Friday, June 27, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Back to the Fundamentals | June 26, 2014
People are looking for liberation from
their fears, worries, and anxieties; that is, for freedom from the bonds
of birth, old age, sickness, and death. Even in our times—where mankind
has developed this amazing modern civilization with scientific
wonders—people still continue to lead their lives trying to figure out
solutions to these fundamental matters.
—Harada Sekkei Roshi, "Zen Basics"
Flower of the Day: 06/27/14
“The
ABC of Spirituality work of healing the personality and purifying the
lower self is vital, but it is still not the most important phase in the
evolutionary process. The most important part begins when you make
progress in this initial phase of purification and are able to integrate
some imprints from the past. Only by progressing in your purification
can you honestly surrender yourself to the Supreme. At that point you
are no longer bargaining, giving only to receive. Instead, you are now
ready to place every molecule of your body at service of the divine
will.
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Leave Room for Mystery | June 27, 2014
Faith must ripen through uncertainty
and doubt. It must open us to something larger than our concepts, for
these arise from within the limits of the self. Faith must, in the end,
leave room for mystery.
—Andrew Cooper, “The Transcendent Imperative”
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Rice: LGBT rights among the most challenging global human rights issues
AP
Susan Rice
WASHINGTON — With anti-gay laws taking root in nearly 80 countries, White House National Security Adviser Susan Rice on Tuesday cast the protection of gays from global discrimination, abuse and even death as one of the most challenging international human rights issue facing the United States.
Rice told a White House forum of gay rights advocates that President Barack Obama has directed that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote the rights of LGBT men and women around the world.
She urged religious, human rights and HIV health care advocates to form a united front to halt global discrimination against the LGBT community.
“To achieve lasting global change, we need everyone’s shoulder at the wheel,” she said. “With more voices to enrich and amplify the message — the message that gay rights are straight-up human rights — we can open more minds.”
Make the jump here to read the full article
Via Daily Dharma
Make the Most of It | June 24, 2014
If you think of the number of people in
the world, what percentage of them really devote any substantial amount
of time to spiritual practice? What percentage of them are even
inclined to do so? And the fact that we are willing and interested in
this kind of an approach to life is very rare. And so we are encouraged
to make the most of it.
—Ken McLeod, "37 Practices of the Bodhisattva, Verse 1"
Flower of the Day: 06/24/14
“Our
planet is going through a 'dark night.' Some people are already able to
receive rays of light from the central sun, which is the divine self,
but others are going mad. Some people are killing themselves because
they are unable to bear coming in touch with their own shadow. They
don’t know that this experience is only a transition and a passage.
Spiritual knowledge is the blessing that allows one to make this
crossing with tranquility.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Ethics from the Heart | June 25, 2014
For the Zen Buddhist, an ethical
precept is a question to be held up to the light of circumstance, an
inquiry rather than an answer. And the nature of this inquiry is not so
much the dubious enterprise of trying to figure out the right thing to
do as it is an offering of an unaided heart. After all, it’s from this
heart of ours that the precepts themselves once arose. At the threshold
of choice, the Zen Buddhist trusts this ancient heart above all other
authority.
—Lin Jensen, "An Ear to the Ground"
Flower of the Day: 06/25/14
“Gratitude
is a powerful virtue of the soul. When one is able to materialize
gratitude through an expression of thanks, this gratitude becomes
medicine for the one receiving it. Oftentimes, the simple action of
giving thanks to someone is enough to take that person out of the pits.”
Sri Prem Baba
Monday, June 23, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
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Keep It Simple | June 23, 2014
Underneath all the drama, the restlessness, the hopes and fears, behind the narratives we weave about ourselves, and even before we’ve thought of ourselves as ourselves, lies a simple, unadorned awareness. It’s not even a thing—just an event that happens, a little burst of knowing, deep in the center of it all.
—Andrew Olendzki, “Keep It Simple”
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Flower of the Day: 06/23/14
"At some point in your journey, you will come face-to-face with your shadow. It is important for you to know that this is only one aspect of your personality, as your shadow is not who you truly are. You are not the lower self, it is only one part of yourself that needs to be understood and integrated. To do so, you must have steadiness and determination, but also a lot of compassion and patience, since these aspects of yourself are also there to teach you something. Everything is sacred: everything is part of the divine play."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Flower of the Day: 06/21/14
"Cultivating
silence, observing oneself, and being whole in action form the
foundation upon which the building of consciousness can be raised. If
you dedicate yourself to these practices, you will inevitably begin to
smell the fragrance of pure love. The seeds of silence will naturally
start to sprout, and love will begin to be revealed. Love is the nectar
of life. It opens the doors to peace and prosperity."
Sri Prem Baba
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Via Daily Dharma
Watch Fear | June 22, 2014
Fear demands to be felt, and it can be
felt most readily in the body, as a powerful sensation. The experience
may be uncomfortable, but as you watch fear manifest in the body, the
truth of the Buddha's words is revealed: It does arise because of
conditions. It is not a wall of emotion, but a constantly changing
process. And it finally ends. It has its say and departs.
—David Guy, “Trying to Speak: A Personal History of Stage Fright”
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