Monday, July 28, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/28/14
"We
waste a great part of our journey looking for someone to blame for our
unhappiness, and believing that we are not good or worthy enough to be
happy. This addiction to accusing others is so deeply rooted and can be
so subtle that, when you least expect it, you find yourself accusing the
other and believing that you are a helpless victim. But when you can
transform this victim within you and free yourself from the lenses that
distort your perception, you experience a major change in perspective:
you stop seeing the glass half empty and start seeing it as half full."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
Heart of Mine | July 28, 2014
Men ask the way to Cold Mountain
Cold Mountain: there’s no through trail.
In summer, ice doesn’t melt
The rising sun blurs in swirling fog.
How did I make it?
My heart’s not the same as yours.
If your heart was like mine
You’d get it and be right here.
Cold Mountain: there’s no through trail.
In summer, ice doesn’t melt
The rising sun blurs in swirling fog.
How did I make it?
My heart’s not the same as yours.
If your heart was like mine
You’d get it and be right here.
—Han-Shan and Gary Snyder, "Parting Words Summer 2014"
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Via Daily Dharma
Clear Insight | July 27, 2014
A clear insight into the nature of physical forms and mental events will release you from all suffering and stress.
—Upasika Kee Nanayon, "Tough Teachings to Ease the Mind"
Flower of the Day: 07/27/14
~ Worldwide current of Prabhu Ap Jago for peace in the Middle East ~
PRABHU AP JAGO, PARAMATMA JAGO, MERE SARVE JAGO, SARVATRA JAGO
“This mantra in itself only has an effect on the body, mind and spirit. But if one is aware of the meaning of the words and sings them with awareness, then this song is transformed into a prayer. It becomes a prayer from God to God. The meaning of this mantra is: ‘God awaken, God awaken in me, God awaken everywhere.’ But we can understand its meaning in other ways as well. Since we know that God is love, we are also saying: ‘May love awaken, may love awaken everywhere’, or still, ‘Open my heart, and with my heart open, I ask you to open the hearts of my brothers and sisters.”
PRABHU AP JAGO, PARAMATMA JAGO, MERE SARVE JAGO, SARVATRA JAGO
“This mantra in itself only has an effect on the body, mind and spirit. But if one is aware of the meaning of the words and sings them with awareness, then this song is transformed into a prayer. It becomes a prayer from God to God. The meaning of this mantra is: ‘God awaken, God awaken in me, God awaken everywhere.’ But we can understand its meaning in other ways as well. Since we know that God is love, we are also saying: ‘May love awaken, may love awaken everywhere’, or still, ‘Open my heart, and with my heart open, I ask you to open the hearts of my brothers and sisters.”
Sri Prem Baba
Friday, July 25, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/25/14
"Trust
and freedom are intimately related to vulnerability. Human beings fear
being vulnerable, which is why trust and freedom are rare phenomena. A
leaf doesn’t know where the wind is blowing, but that doesn't stop it
from going with the wind. If you are a leaf full of expectations, always
trying to control the wind's direction, your life will become full of
challenges. This controlling self is fear itself trying to make things
go the way it imagines they should be. But this approach always ends up
creating separation, destruction and suffering."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma
A Place for Desire | July 25, 2014
The ultimate aim of my own Buddhist
practice is an indestructibly confident and happy state of life through
which I can help suffering people. Finding a balanced place for desire
in that pursuit helps keep me motivated to do the hard, personal work
demanded of a Buddhist practitioner.
—Jamie Liptan, "Chanting for Stuff"
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/24/14
"The mind tries to understand the truth, as it wants a rational answer to everything, so it actively seeks out these answers. But these answers only arrive when the mind quiets down. This is when you understand the truth, and when knowledge becomes wisdom. Knowledge only transforms into wisdom through experience, not through the mind."
Sri Prem Baba
|
Via Daily Dharma
Real Devotion | July 24, 2014
Real devotion only arises when you have
a glimpse of emptiness, some glimpse of the nature of mind. Once you
have some very precise insight as to how emptiness helps to alleviate
suffering, then devotion is based on a real, embodied experience.
—Kyabgön Phakchok Rinpoche, "Keys to Happiness"
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Flower of the Day: 07/23/14
"The
deepest reason for our being here on this planet is to awaken love.
This is what moves us in this world, what makes us get up in the
morning, and keeps us alive. Some people are aware of this, and they
experience the joy of being alive. If you are not aware of this, you
feel anxious because you are unable to find any meaning in life. You
have no reason to get up in the morning. This generates depression and
the feeling that you don’t belong. Giving meaning to life is a choice:
we choose what to do with our time. But we can only make this choice
once we are mature enough to hear our heart's calling, which is always
exclaiming, ‘Awaken love! Awaken in everyone and everywhere!’ "
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma:
Non-Lying | July 23, 2014
Fully facing, getting to know, and
actually welcoming the various kinds of liar that I am gives me a taste
of not excluding anything; a taste of no inside, no outside. The more I
can do this with no outcome or gaining idea in mind, the more
truth-speaking and selflessness can naturally arise.
—Roshi Nancy Mujo Baker, "Non-Lying"
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Via Gay Politics Report: White House bans LGBT discrimination by federal contractors
President Barack Obama on Monday signed an executive order protecting LGBT employees of federal contractors and the federal government from workplace discrimination. The order makes it illegal to fire or harass employees of federal contractors based on their sexual orientation or gender identity and also bans discrimination against transgender employees of the federal government. The order did not include a religious exemption opposed by LGBT groups. NBC News (7/21), The Huffington Post (7/21), Politico (Washington, D.C.) (7/21), The Washington Post (tiered subscription model)/PostPartisan blog (7/21)
Flower of the Day: 07/22/14
"Who
am I? Who inhabits this body? Who is playing this game of life? Why am I
here and what am I here for? Why am I being led to live certain
experiences? Sensible people ask themselves these questions. This
sensibility is where you begin remembering who you really are."
Sri Prem Baba
Via Daily Dharma:
Mindful of the Dharma | July 22, 2014
We can be mindful of the dharma as we
go about our lives. Then we notice our imperfections, but rather than
becoming frustrated by our inability to rid ourselves of these
shortcomings, we notice that our interdependence with all life also
brings us kindness and joy, unconditionally.
—Rev. Patricia Kanaya Usuki, "The Great Compassion"
Via JMG: IDAHO: "Add The Four Words" Protesters Given Light Sentences By Cheering Judge
Via Idaho's Spokesman-Review:
The last of more than 100 Idahoans arrested this year in gay-rights protests at the state Capitol were sentenced in a four-hour-plus hearing Monday, and the judge had this message for them: “I respect your courage in doing what you did.” The protesters took part in “Add the 4 Words” demonstrations during this year’s session of the Idaho Legislature, standing silently, hands over their mouths, and refusing to leave until lawmakers agreed to hold a hearing on legislation to amend the Idaho Human Rights Act – or until they were arrested. No hearing was held. The protesters want the words “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” added to the types of discrimination banned by the act. Lawmakers have refused to hold a hearing on the proposed legislation for the past nine years.The vast majority of the protesters, who were arrested only once, had their charges dismissed. Another two dozen activists who had been arrested multiple times were fined $10 per arrest plus court costs. (Tipped by JMG reader Javier)
RELATED: The entire national LGBT movement should heed the actions of our heroes in Idaho. Adding those four words (sexual orientation and gender identity) to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is our only way forward after the crumbling of ENDA.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Via JMG: MINNESOTA: Vikings Coach Suspended For Anti-Gay Remarks, Kluwe Vindicated
The Vikings said that three-game suspension could be reduced to two games provided that Priefer "also attend individualized anti-harassment, diversity and sexual-orientation sensitivity training." Priefer also apologized in a statement. "I owe an apology to many people -- the Wilf family, the Minnesota Vikings organization and fans, my family, the LGBT community, Chris Kluwe and anyone else that I offended with my insensitive remark," Priefer said. "I regret what has occurred and what I said. I am extremely sorry but I will learn from this situation and will work on educating others to create more tolerance and respect." The team announced that it would donate $100,000 to LGBT rights charitable and educational organizations.The Vikings report also contains "negative information" about Kluwe, prompted him to threaten to release more "dirty" stories about the Vikings. He also said that his $10M lawsuit against the team will continue. The Vikings' action against Preifer is being denounced as "homofascism" across Teabagistan.
The Vikings lawyers acknowledge that Kluwe was encouraged by Vikings management to scale back his activism in support of LGBT rights, but insist it was completely unrelated to the substance of his activism. The analysis claims that “players and management were concerned about the distraction that Kluwe’s activism was creating, as opposed to the nature and content of his activism.” Of course, it was the “nature and content of his activism” that ultimately created the “distraction.” It’s hard to image if Kluwe was speaking out to reduce childhood obesity that it would have become an issue.
Although the full investigation has not been released, the Vikings lawyers did make sure to include information that casts Kluwe in a negative light. Specifically, the analysis alleges that Kluwe made crude jokes about the Penn State rape scandal. Kluwe appeared to confirm the allegations were true on Twitter but that the jokes were pervasive throughout the entire team. No one claims Kluwe was fired for the jokes so it’s unclear what relevance they had to the investigation.
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