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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 18, 2012

Against the Stream

The unflinching light of mindful awareness reveals the extent to which we are tossed along in the stream of past conditioning and habit. The moment we decide to stop and look at what is going on (like a swimmer suddenly changing course to swim upstream instead of downstream), we find ourselves battered by powerful currents we had never even suspected—precisely because until that moment we were largely living at their command.

- Stephen Batchelor, "Foundations of Mindfulness"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 17, 2012

Taking Control of Our Karma

When we ask, 'Why did this happen to me?' it is because of our limited view. If we throw a stone up in the air and forget about it, when it falls down on our heads, we shouldn’t complain, although we usually do. We have this notion that what happens to us is somehow independent of our own actions. We can ask, 'why did this happen?' But the more important question is, 'what we are going to do about it?'

- Matthieu Ricard, "Karma Crossroads"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 16, 2012

Clear Compassion

One of the things that most nourishes true compassion is clarity—when we know what we are thinking and know what we are feeling. This clarity differentiates compassion from shallow martyrdom, when we are only thinking of others and we are never caring about ourselves.

- Sharon Salzberg, "A Quiver of the Heart"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 15, 2012

Enlivening the Ordinary

Through art, a painter can make the ordinary come alive. As Zen students, we try to bring this kind of relevance into each moment of our lives, into this one moment that contains all moments. In this way, we allow the ordinary to enliven us. Sometimes this is successful, sometimes not, but the work itself goes on. Persistence is one of the major virtues in both the artist and the unenlightened.

- Gary Thorp, "The Dust Beyond the Cushion"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 14, 2012

Happy Birthday, Pema Chödrön!

The ground of renunciation is realizing that we already have exactly what we need, that what we have already is good.

- Pema Chödrön, "Renunciation: Like a Raven in the Wind"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 12, 2012

Memento Mori

To acknowledge that you are dying is to recognize that you are alive.

- Dean Rolston, "Memento Mori: Notes on Buddhism and AIDS"

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Browse|Movies |Upload HARDBALL w. CHRIS MATTHEWS: Alan Chambers Could Not Pray Away His Gay (July 9, 2012)

Via JMG: POLL: 5% Of Canadians Are Gay

The usual caveats about such self-disclosure polls apply. Source.

Labels: Canada, polls, sexuality

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG:

60 House Democrats Fail To Sign On To Court Challenge To Overturn DOMA

Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

One third of House Democrats broke with their leaders today and kept their names off a brief urging a federal appeals court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act, which limits federal recognition of marriages to those between one man and one woman. The majority of Democrats joined House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's argument, which her office described in a news release as "the Democratic Members' brief," but the break among Democrats offers a glimpse at remaining divisions inside the party. Pelosi, joined by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and 130 other House Democrats, told the federal appeals court in California that they believe Karen Golinski should succeed in her lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of DOMA's federal definition of "marriage" and "spouse."

Does your rep appear above?

Labels: Democrats, DOMA, LGBT rights, U.S. House

Reposted from Joe

Via Gay Politics Report

• Barney Frank weds
   
• Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., married Jim Ready on Saturday in a ceremony attended by about 300 friends and family members, becoming the first married, openly gay member of Congress in U.S. history. Frank, who will leave Congress after this year, said he wanted to marry while he was still in office in order to set an example. “The kids that are going to see us, and feel strong enough to be able to come out and be who they are. That gives me more encouragement that I’m doing the right thing,” Frank said. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) 

Via AmericaBlogGay:

How would Sup Ct justice John Roberts rule on gay marriage?

Richard Socarides in the New Yorker: Some theorize that Roberts tried to depoliticize the Court with his health-care ruling in order to gain some credibility before even more conservative decisions to come, like overturning affirmative action. Anything is possible, but that is not likely to be the outcome in these gay-rights cases, where Justice Kennedy will probably not be with conservatives....

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma

Tricycle Daily Dharma July 10, 2012

Living a Life of Practice

We need to revive appreciation for the traditional model of a practitioner who lives a life of simplicity and humility, sincerity and endeavor, kindness and compassion. We must choose teachers with these qualities, cultivate these qualities in ourselves, and guide our students in developing them.

- Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron, "Shopping the Dharma"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 9, 2012

In It Together

Hang out with people who are capable of making a commitment to you and your life, and who require that you make a commitment to theirs. Hang out with people who care about you, with people who need you to develop and who say so. Make such a commitment and don’t break that bond until you and all beings are perfect.

- Reb Anderson, "In It Together"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 8, 2012

The Principles of Zazen

Cast aside all involvements and cease all affairs. Do not think good or bad. Do not administer pros and cons. Cease all the movements of the conscious mind, the gauging of all thoughts and views. Have no designs on becoming a buddha. Zazen has nothing whatever to do with sitting or lying down.

- Zen Master Dogen, "The Principles of Zazen"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 5, 2012

Cutting the Heads Off Our Ideas

Whether we’re looking inside our outside ourselves, we need to cut off the head of whatever we meet, and abandon the views and ideas we have about things, including our ideas about Buddhism and Buddhist teachings.

- Thich Nhat Hanh, "Simply Stop"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma July 4, 2012

Happy Interdependence Day

As we open and empty ourselves, we come to experience an interconnectedness, the realization that all things are joined and conditioned in an interdependent arising. Each experience and event contains all others.

- Jack Kornfield, "No Self or True Self?"

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Via JMG: State Department Launches Donation Campaign For International LGBT Rights

The U.S. State Department has launched an unprecedented donation campaign in support of international LGBT rights. Via press release:

The U.S. Department of State has launched a text donation campaign that allows Americans to donate to the mGive International Response Equality Fund. Donations will help to further programs and initiatives aimed at advancing human rights, fostering equality, advocacy, protection and dialogue to ensure human rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) persons around the world. To help, anyone can donate $10 by texting the word PRIDE to 80000.

The Global Equality Fund supports programs that advance the human rights of LBGT persons around the world. The Fund was launched by U.S Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Human Rights Day in December 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland, where she reaffirmed, “Human rights are gay rights and gay rights are human rights.” The Fund is supported by the U.S. government. While providing tangible assistance to LGBT civil society groups around the world, the Fund also serves to underscore the U.S. State Department’s commitment to ensuring LGBT people worldwide are able to exercise their human rights with dignity.

The new campaign is being heralded today on the official website of the State Department under the heading "Global Equality Fund." Learn more about the mGive campaign here.

Labels: cell phones, good work, Hillary Clinton, LGBT rights, State Department

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Anderson Cooper Officially Comes Out

Andrew Sullivan gets the much-coveted (if unsurprising) quote via an email from Cooper.

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud. I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don't think it's anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don't give that up by being a journalist. [snip] I love, and I am loved.

In my opinion, the ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts, and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with the people in my life. I appreciate your asking me to weigh in on this, and I would be happy for you to share my thoughts with your readers. I still consider myself a reserved person and I hope this doesn’t mean an end to a small amount of personal space. But I do think visibility is important, more important than preserving my reporter’s shield of privacy.

Cooper's full statement to Sullivan is several hundred words long. I encourage you to read the entire thing.Top image via Buzzfeed.

Labels: Anderson Cooper, Andrew Sullivan, CNN, coming out, journalism

Reposted from Joe