Via Daily Dharma

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The Art of Begging | June 1, 2014

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Although we hold the bowl open for an offering, the practice of takuhatsu [begging] does not teach us to be dependent upon society, asking for something that is not earned, or pressuring a community for an entitlement to food or goods. Rather, it teaches us the fundamental lessons of the Buddha: to be dependent on everyone, to live our original homelessness, to include the homeless in thought and deed, to share everything, to accept what comes to us, to be generous, to be humble in society.

 

—Eido Frances Carney, “Zen and the Art of Begging”

 

Via Daily Dharma

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The Remedy Is Generosity | May 31, 2014

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Generosity trusts the emptiness that runs through things, even ungenerous or ungainly things—it links to the clarity that underlies all our madness. Whenever my thoughts turn toward greed, acquisitiveness, or stinginess, my shoulders tense up, and it feels as if I’m holding my breath. To find a remedy, I don’t have to improve my thoughts, though—just be generous with them.

 

—John Tarrant, “The Erotic Life of Emptiness”

 

2014 Rainbow Flag by Gilbert Baker

Via JMG: Alcohol Consumption By State

 

Via Policy Mic:

According to a new report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the hardest-drinking state turns out to be New Hampshire. The study calculated per capita consumption of ethanol from alcoholic beverages and found that the average New Hampshire resident consumed 4.65 gallons in 2012 — nearly twice the national average of 2.33 gallons. Among the New England states, Connecticut was the only one that didn't make the top 20 list for per capita alcohol consumption. Alaska, Louisiana, Florida, Delaware and Washington, D.C. are all big drinking regions, as are the Northern states, with the average resident consuming over 2.5 gallons of ethanol in alcohol per year. The NIAAA report also found that overall, per capita ethanol consumption increased by 2.2% — only seven states experienced a decrease.

(Tipped by JMG reader Win)

 

Labels: alcohol, maps, New Hampshire

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma

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Philosophy and Religion | May 30, 2014

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Separating philosophy from religion does not work well in the case of Buddhism. Trying to tease apart these two strands of the dispensation would have seemed a futile endeavor to most Buddhists over the long history of the tradition. We in the West need to get over this false dichotomy, which has no significance in speaking about Buddhism or other Asian religions. 

 

—Robert E. Buswell Jr. and Donald S. Lopez Jr., “Buddhism: Philosophy or Religion”

 

Rudolf Brazda, last of the Pink Triangles, tells his story

Ram Dass interviews Thicht Nhat Hanh

Breathing Meditation with Thich Nhat Hanh

We Live Love Mindfully

Via DailyKos: NOM And Oregon's Catholic Bishops: Same-Sex Parent Families Are Not "Genuine Families"

In response to the marriage equality ruling in Oregon, the Oregon Catholic Conference has issued this statement. It has been posted in full on NOM's blog, who say that the group "expressed their strong disapproval" over the decision. While NOM might interpret this to mean resolve and determination on the part of the Bishops, to me it means "it's time to point and laugh again".
But there's one part of the statement that I don't laugh at. The statement is a smear of not just marriage equality, and not just same-sex parents, but their children as well. In part, it reads:

The Oregon Catholic Conference will continue to uphold the true meaning of marriage and advocate for genuine marriages and families in Oregon[.]

None of us would be surprised at their statement that same-sex marriages are not genuine. But saying that families with gay parents are not genuine families shows how little shame they have. Their message to gay parents is that your efforts to raise children in a loving home with parents who love them is not genuine. The message to their children is that your parents aren't genuine parents, and that you don't live in a genuine family. Their message to both is that your families are lesser than other families, not deserving of our advocacy or legal protections to strengthen them.
To both NOM and the Catholic Church: If you're trying to protect children and their rights, you're doing it wrong.

Originally posted to Kossacks for Marriage Equality on Thu May 29, 2014 at 04:16 AM PDT.

Also republished by Koscadia and Street Prophets .

Via Daily Dharma

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The Buddhist Story | May 29, 2014

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We all walk out of the palace of youthful innocence at some point, and we actually see what’s going on. That’s the Buddhist story.

 

—Lewis Richmond, “Aging as a Spiritual Practice”

 

Via H Reality Check / FB:

 

Via JMG: Colombian President Endorses Marriage

"Marriage between homosexuals to me is perfectly acceptable and what’s more I am defending unions that exist between two people of the same sex with the rights and all of the same privileges that this union should receive. If these unions are called marriage or not is secondary to me. For me it is important that they have their rights. - Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, speaking with El Tiempo. Santos faces a runoff election to hold office next month. Elsewhere in South America, same-sex marriage is presently legal in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. 

Labels: Colombia, marriage equality, South America

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma

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Cow Meditation | May 28, 2014

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Far beyond 'self and
udder.' With nothing to
attain and nothing more
to prove at last one sits
peacefully serene. Sitting
quietly, the grass grows.  

 

 

—Edward Espe Brown, "The Vision Cow"

 

Via JMG: WaPo Marriage Map

The Washington Post has published an interactive marriage map.  Click on each state for recent developments.

Labels: maps, marriage equality, WaPo

Reposted from Joe Jervis

Via Daily Dharma

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Peace Will Arise | May 27, 2014

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Being a slave to our concerns is like being in debt to them. When we're in debt, we have no real freedom in our hearts. The more we pay off our debts, the more lighthearted we'll feel. In the same way, if we can let go of our various worries and cares, peace will arise in our hearts. 

—Ajaan Lee, “Sowing the Seeds of Freedom”

 

Via JMG: This Month From World Net Daily

 

About the cover story in this month's magazine from World Net Daily:

Newt Gingrich called it an “open, blatant example of the new fascism,” Charles Krauthammer called it “totalitarian,” Pat Buchanan labeled it “the new blacklist” and RedState headlined it as “a fascist purge.” And it wasn’t just conservatives sounding the alarm. Leftist comedian Bill Maher called the perpetrators the “gay mafia,” and even well-known “gay” media personalities condemned it, Andrew Sullivan saying it “disgusts me” and radio talker Tammy Bruce calling out the “gay gestapo.”

They were referring, of course, to the forced resignation of tech prodigy Brendan Eich as CEO of the company he co-founded, Mozilla, developer of the popular Firefox Web browser, all because he had donated $1,000 to California’s Proposition 8 upholding traditional marriage. Everyone knows the Eich story – and almost everyone, it seems, condemns it, as though it were a singularly egregious injustice in today’s America.

But, as revealed in the May issue of WND’s acclaimed monthly Whistleblower magazine, Brendan Eich, far from being a unique or especially shocking case, is just one of a growing multitude of Americans whose lives and livelihoods are being intentionally crushed by “THE NEW FASCISM.”

The issue includes articles by Pat Buchanan, Phyllis Schlafly, Linda Harvey, Scott Lively, and a cavalcade of other crackpots.

Labels: Christianists, crackpots, hate groups, Pat Buchanan, Phyllis Schlafly, religion, Scott Lively, theocracy, World Net Daily

Reposted from Joe Jervis

16 Million Americans Gain Freedom to Marry: May 23 MNW

Via Daily Dharma

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The Illusory Division | May 26, 2014

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When we eat, we are collapsing the illusory division between self and other. We are breaking down the boundaries between our bodies and the outside world. That’s also what we’re doing when we meditate.

—Nick Nauman, “An Interview with Nick Nauman”