It
is because of pain and suffering that we first want to practice. And
it’s because of pain and suffering that we attain enlightenment. Regard
suffering as a teacher, and an inspiration.
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Much
of the language around sexuality has to do with fire: 'in the heat of
passion'; 'a burning desire'; 'she has a new flame.' This is the fire of
creation. It’s not just my sacred energy I need to be in touch with and aware of, it is the fire of all creation from moment to moment to moment.
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Unfortunately,
we can easily confuse nonattachment with avoidance of attachment.
Avoidance of attachment, however, is not freedom from attachment. It’s
another form of clinging—clinging to the denial of your human attachment
needs, out of distrust that love is reliable.
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“I have three precious things
which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is
frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself
before others. Be gentle and you can be bold; be frugal and you can be
liberal; avoid putting yourself before others and you can become a
leader among men.”
When we question ego-mind directly, it is exposed for what it is: the absence of everything we believe it to be.
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It was June 27th, 1969.
Your
thoughts, your words, and your deeds all create karma. And so through
practice, you learn how to create better karma, and then everything
about your life changes.
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Buddha
is revealed through mountains, valleys, trees, and grasses, through a
multitude of phenomena. The heart that can be revered in whatever form
we see, in whatever direction we look, this is the true heart of
Buddhism, this is Buddha life.
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In what is being touted as a world-first, the province of Quebec has launched an official registry
to track acts of homophobia. With funding from the Quebec Justice
Department, the campaign is being administered by Montreal's gay
helpline, Gai Écoute. Gai Écoute’s anonymous and confidential Registre des actes homophobes will document complaints ranging from name-calling in schools to psychological harassment at work and physical assaults against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. The registry will not be used as a tool for a new homophobia police, McCutcheon said. “We will refer people (who fill out the registry’s forms) to existing resources, like youth protection officials, the human rights commission and the police,” he said. “We do not plan to intervene directly.” Based on the number and type of calls Gai Écoute gets, McCutcheon said he expects there might be hundreds of complaint-worthy cases for the registry. “We notice it especially in calls from outside of Montreal, in smaller communities. Sometimes it’s a student who got mocked at school or a teenager with parents threatening to throw the young person out."After two years, Gai Écoute will analyze its data and make recommendations to the provincial government. Quebec's anti-gay groups are, predictably, screaming.
Georges Buscemi, President of the Montreal-based pro-life and pro-family group Campagne Quebec Vie, told LifeSiteNews he saw the registry as a “means to instill a climate of oppression and fear to anyone who disagrees with any of the opinions of the homosexualist movement in Quebec.” “Anyone who might believe that a homosexual act is unacceptable at a moral level” is being sent a warning “that they will end up on a list,” he said. “A list to be used for a future purpose which in my opinion is to punish.” Buscemi gave examples of possible reprisals being the loss of charitable status for churches or teaching positions for professors. “It’s the beginning of a soft persecution,” he said. “It is really about inciting a climate of fear using the media, especially with the presence of the police. Any criticism will be interpreted as homophobia and eventually down the road there will be consequences.”
Fundamental
darkness, or ignorance, causes us to experience the cycles of birth and
death as suffering. When we call forth and base ourselves on the
magnificent enlightened life that exists within each of us without
exception, however, even the most fundamental, inescapable sufferings of
life and death need not be experienced as pain. Rather, they can be
transformed into a life embodying the virtues of eternity, joy, true
self, and purity.
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Instead
of focusing on some thoughts and feelings and pushing away others, just
look at them as feathers flying in the wind. The wind is your
awareness, your inborn openness and clarity.
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