Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||||
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Today in buddhism | ||
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A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||||
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Today in buddhism | ||
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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