Monday, July 21, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/21/14
"One
of the mind's numerous traps is guilt. People easily go from being the
victim, to feeling guilty and condemning themselves for being in a bad
situation. This is one way of keeping oneself stuck in a hole.
Self-responsibility is not blaming oneself; one instead recognizes what
exactly lures one into a hole or towards some negative situation.
Examples of these situations could be having financial difficulties,
problems in a relationship, dissatisfaction with one’s professional
life, or even an existential anguish."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
At Ease in Goodness | July 21, 2014
Moral resolve is like this. A noble
person does not do good because of willpower. She does it through a
combination of, on the one hand, modesty about self, and, on the other
hand, faith in a higher purpose, a higher meaning, in powers more potent
than self-will. Such a person is not moral through gritted teeth. She
is at ease in goodness.
—David Brazier, "Other-Power"
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/19/14
"As
difficult as the symptoms may be, this planetary transformation is a
change for the better. The sustainability crisis, the economic crisis,
the lack of water and food – all of this is happening precisely to
create space for a new vision to emerge, a new way of looking at life in
a way that includes spirituality. As long as we believe that nature is
spiritless, or something to be negotiated for like a product, nature
will show its limits. As long as the economy is based on a fear of
scarcity and money remains at the service of greed, it is natural that a
there will be a collapse in the system. Change comes to shine light on
these aspects of life."
Sri Prem Baba
Buddhism for Our Time | July 20, 2014
Since we find ourselves living at a
time when it is the individual and not the group that is privileged and
empowered, we should acknowledge that, like practitioners throughout
history, we orient our Buddhisms to the realities we’ve constructed
rather than the other way around.
—John Nelson, “Experimental Buddhism”
Friday, July 18, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/18/14
"We
can translate the journey of life as the transition from the false to
the real, from the sleeping state to the state of awakening. Once awake,
we stop projecting the contents of our minds or dreams onto the other
and we discover that separation is but an illusion. We find unity within
multiplicity. We finally discover the answer to the big question, ‘Who
am I?’ Then, all other questions disappear and our minds start to be at
peace. This happens because we begin to have a profound understanding of
the play of life, and this brings us contentment and satisfaction."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Inspiration from the Inside | July 18, 2014
Inspiration must come from within
ourselves. If we hope to get inspiration from the outside—as if it was
falling from the sky—this is wrong. It should be like water coming out
of a source. From where else could we receive it?
—Myongsong Sunim, “What Does Being a Buddhist Mean to You?”
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/17/14
"The
essence of codependency lies in one’s need for the other to suffer in
order for one to be happy. Codependency is when one needs the other to
feel inferior so one can feel superior, or for the other to feel
helpless so one can feel powerful."
Sri Prem Baba
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/16/14
“There
are moments along one’s journey when there is nothing to be done. One
must give in, because even though there is a desperate controlling
self inside of oneself, it cannot do anything at all. This moment comes
when one realizes the senselessness of trying to force things to happen
in a different way than life is providing. In other words, one
perceives the absurdity of trying to go against the flow of life. This
is not an easy passage because it requires a deep trust in divine
justice. One is being called to discover the wisdom of uncertainty, and
should begin to value the signs that appear along the way, even if they
seem unfair.”
Sri Prem Baba
Monday, July 14, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/14/14
“The
world is full of distractions that can completely overwhelm you. The
mind can easily be dragged down and fall into decay. This is the nature
of the world. It is your work to learn how to walk the fine line of
living in the world without getting lost in it. This is the path of the yogi,
the one who becomes Lord of himself. On this path, it is important that
you be able to rein in your mind in order to re-inform it. To this end,
I suggest practicing silence daily, even if it’s for short periods of
time.”
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
The Results of Practice | July 14, 2014
One becomes an ordinary person, but in
an extraordinary way. Your words are still there, your hang-ups may
still be there, you still have to deal with all your karmic baggage and
so on, but you see it in a totally different light. You’re at peace with
yourself, at peace with the world. Not in a complacent sense, but in
the sense that you can simply devote yourself to a life of compassion.
—L.F. Habito, “Other Fingers Pointing to the Moon”
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Via JMG: World Health Organization: ALL Gay Men Should Be On Anti-Retroviral Drugs
The World Health Organization has suggested for the first time that all men who have sex with men should take antiretroviral medicine, warning that HIV infection rates among gay men are exploding around the world. In guidelines published Friday, it said that it “strongly recommends men who have sex with men consider taking antiretroviral medicines as an additional method of preventing HIV infection.” Similar guidelines were issued by the U.S. in May.In May, the CDC expanded its own recommendations, saying that anybody at risk for HIV, not just gay men, should be taking Truvada.
JMG Editorial Of The Day
From the editorial board of the New York TImes:
President Obama should resist a pressure campaign by some religious groups to weaken a promised executive order that would prohibit federal contractors from discriminating against gay men, lesbians and transgender people in their hiring practices.(Tipped by JMG reader Win)
Emboldened by the Supreme Court’s addlebrained Hobby Lobby decision, several groups wrote to Mr. Obama on July 1 asking him to allow federal contractors to fire or refuse to hire workers based on their religious objections to a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
This is not a question of religious freedom. It is a question of whether to allow religion to be used as an excuse to discriminate in employment against a particular group of people. Many states already have laws protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers. There is no such federal law, so the presidential order (promised but not yet produced) would extend those rules to companies that receive federal contracts in states without those kinds of anti-bias laws, protecting millions more people.
Mr. Obama’s resolve is being tested. There is no good reason to give religious employers a special privilege to inflict undeserved pain by, for example, refusing to hire someone to work on a government-backed project just because she happens to be a lesbian, or firing a capable employee who marries someone of the same sex.
Labels: Barack Obama, Christianists, employment, executive orders, feds, Hobby Lobby, LGBT rights, New York Times, Obama administration, religion
Via JMG: Ian Thorpe On Coming Out
Via the Guardian:
On Sunday night on Australian television Thorpe faced Sir Michael Parkinson to overturn what he said had become the "big lie" in his life. "What happened was, I felt that the lie had become so big that I didn't want people to question my integrity and a little bit of ego comes into this," Thorpe said in a 90-minute interview on the Ten network. "I didn't want people to think that I had lied about everything." Now 31, the swimmer said the words he had been avoiding: "I'm not straight and this is only something that very recently – we're talking in the past two weeks – I've been comfortable telling the closest people around me." His mother was shocked; his friends less so. But everyone had embraced him and he was relieved. When the interview goes to air in Australia, he said, I can finally "breathe out".
(Via Towleroad)
Reposted from Joe Jervis
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