Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Meditation in Perspective | May 13, 2014
It's one thing to view meditation as a
serious religious discipline that can help overcome craving and
attachment. This approach is perfectly consistent with many Buddhist
teachings. But that is quite different from viewing meditation as the
be-all and end-all of Buddhism, and it is also different from seeing
meditation in utilitarian terms—as a means to bring about an experience,
such as kensho [experience of an enlightened state] or sotapatti ["stream entry"], that will instantly transform the whole of one's existence.
—Robert Sharf, “Losing Our Religion”
Monday, May 12, 2014
Via JMG: Wikipedia's Updated Marriage Map
Via Daily Dharma
Learning to Control Our Emotions | May 12, 2014
If we want to succeed in life and bring
about a more peaceful world, we must learn to control our emotions and
not to be affected by a moment of anger.
—Master Hsing Yun, "Don't Get Mad, Don't Get Even"
Sunday, May 11, 2014
JMG Tweet Of The Day: Dan Savage
Labels: Conchita Wurst, Dan Savage, Eurovision, football, gay athletes, LGBT History, Michael Sam, NFL, pop music, sports
Via JMG: Obama Congratulates Michael Sam
USA Today reports:
Reposted from Joe Jervis
President Obama is honoring Michael Sam, who on Saturday became the first openly gay player to be drafted by a pro football team after the St. Louis Rams picked him in the seventh round. "The President congratulates Michael Sam, the Rams and the NFL for taking an important step forward in our Nation's journey," said a White House statement. "From the playing field to the corporate boardroom, LGBT Americans prove everyday that you should be judged by what you do and not who you are," said the White House of Sam, an award-winning defense end who played at the University of Missouri.The Teabagistanis are not happy about this.
Via Daily Dharma
Keep a Carefree Heart | May 11, 2014
Just practice according to the methods taught by the Buddha and do not worry about being a success. The Heart Sutra
says, ‘there is no wisdom and no attainment.’ Although practice may be
trying, even physically painful, if your heart is carefree, nothing will
bother you.
—Master Sheng-Yen, “Being Natural”
Saturday, May 10, 2014
JMG HISTORY: First Same-Sex Couple Legally Marries In Southern State, Witnessed By Lawyer Who Brought Down Arkansas Ban
An Arkansas clerk issued the state's first gay marriage license on Saturday, breaking a barrier that voters put in place with a constitutional amendment 10 years ago. Carroll County Deputy Clerk Jane Osborn issued a license Saturday morning to Kristin Seaton, 27, and Jennifer Rambo, 26, of Fort Smith. They had slept in a Ford Focus after arriving in Eureka Springs at 2 a.m. Saturday and were the first of about 10 couples to line up outside of the courthouse before it opened. When the license was issued, Rambo said, "Thank God." Seaton and Rambo, who have been together four years, then held a marriage ceremony on the courthouse steps. A woman in a rainbow dress officiated.
Via Daily Dharma
The Rope of Mindfulness | May 10, 2014
It is mindfulness that places the mind
on the chosen object of meditation and returns the mind to that object
when it wanders. As a well-known meditation instruction says, ‘Tie the
wild elephant of the mind to the post of the meditation object with the
rope of mindfulness.’ Mindfulness prevents distraction.
—Robert E. Buswell Jr. and Donald S. Lopez Jr., “Which Mindfulness?”
Via AmericaBlog: Anti-gay (former) HGTV stars: “We love homosexuals, Muslims,” hate their “agenda”
The adorably-pastel-shirted Benham brothers, sons of anti-abortion
extremist Flip Benham, went on CNN to clarify that they truly love the
homosexual and the Muslim. What they hate, however, is the homosexual
and Muslim “agenda.”
The Benham boys, David and Jason, are smarting from the cancellation of their new home-flipping show on HGTV, after word leaked out of the Benham’s anti-gay, anti-abortion, and anti-Muslim activism, as first reported by RightWingWatch.
David Benham even compared the fight against gay marriage to the fight against Nazi Germany. (Don’t recall that one in the Bible.) And then invoked the Leviticus passage that calls for gays to be put to death.
As is always the case with these folks of late, they’re now claiming
that they’re the real victims. Because their victims stepped up and got
to them first.
The Benham’s line, which is typically self-deluded, is that 85% of America is Christian, so how come all these gays and Muslims and pro-choicers keep getting their way?
Um, because 85% of America isn’t YOUR kind of Christian. This is a common fallacy on the far-right. They think they speak for God, and all Christianity, without realizing that they’re relative newcomers to the whole Christian game, and that lots of faiths, Christian and otherwise, don’t share their hatred of gays and Muslims, and don’t get terribly involved in the whole abortion debate.
The Benhams also pulled the victim card out, because it’s a terrible thing for freedom when a minority gets in the way of you denying them their freedom. If this keeps up, everyone is going to want to be free.
Make the jump here to read the full article
The Benham boys, David and Jason, are smarting from the cancellation of their new home-flipping show on HGTV, after word leaked out of the Benham’s anti-gay, anti-abortion, and anti-Muslim activism, as first reported by RightWingWatch.
David Benham even compared the fight against gay marriage to the fight against Nazi Germany. (Don’t recall that one in the Bible.) And then invoked the Leviticus passage that calls for gays to be put to death.
The Benham boys, doing heterosexuality proud in their pastel shirts and perfectly-coiffed matching hairdos.
The Benham’s line, which is typically self-deluded, is that 85% of America is Christian, so how come all these gays and Muslims and pro-choicers keep getting their way?
Um, because 85% of America isn’t YOUR kind of Christian. This is a common fallacy on the far-right. They think they speak for God, and all Christianity, without realizing that they’re relative newcomers to the whole Christian game, and that lots of faiths, Christian and otherwise, don’t share their hatred of gays and Muslims, and don’t get terribly involved in the whole abortion debate.
The Benhams also pulled the victim card out, because it’s a terrible thing for freedom when a minority gets in the way of you denying them their freedom. If this keeps up, everyone is going to want to be free.
Make the jump here to read the full article
Friday, May 9, 2014
Via JMG: Two Years Ago Today
Two years ago today the playing field for marriage equality suddenly got a LOT better.
"At a certain point, I've just concluded that-- for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that-- I think same-sex couples should be able to get married. Now-- I have to tell you that part of my hesitation on this has also been I didn't want to nationalize the issue. There's a tendency when I weigh in to think suddenly it becomes political and it becomes polarized. And what you're seeing is, I think, states working through this issue-- in fits and starts, all across the country. Different communities are arriving at different conclusions, at different times. And I think that's a healthy process and a healthy debate. And I continue to believe that this is an issue that is gonna be worked out at the local level, because historically, this has not been a federal issue, what's recognized as a marriage." - President Barack Obama, two years ago today.
Via Daily Dharma
Intolerance Towards Suffering | May 9, 2014
The subtle suffering in our lives may
seem unimportant. But if we attend to the small ways that we suffer, we
create a context of greater ease, peace, and responsibility, which can
make it easier to deal with the bigger difficulties when they arise.
Being intolerant of suffering, in the Buddhist sense, does not mean that
we reject it or fight against it. It means that we stop and look at it,
not morbidly, but with faith in the possibility of living a joyful and
peaceful life.
—Gil Fronsdal, “Living Two Traditions”
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Via Daily Dharma:
The Seed of Aspiration | May 8, 2014
Experience is the seed of aspiration,
the deeply rooted commitment to know. That aspiration then drives one
into the difficult and transformative realm of spiritual pursuit, into
the realm of practice.
—Adam Frank, “In the Light of Truth”
Via The Dalai Lama Foundation / FB:
“Now
there are many, many people in the world, but relatively few with whom
we interact, and even fewer who cause us problems. So when you come
across such a chance for practicing patience and tolerance, you should
treat it with gratitude. It is rare. Just as having unexpectedly found a
treasure in your own house, you should be happy and grateful toward
your enemy for providing you that precious opportunity. Because if you
are ever to be successful in your practice of patience and tolerance,
which are critical factors in counteracting negative emotions, it is due
to your own efforts and also the opportunity provided by your enemy.”
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Via JMG: Dan Savage On HGTV's Move
Via Daily Dharma
Transcend Ordinary Perceptions | May 7, 2014
In painting, as in any art, we can
escape the prison of our minds and connect with what transcends ordinary
perceptions. And just as a body of water stays still while a wave-form
moves through it, consciousness remains stable despite the constant
motion and flow of our thoughts.
—Fredericka Foster, “Spotlight On: Fredericka Foster”
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