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.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma February 4, 2013
What Meditation Tells Us
Meditation
practice helps us relinquish old, painful habits; it challenges our
assumptions about whether or not we deserve happiness. (We do, it tells
us emphatically.) It also ignites a very potent energy in us. With a
strong foundation in how to practice meditation, we can begin to live in
a way that enables us to respect ourselves, to be calm rather than
anxious, and to offer caring attention to others instead of being held
back by notions of separation.
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- Sharon Salzberg, “Sticking with It”
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma February 3, 2013
Developing Determination
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. But the payoff is
happiness—not just for today but for always.
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- Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, “Getting Started”
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Via JMG: Today In NOM Chutzpah
Jeremy Hooper writes: "Important reminder: March 26 is not only the first day of SCOTUS hearings and the day that NOM plans to march against us—it's also the one year anniversary of us all learning their stated intent to 'drive a wedge between gays and blacks' in order to 'provoke the gay base.' The coincidence sure makes those March on Washington parallels all the more ignoble, huh?"
RELATED: Join the Facebook March 4 Marriage page to keep up with all the developments coming next month.
Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma February 2, 2013
Illuminating Your Path
For
the dharma to become firsthand knowledge—to feel the ‘ouch’ of it—you
have to live intimately with it, hold it up to scrutiny, and let it hold
you up to scrutiny. In the end, the ball is always thrown back to you:
‘Be a lamp unto yourself,’ says the Buddha. In other words, you must
ultimately find the way on your own, by putting your ideas of the truth
to the test. Your questions light the way.
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- Larry Rosenberg, “The Right to Ask Questions”
Friday, February 1, 2013
Via JMG: NEW MEXICO: Marriage Bill Advances
By a 5-4 vote, yesterday the New Mexico House Public Affairs Committee narrowly approved a bill to place marriage equality to a public vote.
The bill would let voters decide the issue of same-sex marriage, but it also states churches would not be required to recognize the same-sex marriage bill. After hearing very different opinions and personal experiences, lawmakers decided along party lines to pass the bill, which moves it to the next committee. "We should not discriminate. The state should be doing everything possible to encourage people to enter into committed, long-term relationships, especially when there's children involved," Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, said. "What happens to those kids? Those kids were not created in that relationship," same-sex marriage opponent Jose Vasquez said. Egolf said he's been contacted by hundreds of people who thanked him for sponsoring the bill.The bill must pass out of another committee before moving to the full House. If approved by both state chambers and signed by the governor, marriage equality would appear on the November 2014 ballot. (Tipped by JMG reader Elise)
Labels: 2014 elections, marriage equality, New Mexico
Via JMG: Quote Of The Day: MP Helen Grant
"I am a God-fearing woman. My faith is very fundamental to everything I do and think. I am a member of the Church of England, a Christian, and my faith is very, very important to me. I think [same-sex marriage] is absolutely consistent with my beliefs. For me, as a Christian, I see it as about justice, equality, fairness, ending discrimination and opening up marriage to more people on the basis that marriage is a very special institution." - Conservative MP Helen Grant, speaking in advance of Tuesday's second reading of Britain's marriage equality bill.
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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Via Tricycle Daily Dharma:
Tricycle Daily Dharma February 1, 2013
The Simple Act of Attention
Empathy
naturally leads to compassionate action. But simple inattention kills
empathy, let alone compassion. So the first step in compassion is to
notice the other's need. It all begins with the simple act of attention.
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- Daniel Goleman, “I Feel Your Brain”
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Via JMG: Nielsen: Gays Shop & Spend More
Nielsen has come to the shocking conclusion that gay men go shopping a lot.
American same-sex partnered households have significant spending power. In fact, same-sex partnered households make 16 percent more shopping trips than the average U.S. household each year (173 average shopping trips vs. 149 average shopping trips for total U.S. households), according to a recent Nielsen report measuring the shopping habits of U.S. lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) households. The additional shopping trips translate into a marked difference in total spending on consumer packaged goods (CPG). Same-sex partnered households spend an average of $8,651 each year on CPG, compared with $6,898 for the average U.S. household. Within the LGBT community, male same-sex partnered households shop more frequently than female same-sex households (182 trips vs. 163 trips), raising male same-sex household annual CPG spending to $8,943—nearly 30 percent higher than the average U.S. household.But the below chart that compares where gay men and lesbians exceed the national purchasing average is more interesting, yes? The linked article doesn't make it clear, but one presumes the overall average for each of the below categories is 100. (Tipped by JMG reader Thomas)
Labels: LGBT culture, Nielsen, retail
Via Buddhism on Beliefnet:
Daily Buddhist Wisdom | |||
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