Revoked

Friday, December 25, 2015

Today's Daily Dharma: Baby Buddha

Baby Buddha

We must grow up, just like a newborn baby. The infant born today and the adult 25 years later is essentially the same person, isn't he? He is not someone else. Right now, our nature is the buddha nature. When fully enlightened, it will also be the buddha nature.

—Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, "As the Clouds Vanish"

Via Elephant Buddhadharma / FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 23/12/2015

“Uma famosa frase da bíblia diz: ‘A Verdade vos libertará’. E tenho constatado que isso é verdade. Por isso tenho dito que a honestidade é a mais urgente e necessária forma de amor que precisamos desenvolver neste momento da jornada evolutiva. Ela é a base, a fundação do templo da consciência. Se você não pode ser honesto, seu processo evolutivo é interrompido.”

“Una famosa frase de la biblia dice: "La Verdad os hará libres". Y he constatado que esto es verdad. Por eso vengo diciendo que la honestidad es la forma más urgente y necesaria de amor que precisamos desarrollar en este momentodel camino evolutivo. Es la base, los cimientosdel templo de la conciencia. Si no puedes ser honesto, tu proceso evolutivo es interrumpido.”

“A famous passage of the Bible (John 8:32) reads, ‘The truth will set you free.’ I have experienced that this really is true. Honesty is the most urgent and necessary form of love that we need to develop at this moment of our evolutionary journey. Honesty is the foundation of the temple of consciousness. If we cannot be honest, our evolutionary process is interrupted.”

Today's Daily Dharma: The Value of Intention

The Value of Intention

I regularly advise people to discover what their deepest intention is. What do they really want? What is the heart’s deepest wish? While some people have worthwhile intentions for their meditation, the practice can have greater value when it is clearly connected to what is most important to us.

—Gil Fronsdal, "Evaluate Your Meditation"

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 22/12/2015

“Através das práticas espirituais, estamos batendo na porta da Verdade. Mas é importante lembrar que a Verdade não pertence a uma determinada religião ou tradição espiritual específica - ela simplesmente é. Ela foi e sempre será a mesma. Aquilo que é verdadeiro não muda de acordo com as circunstâncias externas.”

“A través de las prácticas espirituales, estamos golpeando la puerta de la Verdad. Pero es importante recordar que la Verdad no pertenece a una determinada religión o tradición espiritual específica, simplemente es. Fue y siempre será la misma. Aquello que es verdadero no cambia según las circunstancias externas.”

“Through spiritual practices, we are knocking on Truth’s door. It is important to remember that the truth doesn’t pertain to any one particular religion or specific spiritual tradition. The truth simply is. The truth has always been and will always be the same. That which is true doesn’t change according to external circumstances.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Look Deeply at your Life

Look Deeply at Your Life

To practice the dharma is to look into the content of one’s life in a very deep way. To do this, one must be able to discern between one’s strengths and one’s shortcomings.

—Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa, "Intelligence & Investigation"

Via K-LOVE Morning Show / FB:

Via Towleroad: Tim Cook Takes ’60 Minutes’ Inside Apple and Talks About His Own Coming Out: WATCH

Last night 60 Minutes and Charlie Rose went inside Apple and spoke with CEO Tim Cook, Jony Ive, Angela Ahrendts, Eddie Cue, and other top officials about the company’s innovation, its secrecy, its design lab, the new ‘spaceship’ campus it is building in Cupertino, encryption, taxes, and host of other issues.

Rose also spoke with Cook about his decision to come out of the closet last year.
Said Cook:

“When you’re in a minority group it gives you a sense of empathy of what it’s like to be in the minority and you begin to look at things from different point of views, and I think it was a gift for me.”

Cook added:

“Honestly, I value my privacy. I’m a very private person. But it became increasingly clear to me that if I said something that it could help other people. And I’m glad, because I think that some kid somewhere, some kid in Alabama, I think if they just for a moment stop and say ‘if it didn’t limit him, it may not limit me.’ Or, this kid that’s getting bullied. Or worse, I’ve gotten notes from people contemplating suicide. And so if I could touch just one of those, it’s worth it. And I couldn’t look myself in the mirror without doing it.”

Watch Inside Apple, in two parts, below:

View More: 60 Minutes News|Live News|More News Videos

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" MUSIC VIDEO - Steve Grand

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 21/12/2015

“Em um sangha ou comunidade espiritual, é comum vermos buscadores tomados por um ‘ego espiritual’. Os mais adiantados quase não são vistos, e aqueles que precisam de atenção, estão realmente chamando atenção. Porém, você não deve se incomodar com isso, pois é o próprio ego que se incomoda com o ego do outro. Estando livre disso, você não liga para o que o outro está fazendo. Ele está na sua viagem, querendo sentir-se especial mas você não liga, pois sabe que é o que ele precisa viver; que é somente uma fase. Portanto, não se preocupe com o outro – trate de olhar para si mesmo.”

“En un sangha o comunidad espiritual, es común ver a los buscadores tomados por un "ego espiritual". Los más adelantados apenas son vistos, y aquellos que necesitan de atención, están realmente llamando la atención. Sin embargo, no debes incomodarte con esto, ya que es el propio ego el que se incomoda con el ego del otro. Estando libre de esto, no te enganchas con lo que el otro está haciendo. Él está en su viaje, queriendo sentirse especial pero no te molesta,porque sabes que es lo que precisa vivir; que solo es una fase. Por lo tanto, no te preocupes con el otro - trata de mirar hacia ti mismo.”

“In a sangha or spiritual community, it is common to find seekers taken over by the ‘spiritual ego.’ Truly advanced seekers are almost invisible, while those who yearn for attention really clamor for it. But please don’t be bothered by this, for it is the ego itself that is bothered by the ego in the other. If you are free of this, you won’t even pay attention to what the other is doing. That person may be in their own trip wanting to feel special, but you don’t get affected because you know this is what that person is needing to go through, that it's just a phase. In sum, don’t worry about the other, and take a good look at yourself.”

Today's Daily Dharma: Brave Uncertainty

Brave Uncertainty

Anxiety, heartbreak, and tenderness mark the in-between state. It's the kind of place we usually want to avoid. . . . When we are brave enough to stay in the middle, compassion arises spontaneously.

—Pema Chödrön, "The In-between State"

Via FB:

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 20/12/2015

“Você só fica satisfeito se o outro olha para você de determinada maneira. Então você tenta fazer com que ele olhe pra você sempre desse jeito, porque assim você se sente amado. Você força o outro a fazer do seu jeito para poder sentir-se feliz e amado. E se o outro não faz do jeito que você quer, você fica infeliz. Isso não é felicidade, muito menos amor. Se a sua felicidade depende do comportamento do outro, então você não é feliz. A verdadeira felicidade vem de dentro.”

“Solo quedas satisfecho si el otro te mira de determinada manera. Entonces intentas hacer que te mire siempre de esta manera, porque asíte sientes amado. Fuerzas al otro a hacerlo a tu manera para que puedas sentirte feliz y amado. Y si el otro no lo hace de la manera que quieres, te sientes infeliz. Esto no es felicidad, y mucho menos amor. Si tu felicidad depende delcomportamiento del otro, entonces no eres feliz. La verdadera felicidad viene de adentro.”

"We often feel satisfaction when the other looks at us, but only if it's done in a particular way. We eventually start subtly 'forcing' the other to always look at us in that way so we feel loved and happy. If the other does not concede, we become unhappy – but this isn't happiness at all, much less is it love. If our happiness depends on the other's behavior, then we are not really happy. True happiness comes from within."

Today's Daily Dharma: The Two Freedoms

The Two Freedoms

Whatever your difficulties—a devastated heart, financial loss, feeling assaulted by the conflicts around you, or a seemingly hopeless illness—you can always remember that you are free in every moment to set the compass of your heart to your highest intentions. In fact, the two things that you are always free to do—despite your circumstances—are to be present and to be willing to love.

—Jack Kornfield, "Set the Compass of Your Heart"

Today's Daily Dharma: A Useful Mind

A Useful Mind

Like an umbrella, a mind is only useful when it is open. The first step toward maintaining an open mind is to understand the nature of mind or self.

—Gerry Shishin Wick Sensei, "Zen in the Workplace"

End of a Surreal Year

Earthquakes, floods, landslides, political messiness... Three very dear women taken from us... two so suddenly that it left most of us gasping... And yet, I now have a permanent visa, we have a permanent home in a lovely city, and as the year ends, our son is about to present us with a grandchild.

I am even more confirmed that all of us are afraid, afraid for our lives, afraid for our fragile and corrupt crumbling environments and infrastructures, and the political and social institutions that seem to be incapable of resolving the problems that threaten to engulf us all. So many are afraid that we are loosing the gains that we worked so hard to achieve. I see that.

And yet...

And yet, I see so many people rising out of this morass... Most notably, my team in Nepal, they lost hundreds of friends, neighbors, family members and colleagues and yet are thriving... producing research, checking in every day or so... all of this when the political situation there is impossible. I see my students, colleagues and family members here in Brasil that despite the rancor, and hateful dialogue, hug you, reach out, open the door, say hello... I am grateful to my amigos in the States who check in and share their jokes and love. I am deeply grateful and honored to call you all friends, family, amigos!

What these trips and living abroad have shown us is how now more than ever, just how very fragile everything is, and yet at the same time, this fragility gives us the opportunity to see in people we meet, such grace, such talent, such strength, such light! I am absolutely sure that we are all one people. That we have so much, much, much more in common than what we perceive, as are our curious differences.

This year, more than ever, has shown us just how fragile things are, yet it is this light, that seems to shine in each one of us, that allows us to give our humanity a chance. It is the hundred little simple things we can all do to fight back, to not give into the darkness, that gives us our humanity... opening a door, picking up some liter, greeting your neighbors, showing up on time, giving a seat to someone else on the bus, saying hello and smiling to everyone...

This is one of the best forms of protest, and the best way I know that keeps the darkness at bay. Each small act can and will become a butterfly effect…

Daniel Orey, Ph.D.

Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais

Via Sri Prem Baba: Flor do dia - Flor del día - Flower of the day 17/12/2015

“É de grande valia ampliar a percepção para tomar consciência do que te isola do outro. Você perceberá que por trás da separação existe julgamento, comparação e uma série de crenças que fazem com que você se proteja e se mantenha isolado. Vá olhando para tudo isso, mas procure ir mais fundo: encontre o núcleo, a origem dessa crenças, pois isso é o que te impede de se unir – ao outro e ao seu próprio coração. Quando toca esse núcleo, você tem a chance de virar uma chave e de transformar completamente a sua vida.”

“Es de gran valor ampliar la percepción para tomar conciencia de lo que te aísladel otro. Te darás cuentade que por detrás de la separación existe juicio, comparación y una serie de creencias que hacen que te protejas y te mantengas aislado. Anda mirando todo esto, pero trata de ir más profundo: encuentra el núcleo, el origen de estas creencias, ya que esto es lo que te impide unirte, al otro y a tu propio corazón. Cuando tocas este núcleo, tienes la oportunidad de girar una llavey de transformar completamentetu vida.”

"It is of great value to expand our perception and become aware of what isolates us from the other. We may notice that behind the separation exists judgment, comparison and a series of beliefs that make us seek to protect ourselves and remain isolated. Continue to observe this, but try to go deeper: find the core, the origin of these beliefs, as this is what prevents us from uniting with each other and with our own hearts. When we tap into this core, we have a chance to turn the key and completely transform our lives."

Today's Daily Dharma: Teach by Example

Teach by Example

It is not by preaching or expounding the sutras (scriptures) that you fulfill the task of awakening others to self-realization; it is rather by the way you walk, the way you stand, the way you sit and the way you see things.

—Thich Nhat Hanh, "Walking: Meditation on the Move"

Via New Civil Rights: Senator Challenges Pope To Rein In Cardinal Who Keeps Calling US Ambassador A 'F****t'

Democratic Senator Dick Durbin engaged in some international diplomacy this week to defend a gay American U.S. Ambassador.

Even before stepping on Dominican Republic soil, James "Wally" Brewster has been the target of anti-gay and ugly attacks by a Dominican Catholic Cardinal. Since his appointment as U.S.

Ambassador to the Dominican Republic, Brewster, who married his husband the same day he was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden, has had to deal with homophobic attacks from the Catholic Church abroad.

Earlier this month, Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez (photo) said Ambassador Brewster should focus on homemaking, because he's married to a man.

"Let him focus on housework, since he's the wife to a man," López Rodríguez told reporters after conducting mass.

In 2013, after discussing Brewster's appointment with reporters, López Rodríguez claimed the U.S.Ambassador would attempt to establish marriage for same-sex couples in the Dominican Republic. He then mockingly said we've been "talking about faggots and lesbians."

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, has had enough.

On Tuesday he penned a letter to Pope Francis asking His Holiness to rein in his homophobic cardinal.

"Even before Ambassador Brewster’s arrival in Santo Domingo in 2013, Cardinal Rodriguez launched a personal attack against him with public statements quoted in the popular press," Sen. Durbin's letter reads.

The Cardinal used the hateful slur “faggot,” which he continues to use to this day. In a recent interview Cardinal Rodriguez again described the Ambassador as a “faggot” and falsely claimed the Ambassador was setting out to promote “faggotry” in the Dominican Republic. The Cardinal described the Ambassador as a “wife” who “should stick to housework.”

Calling Cardinal López Rodriguez's comments "intolerant," Durbin observes the Catholic Church’s "teachings on gay marriage are well known but the Church also teaches us to show tolerance for those with different sexual orientations."

"Since your selection as Pope, you have shared a message of compassion, tolerance, and love," the Illinois Democrat writes, then artfully reminds the Pope of his address before Congress when he told them of their "responsibility to 'defend and preserve the dignity'" of our "'fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good.'"

"I accept that challenge and I am calling on you to ask nothing less of the hierarchy of the Church," Durbin requested.

Image by PresidenciaRD via Flickr and a CC licenseHat tip: Washington Blade

Make the jump here to read the full article and much more