Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 26, 2012

The Necessity of Love

There is no denying that consideration of others is worthwhile. There is no denying that our happiness is inextricably bound up with the happiness of others. There is no denying that if society suffers, we ourselves suffer. Nor is there any denying that the more our hearts and minds are afflicted with ill-will, the more miserable we become. Thus we can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received wisdom. But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.

- H.H. the Dalai Lama, "Consider Yourself a Tourist"

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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 25, 2012

Shedding Self-Protective Clinging

Too often Buddhist 'nonattachment' is misconstrued as 'non-loving.' The purpose of Buddhist practice is not to 'renounce' our families or community, but to shed habits of self-protective clinging that prevent us from loving them more unconditionally, powerfully, enjoyably.

- Lama John Makransky, "Family Practice"

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Via Happiness' / FB:

When the light is dim, it isn’t
easy to see the old spider webs in
the corners of the room. But
when the light is bright, you can
see them clearly and then be able

to take them down. When your
mind is bright, you’ll be able to
see your defilements clearly, too,
and clean them away.

- Ajahn Chah

Via JMG: Uganda May Vote On Anti-Gay Bill Today

Earlier this month we learned that Uganda's infamous "Kill The Gays" bill was being pushed to a vote as a "Christmas gift to Christians."  Alerts went out yesterday that the bill may be voted upon as soon as today.  This morning the BBC reported a claim the the death penalty has been been dropped from the legislation.

A committee of Ugandan MPs has endorsed the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill but dropped the death penalty provision, an MP has told the BBC. MP Medard Segona said "substantial amendments" had been made to the bill but said he was not allowed to reveal further details. Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga recently said the bill would be passed as a "Christmas gift" to its advocates. Homosexual acts are illegal in Uganda - this bill increases the penalties.
Foreign donors have threatened to cut aid if gay rights are not respected. The bill, tabled by MP David Bahati, proposes longer jail terms for homosexual acts, including a life sentence in certain circumstances. In its original form, those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" - defined as when one of the participants is a minor, HIV-positive, disabled or a "serial offender" - faced the death penalty. Such offences would now be punished with life imprisonment, it is understood.
The original bill also prohibited the "promotion" of gay rights and called for the punishment of anyone who "funds or sponsors homosexuality" or "abets homosexuality". Mr Bahati has previously said that the death penalty provision would be dropped but this has not been confirmed until now. Mr Segona, who is on the Legal and Parliamentary committee of Uganda's parliament, told the BBC: "I can confirm it has been dropped."

Box Turtle Bulletin blogger Jim Burroway is suspicious of these claims because Ugandan legislators have lied about that in the past.

WBS Television in Uganda late yesterday posted another report on YouTube featuring statements by members of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, which is charged with marking up the Anti-Homosexuality Bill with recommended changes. There are a few troubling aspects to the report. First, the reporter claims that the death penalty has been removed for “homosexuality acts with minors,” which sounds very suspiciously like several other previous reports, later proven to be false, that the death penalty had been removed. The last time we heard that line, we would quickly learn that the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, in fact, had not removed the death penalty from the bill, but instead had simply obfuscated the death penalty’s presence in the bill. A complete explanation can be found here.

All Out's petition campaign against the bill has over 160,000 signatures already.  Add your name.

Labels: Africa, gay death penalty, LGBT rights, Uganda

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: NBC Nixed Marriage Ad By Chelsea Clinton

Chelsea Clinton recorded a spot in support of Washington state's Referendum 74 but NBC News prevented its airing because she works for them as a journalist. Chris Geidner reports at Buzzfeed:

Clinton, a vocal proponent of marriage equality, cut the video for a group supporting the Washington state measure, as well as a second video for another group. But NBC, for which Clinton works as a "special correspondent" since last November, "scuttled" the campaign, sources familiar with the ads said.  In the weeks before the November elections — where voters in Maine, Maryland, Minnesota and Washington voted on measures relating to same-sex couples’ marriage rights — such prominent support would have been heavily sought. Clinton had supported efforts toward the legislative passage of marriage equality in New York, going so far as to attend and participate in a phone-banking effort in Manhattan before the legislature approved the bill in June 2011.

Labels: Chelsea Clinton, journalism, NBC, Washington state

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: UN Condemns Gay Death Penalty

Yesterday the United Nations approved a resolution that condemns the killing of LGBT persons either by governments or via "extrajudicial" means such as hate crimes. Via press release from the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission:

An international coalition of organizations dedicated to human rights celebrated yesterday’s historic vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pass resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The vote reversed the events of 2010 when the same body voted to strip the resolution of reference to "sexual orientation." The UNGA also expanded upon its commitment to the universality of human rights by including "gender identity" for the first time in the resolution’s history. The resolution, which is introduced biennially in the Third Committee, urges States to protect the right to life of all people, including by calling upon States to investigate killings based on discriminatory grounds. It was introduced by the Government of Sweden and co-sponsored by 34 states from around the world.

IGLHRC notes that the United Arab Emirates attempted to strip "sexual orientation" from the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, just as they did two years ago. (See the photo above for the vote tally on that amendment.) They add: "Another failed effort, led by the Holy See, would have stripped all specific references to groups at high risk for execution; however it was never formally introduced."

The governments of the United States, Brazil, and many others spoke in favor of the resolution. IGLHRC reports that Egypt "spoke frequently" in opposition. Japan broke its long silence on the issue with this declaration: "We cannot tolerate any killings of persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Our delegation voted against the proposed amendment to this paragraph because we think it is meaningful to mention such killings from the perspective of protecting the rights of LGBT people."

Read the full resolution here.

Labels: Brazil, death penalty, Egypt, gay death penalty, hate crimes, IGLHRC, Islam, Japan, religion, United Nations

Reposted from Joe

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 23, 2012

Spiritual Consumerism

Spiritual experience and goods can certainly reinforce a consuming mind, too, and it is no surprise to see this happening in a consumer culture. Marketers are successfully targeting spiritual consumers as a market niche and figuring out exactly what fulfills their self-centered yearnings. How many of these products are necessary for spiritual enlightenment? Probably not one.

- Stephanie Kaza, "Ego in the Shopping Cart"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 22, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Buddha encouraged us to think of the good things done for us by our parents, by our teachers, friends, whomever; and to do this intentionally, to cultivate it, rather than just letting it happen accidentally.

- Ajahn Sumedho, "The Gift of Gratitude"

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Marriage-equality push is eyed in 7 states

LGBT advocates who sense they have the momentum in the fight for marriage equality are considering new efforts to enact marriage equality in at least seven states, including Oregon, Illinois, Delaware and Hawaii, according to this article. Other priorities include expanding employment protections based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Anti-gay activists say it's wrong to assume the American electorate has changed its mind irreversibly on LGBT issues.  

Politico (Washington, D.C.) 

Via JMG: HomoQuotable - Nate Silver

"I've always felt like something of an outsider. I've always had friends, but I've always come from an outside point of view. I think that's important. If you grow up gay, or in a household that's agnostic, when most people are religious, then from the get-go, you are saying that there are things that the majority of society believes that I don't believe." - Nate Silver, telling Britain's Guardian that his "dorkiness" has helped him succeed.

Labels: 2012 elections, HomoQuotable, Nate Silver, nerds

Reposted from Joe

Via JMG: Rufus Wainwright & Hubby For The Gap

Advertising Age notes the new campaign from Gap:

A stylish film running online in the U.S. and on broadcast outside the States accompanies colorful print ads featuring some famous celebrity pairings, including actors Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, representing "True Love," musician Rufus Wainwright and artistic director Jorn Weisbrodt, who stand for "Married Love," while "Fatherly Love" figures rapper Nas and his famous blues musician pop, Olu Dara. The ads and film were shot by director/DP Peggy Sirota.

Labels: advertising, GAP, gay artists, Rufus Wainwright

Reposted from Joe

Love Wins In Washington State

Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:

	Daily Buddhist Wisdom
	Let me tell you about the middle path. Dressing in rough and dirty garments, letting your hair grow matted, abstaining from eating any meat or fish, does not cleanse the one who is deluded. Mortifying the flesh through excessive hardship does not lead to a triumph over the senses. All self-inflicted suffering is useless as long as the feeling of self is dominant. You should lose your involvement with yourself and then eat and drink naturally, according to the needs of your body. Attachment to your appetites--whether you deprive or indulge them--can lead to slavery, but satisfying the needs of daily life is not wrong. Indeed, to keep a body in good health is a duty, for otherwise the mind will not stay strong and clear. This is the middle path. - Discourse II More Buddhism Quotes >>

Via The Economist / FB:

Daily chart: Attitudes toward gay marriage are changing—and fast. Across most of the West, polls show a majority of public opinion in favour of equality for gays. That said, in 78 countries—mostly in the Muslim world, Africa and other developing states—gay sex is still a crime. Today’s chart maps gay marriage rights around the world http://econ.st/10fAJAY

My buddy Andrew C remided me, "Brasil is not presented accurately. Civil unions provide the same 110 rights as marriage and marriage is completely legal in 3 states if I am not mistaken. And the US is so behind on this...what an embarrassment."

Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Tricycle Daily Dharma November 19, 2012

The Force of Gratitude

Gratitude is a way of undercutting your ego—that is, it is a way of being Buddhist. It really goes back to interdependence and those basic Buddhist concepts. There is an awareness that we get now and then about what we owe to others, and Shinran feels that that should become the moving force of one’s life. Then the egoism kind of takes care of itself.

- Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom, "Beyond Religion"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 17, 2012

Complete Practice

When people talk about practicing the buddhadharma, I think they sometimes fail to realize that the buddhadharma is a comprehensive religious system. It doesn’t just mean sitting on your meditation cushion and focusing on your breath. Buddhism is a practice for your whole life.

- Charles Prebish, "Pursuing an American Buddhism"

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Tricycle Daily Dharma November 16, 2012

Our Fundamental Goodness

I’ve found that pointing people to their fundamental goodness will awaken it. It’s more skillful than pointing to the negative. We are so loyal to our suffering and to seeing ourselves as damaged that it’s very easy to use spiritual practice to reinforce our self-judgment. That doesn’t help people become liberated.

- Jack Kornfield, "The Wise Heart"

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Via JMG: Catholic Church Gave $2M

Catholic Church Gave $2M To Feed The Homeless Fund Hatred & Fuel Bigotry

NOM Exposed takes note:

Taking up where the Mormons left off in 2008, the Catholic Church – and its affiliate, the Knights of Columbus – have made considerable investments in the marriage fights in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington State and Maine this election cycle – spending nearly $2 million. In addition, a close ally of the Church and past co-conspirator, the National Organization for Marriage, spent more than $5.2 million this cycle. Final campaign figures for Maryland and Maine will be available by the end of the month.

Marriage equality opponents across the four states raised $11.3 million. The Catholic Church’s contributions make up 17 percent of that total figure. When you add in the contributions of Church ally NOM, the reality of the coordinated effort becomes clear: the Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and NOM are responsible for funding nearly 65 percent of all anti-equality efforts in Minnesota, Maryland, Washington State and Maine.

That's $11.3 million that didn't go to pay molestation settlements.  Time for some more parishes to declare bankruptcy!

Labels: 2012 elections, Catholic Church, hate groups, molestation, NOM, organized crime, religion, Vatican

Reposted from by Joe

VIa JMG: