Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 25, 2012

Genuine Discernment

The fundamental aim of Buddhist practice is not belief; it’s enlightenment, the awakening that takes place when illusion has been overcome. It may sound simple, but it’s probably the most difficult thing of all to achieve. It isn’t some kind of magical reward that someone can give you or that a strong belief will enable you to acquire. The true path to awakening is genuine discernment; it’s the very opposite of belief.

- Trinlay Tulku Rinpoche, “The Seeds of Life”

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 27th, 2012
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JMG Quote Of The Day - A.A. Gill

"Viewed from the pews, weddings are theater produced by straight amateurs using their own money. The resulting spectacle is what a dog show would be like if it were organized by the dogs. When gays remake weddings, the lighting will be the first thing to improve. Secondly, no one’s going to think that a fatless steak fryer is a suitable pres­ent, and the flowers won’t look ordered for a clown’s funeral. The music will also be classier; you won’t have to walk down the aisle to Meatloaf singing, 'I would do anything for love / But I won’t do that.'

"The history of queer culture shows us that gay men are the trailblazers. Where they go, heterosexual women follow, dragging reluctant straight men behind them, who in turn bring Texans. That’s how civilization and musical theater evolve. Not to mention catering. The cake has got to go. The original wedding cake was a biscuit broken over the bride’s head to represent what was about to happen to her hymen. But that’s vulgar. Today the happy couple jointly hold a very phallic knife and together force it through the virginal white icing into the soft, moist sweetness, and in America, for those who are slow at symbolism, they then push cake into each other’s face as a sort of cakealingus." - A.A. Gill, in a Vanity Fair piece titled Can Weddings Be Saved?  (Tipped by JMG reader Amanda)

 
Reposted from Joe

JMG HomoQuotable - Andrew Sullivan

"If Obama wins, to put it bluntly, he will become the Democrats’ Reagan. The narrative writes itself. He will emerge as an iconic figure who struggled through a recession and a terrorized world, reshaping the economy within it, passing universal health care, strafing the ranks of al -Qaeda, presiding over a civil-rights revolution, and then enjoying the fruits of the recovery. To be sure, the Obama recovery isn’t likely to have the same oomph as the one associated with Reagan—who benefited from a once-in-a-century cut of top income tax rates (from 70 percent to, at first, 50 percent, and then to 28 percent) as well as a huge jump in defense spending at a time when the national debt was much, much less of a burden.

"But Obama’s potential for Reagan status (maybe minus the airport-naming) is real. Yes, Bill Clinton won two terms and is a brilliant pol bar none, as he showed in Charlotte in the best speech of both conventions. But the crisis Obama faced on his first day—like the one Reagan faced—was far deeper than anything Clinton confronted, and the future upside therefore is much greater. And unlike Clinton’s constant triangulating improvisation, Obama has been playing a long, strategic game from the very start—a long game that will only truly pay off if he gets eight full years to see it through. That game is not only changing America. It may also bring his opposition, the GOP, back to the center, just as Reagan indelibly moved the Democrats away from the far left." - Andrew Sullivan, in the cover story of the latest issue of Newsweek.

Labels: Andrew Sullivan, Barack Obama, HomoQuotable, Newsweek

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 24, 2012

Fruitful Failure

My failure to accomplish or attain any of what I had hoped I would when I set out on the Buddhist path is, I think, the thing that has most enriched my practice.

- Andrew Cooper, "My Bad"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 26th, 2012
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Via Doonesbury:

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 22, 2012

Life is Dharma

Now we have the attitude of, 'Well, how does the dharma fit in with my life?' The dharma can't fit in with our life. The dharma is our life, and it's not about convenience.

- Natalie Goldberg, "Face-to-Face with Natalie Goldberg"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 24th, 2012
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Via JMG: Schlafly: Feminism Hurts The Olympics

"Feminist-imposed gender quotas hurt us at the Olympics in events which our Nation once dominated. The systematic elimination of certain men’s sports from colleges has weakened our competitiveness. We won only four medals in all of men’s wrestling, less than half the total won by Iran, and only a fraction of the medals won by Russia in this masculine sport. Wrestling is an immensely popular and valuable sport; it’s inexpensive and safer than other sports. Wrestling develops discipline in boys. Many high-achievers, such as Donald Rumsfeld and pro-life attorney Phill Kline, developed their toughness as wrestlers.  [snip]

"Other men’s sports have also been hurt by this feminist quota, such as swimming and track. Private swimming clubs and a few aging stars like Michael Phelps filled that gap this time, but we nearly struck out in men’s track in the marquee events of 100, 200, 400 and 800 meters, events the Americans historically dominated. While our Nation won the most medals for the fifth consecutive Summer Olympics, many of our medals were in contests of dubious value like beach volleyball. Title IX quotas have hurt our competitiveness in sports that are most helpful to the development of our young men." - Phyllis Schlafly, quoted on Right Wing Watch.

Labels: batshittery, crackpots, London Olympics, Phyllis Schlafly

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 21, 2012

The True Nature of Suffering

Shakyamuni Buddha taught that all suffering can be overcome by understanding its true nature. This is a profound and subtle process. It can take a while.

- Patricia Anderson, "Good Death"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 23rd, 2012
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Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	A blessing: the arising of Awakened Ones. A blessing: the teaching of true Dhamma. A blessing: the concord of the Sangha. The austerity of those in concord is a blessing. - Dhammapada, 14, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via Moveon.org:

Via AmericaBlog Gay:

A ghetto kid, doing what Romney did, would have been booked with assault

An excellent point, by Roger Simon, about Romney's hazing/assault of a gay kid in his youth.And there is another thing that troubles me even though some dismiss it as trivial. I am still bothered by Romney attacking that gay kid and cutting off his hair with a pair of scissors when they were in...

 

Read the whole entry »

Via Gay Marriage Oregon via QMO Magazine's FB photo.

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 20, 2012

Overcoming Harmful Habits

When you admit to yourself, 'I must make this change to be more happy'—not because the Buddha said so, but because your heart recognized a deep truth—you must devote all your energy to making the change. You need strong determination to overcome harmful habits.

- Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Getting Started"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 22nd, 2012
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Via JMG: Ginsburg: SCOTUS Will Hear DOMA

Yesterday Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a group of Colorado students that DOMA will likely be considered by the Court in the next term.

Ginsburg spoke at the University of Colorado in Boulder. She was asked a student-submitted question about the equal-protection clause and whether the nation’s high court would consider it applying to sexual orientation. Ginsburg said with a smile that she couldn’t answer the question. She said she could not talk about matters that would come to the court, and that the Defense of Marriage Act would probably be up soon. “I think it’s most likely that we will have that issue before the court toward the end of the current term,” she said.

So there it is. And no mention of Prop 8.

Labels: DOMA, LGBT rights, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Anniversary

Labels: DADT, LGBT History, military

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Obama On DADT Anniversary

Via press release from the White House:

A year ago today, we upheld the fundamental American values of fairness and equality by finally and formally repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Gay and lesbian Americans now no longer need to hide who they love in order to serve the country they love. It is a testament to the professionalism of our men and women in uniform that this change was implemented in an orderly manner, preserving unit cohesion, recruitment, retention and military effectiveness. As Commander in Chief, I've seen that our national security has been strengthened because we are no longer denied the skills and talents of those patriotic Americans who happen to be gay or lesbian. The ability of service members to be open and honest about their families and the people they love honors the integrity of the individuals who serve, strengthens the institutions they serve, and is one of the many reasons why our military remains the finest in the world.

Labels: Barack Obama, DADT, LGBT History, military

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 19, 2012

Sharing Happiness

Whatever realization may come by way of silence, our happiness is never won that way. Happiness is not happiness unless it is shared. For happiness is the one thing in all the world that comes to us only at the moment we give it, and is likewise increased by being given away.

- Clark Strand, "The Wisdom of Frogs"

Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection through September 21st, 2012
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Via The Christian Left / FB:

Via JMG: TORONTO: Blue Jays Order Three Day Suspension For "Maricon" Player

GLAAD reports:

Today, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that shortstop Yunel Escobar will work with GLAAD and the You Can Play project, after he was seen with an anti-gay slur written in Spanish on his eye-black over the weekend. The team also announced that Escobar will serve a three-day suspension. GLAAD has been in conversations throughout the day with the team and with Major League Baseball (MLB) about the incident. In announcing Escobar's suspension and intent to work with GLAAD and You Can Play, the team today stated "The Blue Jays want to reaffirm that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated. The club looks forward to supporting the efforts of You Can Play and GLAAD to help promote education for players and fans alike and to help keep language like this out of the game and society."

RELATED: The Toronto Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communication, the same company that last year fired Sportsnet host Damian Goddard, who then told the world that he was let go because of "a single tweet supporting one-man one-woman marriage." Rogers dismissed that claim as ridiculous, but has refused to discuss the real reason for the firing because "we do not discuss personnel issues with the press." Goddard, who is Catholic, has since become a martyr to and spokesman for Vatican front group NOM and has a case pending before the Canadian Human Rights Commission. He just posted the below tweet. UPDATE: Escobar may have been forcing into working with GLAAD, but he's clearly not quite apologizing. My pal Andres Duque just translated a press conference response. 

Labels: baseball, Canada, faggot, sports, Toronto

Reposted from Joe