on medication or not, meditation practices will certainly help us to not only cultivate more calm in our lives, but also to handle things like stress, anxiety, and depression in gentler ways. For the benefit of those who are new to meditation, I’m providing these simple guided instructions for the practice of vipassana.
Make the jump here to read the full blog
10 Crazy Christian Quotes You May Not Have Heard
We all hear of the uber-crazy stuff that high-profile fundamentalists
Christians say. Stupid Christian quotes are gleefully reported by the
liberal media, and rightly so. For those of us who are SANE Christians,
it’s a reminder of the reasons that non-believers think all Christians
are crazy. As a member of the Christian Left, I say “let’s expose these
kooks”! Here are some quotes by fundamentalist Christians that you may
not have heard. Y’all enjoy.
- “When the temptation to masturbate is strong, yell “Stop!” to those thoughts as loudly as you can in your mind. Then recite a portion of the Bible or sing a hymn.” –Mormon Guide to Self-Control
- “We don’t have to protect the environment, the Second Coming is at hand.” –James Watt, Secretary of the Interior during the Reagan years.
- “I called to buy some meth, but I threw it away.” —Rev. Ted Haggard, when details began to emerge about his visits to a male prostitute, in 2006.
- Our culture is superior. Our culture is superior because our religion is Christianity and that is the truth that makes men free. –Pat Buchanan
- “This Christmas I want you to do the most loving thing and I want you to buy each of your children an SKS rifle and 500 rounds of ammunition.” —A speaker at the 1995 convention of the U.S. Taxpayers Party. A few months later, Dobson endorsed their candidate for president, Howard Phillips.
- “Kids today are looking for something to die for… If you give them something to die for, they’ll go to the edge of the earth for you.” —James Dobson’s son Ryan, in 2005. His book, 2Die4 : The Dangerous Truth About Following Christ advocates “murderous war because our enemies are deadly.”
- “The right of holding slaves is clearly established in the Holy Scriptures, both by precept and example.” –R. Furman, Baptist, of South Carolina
- “Sex education classes in our public schools are promoting incest.” –Jimmy Swaggart
- “Nobody has the right to worship on this planet any other God than Jehovah. And therefore the state does not have the responsibility to defend anybody’s pseudo-right to worship an idol.” –Rev. Joseph Morecraft, Chalcedon Presbyterian Church, “Biblical Role of Civil Government” speech given 8/31/93 at Biblical Worldview and Christian Education Conference
- “When you know the LORD you have no need for masturbation.” –Brice Wellington
Via JMG: Sullivan Doubles-Down On Mozilla Flap
A civil rights movement without toleration is not a civil rights movement; it is a cultural campaign to expunge and destroy its opponents. A moral movement without mercy is not moral; it is, when push comes to shove, cruel. For a decade and half, we have fought the battle for equal dignity for gay people with sincerity, openness, toleration and reason. It appears increasingly as if we will have to fight and fight again to prevent this precious and highly successful legacy from being hijacked by a righteous, absolutely certain, and often hateful mob. We are better than this. And we must not give in to it.Sullivan says he's gotten hundreds of emails from readers who "overwhelmingly disagree" with him about the controversy.
Labels: activism, Andrew Sullivan, Brendan Eich, Firefox, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Mozilla, Proposition 8, technology
Via Tricycle
 |
|
|---|---|
|
April 7, 2014 | New at Tricycle: A Buddhist visits Burning Man; Karma Trinlay Rinpoche's online retreat on the six paramitas;
a look at the different kinds of debt (social, economic, spiritual); an
escape from the least livable city on Earth; an institute updates the
age-old tradition of the scholar-practitioner; and interviews with the
leading voices in contemporary Buddhism in our newest e-book, Conversations: Volume 1. |
|
 MAGAZINE: DHARMA ON THE PLAYA |
|
| Psychedelic experimentation, intimate connections, and all-night partying: all activities we normally associate with the annual art and music festival Burning Man. But when contributing editor Allan Badiner visited the playa—Burning Man's desert city—he found a community based on generosity, nonjudgment, and principles that reminded him of the eightfold path. | |
| | |
Via Daily Dharma
Pure Gold
| April 7, 2014
Free passion is radiation without a
radiator, a fluid, pervasive warmth that flows effortlessly. It is not
destructive because it is a balanced state of being and highly
intelligent. Self-consciousness inhibits this intelligent, balanced
state of being. By opening, by dropping our self-conscious grasping, we
see not only the surface of an object, but we see the whole way through.
We appreciate not in terms of sensational qualities alone, but we see
in terms of whole qualities, which are pure gold.
—Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, “Love Story”
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Via Daily Dharma:
The Only Place
| April 6, 2014
Just as we cannot live without water,
so are joy and peace essential for our inner fulfillment. We may not
even be aware that we are searching for something. It manifests only in
our restlessness as we move from here to there, trying out different
friends, different ideas, different jobs, different countries. Whatever
we attempt is a reflection of our inner thirst, which we hope to quench
in all these external ways. What we are looking for lies within us, and
if we gave out time and energy to an interior search, we would come
across it much faster, since that is the only place where it is to be
found.
—Ayya Khema, “Thirsting for Enlightenment”
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