Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 14, 2013

A Moral Politics

Given that government, in theory at least, is our common will, representing us as a people, how do we define ourselves? Will we come to the aid of those among us struggling to get by or will we throw the needy back upon their own meager resources? Is the prevailing philosophy of governance one of mutual concern and collective help, or one of stark individualism in which everyone has to fend for themselves, or at best rely on charity? This is not so much a political question as a moral one, a question pertaining to the moral basis of our common life. Much depends on how we answer it.

- Bhikkhu Bodhi, "A Moral Politics"

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Via JMG: Sen. Chuck Schumer: Nations Should Wave The Rainbow Flag At Sochi Olympics

Sen. Chuck Schumer upset a lot anti-gay folks yesterday, judging by the comments at The Hill.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday said he opposed boycotting the Sochi Olympic Games despite new Russian anti-gay laws, instead urging nations to wave rainbow flags during the opening ceremonies to show support for gay rights. “That'd be pretty embarrassing for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” Schumer said on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.” “Let our athletes participate but still make a stand.”

Labels: Chuck Schumer, LGBT rights, Russia, Sochi Olympics

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: BRAZIL: Airborne Activists Harass Anti-Gay Commissioner Of Human Rights

Back in June, Brazilian Human Rights Commissioner Marco Feliciano, who is a virulently anti-gay pastor, supported a bill that would re-legalize "gay cure" therapy, which has been banned since 1999.  The bill passed its first hurdle in a House of Deputies committee, prompting protests in several major cities, but was withdrawn the following week by its sponsor when it became clear it would fail before the full House. A few days ago this happened on a domestic flight in Brazil:

Pastor Marco Feliciano claims he was harassed by gay activists on an aircraft, saying, "They want respect but do not give respect." Feliciano has published a report on his Twitter account of harassment suffered by him during a flight between Brasilia and São Paulo, on the morning of Friday, August 9. According to the congressman and others on the flight, some gay activists began to harass him with curses and with the song "Robocop Gay." Feliciano also said that passengers intervened and defended him, but with the size of the turmoil, the aircraft commander threatened to return to the capital.

(Tipped by JMG reader Robert)

Labels: activism, Brazil, ex-gay, religion

Reposted from Joe

Sick of Homosexuality, Religious Family Gets Lost at Sea

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 13, 2013

Cutting Out Attachments

The purpose of Buddhism is to cut down anger, hatred, and jealousy. The way you do it is very simple. If you cannot handle an attachment, then you completely cut out whatever helps the attachment grow.

- Gelek Rinpoche, "A Lama For All Seasons"

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 12, 2013

The Gate of Not-Okay

The only thing that can make us uncomfortable with being alone is not liking who we are. That’s what we do when we face the wall: we face who we are. Being okay with however that arises is the most compassion and the most honesty you can ever offer yourself—to just accept yourself as you are. Even if you don’t like it, that’s okay, because not-okay is always a practice gate. We can always include what we don’t like in ourselves. But letting go of worrying about having to become perfect: that’s a gift that we give to ourselves.

- Merle Kodo Boyd, "Okay As It Is, Okay As You Are"

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 11, 2013

Not Clinging to Pleasant States

We like pleasant meditative states. There's no problem with the pleasantness of them; it's part of our life experience. The problem is that we often devote our life energy to the getting, sustaining, accumulation, and repeating of these pleasant experiences. But, as we all know, these pleasant experiences don't last, so they don't really have the capacity to bring us happiness, to bring us completion, to bring us fulfillment. We're always seeking more—that's samsara, the endless wheel of becoming, fueled by wanting.

- Joseph Goldstein, “One Dharma”

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Via FB: 76 Nations

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma August 10, 2013

Regarding Doubt

We feel that if we have doubts, it means that we are denying the teachings and that we should really have unquestioning faith. Now in certain religions, unquestioning faith is considered a desirable quality. But in the Buddha-dharma, this is not necessarily so. Referring to the dharma, the Buddha said, 'ehi passiko,' which means 'come and see,' or 'come and investigate,' not 'come and believe.'

- Ani Tenzin Palmo, “Necessary Doubt”

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Via JMG: Feds Announce Social Security Benefits For Spouses In Same-Sex Marriages

 

Via press release from the office of Carolyn W. Colvin, Acting Commissioner of Social Security.

I am pleased to announce that Social Security is now processing some retirement spouse claims for same-sex couples and paying benefits where they are due. The recent Supreme Court decision on Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act, made just over a month ago, helps to ensure that all Americans are treated fairly and equally, with the dignity and respect they deserve. We continue to work closely with the Department of Justice. In the coming weeks and months, we will develop and implement additional policy and processing instructions. We appreciate the public’s patience as we work through the legal issues to ensure that our policy is legally sound and clear. I encourage individuals who believe they may be eligible for Social Security benefits to apply now, to protect against the loss of any potential benefits. We will process claims as soon as additional instructions become finalized.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

The Social Security Administration is limiting payment of claims for same-sex married couples currently to those couples who were married in a state the allows same-sex couples to marry and are “domiciled,” or live, in a state that recognizes same-sex couples’ marriages.
The decision means claims from same-sex couples married where such couples can legally marry but who live in a state that does not recognize such marriages are having their applications put on hold for the time being.
As of Friday, a new section for “Windsor Same-Sex Marriage Claims” — named after the Supreme Court case of United States v. Windsor, which resulted in a part of the Defense of Marriage Act being struck down — was added to the Social Security Administration’s Program Operations Manual System (POMS), which the agency describes as the primary source of information used by Social Security employees to process claims for Social Security benefits.
The claims processing instructions “allow for payment of claims” when the claimant “was married in a state that permits same-sex marriage” and “is domiciled at the time of application, or while the claim is pending a final determination, in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage.”

Labels: DOMA, feds, LGBT rights, Social Security

posted by Joe