Bowing is just bowing. You do it mindfully, in a particular way, aware of the body and mind in the doing of it. The so-called meaning of it is extra. It’s not a symbolic or conceptual act. It’s just another form of sitting practice. You sit, you walk, the bell rings, you get up and bow. To just do what you do with full attention and without much worry is an important part of the method in Zen. |
The movement from ordinary states of self-concern to selfless giving always involves a gradual transformation of character, not a sudden leap. Like any form of strength, generosity needs to be intentionally cultivated over time, and everyone must begin in whatever state of mind they already happen to be. Understanding and accepting who you really are right now is as important as the commitment to become someone more open and generous. Whatever the quality of motivation, when we intentionally reach out to others in giving, some degree of transformation occurs. We become what we practice and do in daily life. |
Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum has posted their list of demands on Congressional candidates. I've gone thru the lengthy list and compiled a Top Ten. Unsurprisingly, much of their list is drenched in anti-gay hate, racism, and xenophobia.In the Samyutta Nikaya, the Buddha says, “This body is not mine or anyone else’s. It has arisen due to past causes and conditions.” The Buddha intuited some type of evolutionary process that creates our bodies, and his essential point is that they are neither formed nor owned by us. We now have evidence that our bodies arise from the forces and elements that make up the entire universe, through a complex chain of interdependent events. Internalizing this understanding can help liberate us from the powerful sense of ownership and attachment we have to the body, which is a cause of tremendous suffering, especially as the body grows old and we must face its inevitable destiny. |
We need to talk about a balance. Frankly, I think Asian monastics probably spend too much time sitting in meditation looking inward, and not enough time outdoors. They have to go out, as Shakyamuni did, and find out how people are living in society. But in the West, it’s the opposite problem. People spend all their time in the outer world. They’ve been successful in business, in their professional lives, but they have no relief from the stress of their lives. They need to sit down and settle the body and mind, instead of always running around feeling agitated inside. |
The more yellow an area is, the greater the opposition to same-sex marriage. The reverse is true for gray areas. Keep in mind that some of the huge areas that appear to be largely anti-gay are virtually unpopulated. The real story is told in the areas closest to Canada's southern border, where the three largest metropolitan regions are solidly on the side of the good guys. (Tipped by JMG reader Chris.)
The Washington Independent has published an analysis of NOM's 2010 financial reporting. While no names have been disclosed, NOM's funding comes from just a few persons. That fact has long been predicted here on this blog and elsewhere.In 2010, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), a tax-exempt nonprofit trying to thwart the legalization of same-sex marriage throughout the U.S., reported the highest individual donations it has received since its inception in 2007, according to NOM’s most recent income disclosures to the Internal Revenue Service, recently obtained by The American Independent. Per NOM’s numbers, just two individuals contributed more than $6 million to the organization’s political arm – accounting for about two-thirds of NOM’s 2010 revenue, while single donations below $5,000 covered only 8 percent of reported revenue.Two-thirds from two persons! And according to the linked report, 92% of NOM's 2010 money came from just 22 donations of $5000 or more. NOM, however, claims to be funded by 50,000 pious Christian households. SNORK!
Who wants to bet that a huge percentage of NOM's donations flow thru the bejeweled hands of "celibate" men in dresses?Garon challenged Romney, saying, “If two men get married, apparently a veteran’s spouse would not be entitled to any burial benefits or medical benefits or anything that the serviceman has devoted his time and effort to his country, and you just don’t support equality in terms of same-sex marriage?” Romney reiterated his support for the Defense of Marriage Act, and added, “And we apparently disagree.” “It’s good to know how you feel,” Garon said. “That you do not believe that everyone is entitled to their constitutional rights.”
“No, actually, I think at the time the Constitution was written it was pretty clear that marriage is between a man and a woman,” Romney replied. “And I don’t believe the Supreme Court has changed that.” With that, a Romney aide interrupted, saying, “Governor, we’ve got to get on with Fox News right now.” “Oh,” said Garon. “I guess the question was too hot.” “No, I gave you the answer,” Romney said.
Equality Matters asks the question we've been asking here for the last year. In November 2010, the Family Research Council (FRC) was added to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) list of anti-gay hate groups due to its “propagation of known falsehoods” about gays and lesbians. According to an Equality Matters analysis, FRC spokespersons – including Tony Perkins, Peter Sprigg, and Ken Blackwell – have been invited to appear on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News a total of 54 times in the twelve months since Perkins first appeared on MSNBC to discuss being labeled as a hate group. 24 of those appearances were on Fox News, 19 were on MSNBC, and 11 were on CNN:FRC head Tony Perkins alone constituted 32 of the above appearances. Check out the below Equality Matters recap of just a few of the many, many vicious anti-gay lies spewed by Tony Perkins.
RELATED: I'd also like to know why every single network ignores the scandal that sank Perkins' political career, namely his exposure as having paid KKK Grand Wizard David Duke a whopping $82,500 for access to his mailing list of racists. There's also this: "On May 17th, 2001, Perkins gave a speech to the Louisiana chapter of the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), a white supremacist group that has described black people as a 'retrograde species of humanity.'"
Newt Gingrich has signed the anti-gay pledge of Iowa hate group Family Leader. But unlike the other GOP candidates who have signed the vow to thwart civil rights for gay Americans, pundits are focusing on the pledge clause that commands "personal fidelity to my spouse."As President, I will vigorously enforce the Defense of Marriage Act, which was enacted under my leadership as Speaker of the House, and ensure compliance with its provisions, especially in the military. I will also aggressively defend the constitutionality of DOMA in federal and state courts. I will support sending a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the states for ratification. I will also oppose any judicial, bureaucratic, or legislative effort to define marriage in any manner other than as between one man and one woman. I will support all efforts to reform promptly any uneconomic or anti-marriage aspects of welfare and tax policy. I also pledge to uphold the institution of marriage through personal fidelity to my spouse and respect for the marital bonds of others.
Last July, several Tricycle editors interviewed Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Karmapa, head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. During the interview he spoke on his daily life in India, his work as a poet and an artist, how the role of Karmapa has evolved since the Chinese occupation of Tibet, spiritual bypassing, the role of social and environmental activism in Buddhism, and more. 
