Flower of the Day: 10/09/14

"Another way to understand karma is as the traces that we leave behind. It is our open accounts: the words unspoken or feelings unexpressed. Presence is the master key, because only through presence can we act without leaving a trace. If there are still traces left, then it isn’t possible to merge with the ocean and free ourselves. We have to erase all of our traces by settling our open accounts with all others. This is why I have been focusing on the work of reconciliation."

 

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma

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The Power of Custom | October 9, 2014

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That the Buddhist religion has survived so long in the world is a result not so much of the durability of manuscripts as of the power of ideas embodied in custom; and custom, for all our abundant sources of information, is what we lack and cannot in the long run do without. 

 

- Bhikkhu Nyanasobhano, "Selective Wisdom"

 

Via JMG: xkcd On Same-Sex Marriage

 

Details.(Tipped by JMG reader Bruce)

Labels: marriage equality, polls, xkcd

Reposted from  Joe Jervis

God Only Knows - BBC Music

Flower of the Day: 10/08/14

"Divine justice makes use of human injustice to bring about the ultimate justice. The human mind, although it is a great power, has its limitations. One of the aspects of the mind is memory, but human memory is flawed. We send out an invitation and forget we sent it, so that when the guests arrive we don’t think we invited them. This limitation prevents us from noticing the relationship between cause and effect. But there is no effect without a cause."

 

Sri Prem Baba

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The Presence of Beauty | October 8, 2014

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Thomas Aquinas said that beauty arrests motion. He meant, I think, that in the presence of something gorgeous or sublime, we stop our nervous natterings, our foot twitchings and restless tongues. Whatever that fretful hunger is, it seems momentarily filled in the presence of beauty. 

 

- Barbara Hurd, "On Silence"

 

Via JMG: Human Rights Campaign Inducts 19 Members Of Congress Into Hall Of Shame

The Human Rights Campaign today announced the induction of 19 member of Congress into its Hall Of Shame for anti-LGBT actions.

“If you want to understand why LGBT equality has hit a roadblock in Congress, you don't need to look any further than these leaders of anti-LGBT obstruction and animus,” said David Stacy, HRC’s Government Affairs Director. “These members go out of their way to oppose any step toward equal protection under the law or to protect LGBT Americans from violence, discrimination and harassment. They proactively work to undermine existing legal protections and promote anti-LGBT discrimination.”

Released in advance of the HRC Scorecard for the 113th Congress, HRC identified these elected officials as the most anti-equality members of Congress by looking at their voting records in this and previous Congresses, their introduction and co-sponsorships of anti-LGBT legislation, and their public statements. While there are other anti-LGBT members of Congress, these elected officials’ legislative actions, votes and anti-LGBT vitriol unfortunately marks them with a modern day scarlet letter.

The only Democrat on the list, Rep. Mike McIntrye, has signed Rep. Randy Weber's laughably doomed bill that would limit the federal government to only recognizing same-sex marriages that are legally conducted in the state where the married couple resides. McIntrye is retiring after the current term.

Labels: GOP, HRC, Jeff Sessions, LGBT rights, Louie Gohmert, Michele Bachmann, Mike Lee, Randy Weber, Steve King, Tea Party, teabaggers, Ted Cruz, Tim Huelskamp

Reposted from  Joe Jervis

Via JMG: UPDATED: Wikipedia Marriage Map

 

UPDATE: JMG reader Bill directs us to the Flag Of Equal Marriage, which after today will be adding more stars.

Labels: marriage equality, United States, Wikipedia

Reposted from  Joe Jervis  

Flower of the Day: 10/07/14

"It would be tremendously positive for the evolution of human consciousness if parents were aware of the significance of bringing a child into the world. I have inspired people to see children as Atma, the divine spirit in development. Although the child is in a body, they have the spark of Parmatma, the supreme ineffable Absolute, and they have much to teach us. The child arrives on this plane with a well-defined purpose. They already arrive with their talents, and with a vision to share with the world. What they need is support so that this vision may be revealed."

Sri Prem Baba

Via Daily Dharma

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What Haiku Requires | October 7, 2014

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[Basho] practiced Zen without insignia or ordination. Every decade he experienced a catastrophic reordering of his life. 'Let my name be "Traveler,"' he implored, following the narrow road of poetry to the far north. He shattered clever wordplay haiku to create a new mosaic of language, solitary and raw. 'The old verse can be about willows,' he observed, 'but haiku requires crows picking snails in a rice paddy.' 

 

- Wendy Johnson, "Seventeen Syllable Medicine"

 

Via Freedom to Marry / FB:

Via Vestiário / FB: Luciana Genro

Luciana Genro, você sempre agradece a sua repercussão. Hoje, você teve pouco mais de 1,5 milhão de votos.

Na verdade, somos nós que temos que te agradecer, e muito, por ter olhado com carinho e defendido com amor a gente. Num país tão homofóbico como o Brasil, você foi a nossa esperança.

Valeu!

Via ACLU Nationwide / FB:

Via Daily Dharma

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On Transience | October 6, 2014

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The photograph reflects a moment that is happening out in the world, and also one that is happening in the minds of the photographer and the viewer. The fact that the moment is fleeting and will never get repeated adds to its appeal. A photograph acknowledges this transience. The best ones attach meaning to it. 

 

- David Butow, "Seeing Buddha: A Photographic Journey" 

 

Flower of the Day: 10/06/14

"You are not the body, nor are you the mind. But as long as you are identified with the body and the mind, you become a victim of compulsive desires. Desire is a bottomless pit. The point is not to fulfill one desire or another, but to stop desiring altogether. Satisfying a desire is simple. The question is: how long does the contentment that comes from fulfilling this desire last? Behind that desire is a devouring fire, an unceasing desire. There is a disconnect with the source."

 

Sri Prem Baba

Via JMG: BREAKING: SCOTUS Denies Review In All Seven Marriage Equality Cases, Marriage Comes To Five More States

Via JMG: TAIWAN: Thousands Of Gay Marriage Supporters Demonstrate In Taipei

 

Via AsiaOne News:

An alliance of more than one hundred non-governmental organisations yesterday staged a rally outside the Legislative Yuan urging the government to complete the necessary amendments that will pave the way for the legalization of gay marriage. Dubbed the "rainbow siege," reports indicate that more than 4,000 members of the public participated in yesterday's demonstration at the Legislative Yuan. Demonstrators attached 112 padlocks symbolizing the strangleholds of homophobic opinions labelled with the names of lawmakers on the gates of the Legislative Yuan facing Qingdao East Road. In response to the appeals of activists, 21 lawmakers accepted the invitation to unlock and remove the padlocks with "keys of equality." Demonstration organizers stated that among the 21 lawmakers openly expressing their support for equal marriage rights yesterday, four are aligned to the ruling party while 14 are from the opposition party, with two being independent lawmakers.

The leader of Taiwan's opposition party has announced a public hearing on marriage equality later this month. Same-sex marriage is not presently legal anywhere in Asia, unless you count New Zealand. (Tipped by JMG reader Lulu)

RELATED: In December 2013 a massive crowd in the tens of thousands marched against same-sex marriage in Taipei. American anti-gay sites, including NOM, claimed that the crowd numbered as many as 300,000. Homocon Robert Oscar Lopez is praised the protest on his blog, English Manif.

Labels: activism, marriage equality, Taiwan

Reposted from  Joe Jervis

Via JMG: BREAKING: SCOTUS Denies Review In All Seven Marriage Equality Cases

Via USA Today:

The Supreme Court refused to get involved in the national debate over same-sex marriage Monday, leaving intact lower court rulings that will legalize the practice in 11 additional states. The unexpected decision by the justices, announced without further explanation, immediately affects five states in which federal appeals courts had struck down bans against gay marriage: Virginia, Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Utah.
It also will bring along six other states located in the judicial circuits overseen by those appellate courts: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Colorado, Kansas and Wyoming. The action will bring to 30 the number of states where gays and lesbians can marry. Appeals courts in Cincinnati and San Francisco are considering cases that could expand that number further, presuming the Supreme Court remains outside the legal fray.

Story developing...

Labels: Indiana, LGBT rights, marriage equality, Oklahoma, SCOTUS, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin

Via FB: Healthcare / Ebola